According to the latest rumors, the iPhone 17 Slim will not have a SIM tray, and will not even have 5G mmWave connectivity.
The iPhone 17 Slim, also known as the iPhone 17 Air, is expected to be a very thi
n smartphone. Previous rumors suggested that the product would be only 6mm thick.
Due to the iPhone 17 Air's extremely thin design, some internal components will
be removed, such as the camera bump. According to The Information's sourc
e, the physical SIM card may be completely removed on the iPhone 17 Air.
iPhone 17 Air will have an ultra-thin design.
iPhone 17 Air will have an ultra-thin design.
This means the iPhone 17 Slim will be sold as an eSIM-only device.
The lack of a SIM card tray won't be an issue for iPhone users in the US. Since t
e iPhone 14, Apple has stopped selling iPhones in the US with a physical SIM card tray, pushing users and carriers to adopt eSIM.
However, in other countries, Apple still sells iPhones with SIM card trays as well as eSIM capabilities.
Regulatory issues
The main reason Apple chose to sell the iPhone with an eSIM tray/SIM card is because of sales locations.
First, carriers will need to invest in new systems to enable eSIMs from the get
-go, allowing carriers to remotely verify a user’s identity and activate the SIM without having to visit a store.
Carriers in the US have adopted this, but other countries have not. China is one of them.
The iPhone 17 Air will have many limitations.
The iPhone 17 Air will have many limitations.
China uses a real-name registration system, which applies to all mobile phone use. Current eSIM systems do not allow for the sam
level of verification as China's system, so carriers tend not to support eSIMs, with the exception of the Apple Watch and iPad.
This was demonstrated in 2017 when cellular service was turned off for the first Apple Watch using an eSIM in China. Regulators then decided to loosen eSIM controls for the Apple Watch.
Regulators are looking into the technology and the impact of eSIMs on smartphones, but it remains unclear whether the government will ease similar regulations before the iPhone 17 Slim is released.
Unless regulators agree to allow carriers to use eSIMs on smartphones, the iPhone 17 Slim won’t be available in China. Or else, Apple engineers could stuff a SIM tray into this iPhone.
Modems and mmWave
Another change that could affect the iPhone 17 Slim is the modem. The report claims that this will be one of the first iPhones to use Apple's in-house 5G modem instead of Qualcomm's.
The modem, codenamed Sinope, is smaller than Qualcomm's version and may consume less power. This could benefit the iPhone 17 Slim, allowing the phone to use a slightly smaller battery, saving space. However, Apple's modem's top speeds aren't as high as Qualcomm's, and it's a little less reliable at maintaining a cellular connection overall.
On the other hand, a source said that Apple's new modem will not support 5G mmWave, which will not work when using 5G's high-speed connection bands. However, this modem will still connect to 5G's sub-6Ghz bands.