Key takeaways The rumored iPhone 17 Air is expected to be released in early September.
Apple's iOS26 Adaptive Power feature could help a skinnier phone's battery last longer.
Looming tariffs could still raise the price of all iPhones, including the rumored iPhone 17 Air.
Whispers about Apple's new iPhone line have been floating around for a while but a recent beta version of iOS 26 may have accidentally confirmed some rumors about the iPhone 17 Air.
According to a report this month by Macworld, the iOS 26 beta 2 references a display resolution that doesn't match any current iPhone models but does align with rumors that surfaced last year when analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone 17 Air's screen would be 6.6 inches with a resolution of approximately 1,260x2,740 pixels.
Facing competition from the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and a slew of shockingly thin phones, Apple might be feeling the pressure to ensure an ultrathin iPhone -- which might be called the iPhone Air -- offers a lot more than a skinny profile. Among the buzzed-about features are upgraded RAM, new colors and maybe even improved battery life -- thanks in part to iOS 26's Adapative Power feature.
But to make a thinner iPhone, Apple would likely need to make hardware trade-offs, which might include a single rear camera. And any of the improved features still could be overshadowed by looming tariffs, which threaten to hike the price of the new iPhone when it's released.
Here's what we could expect from a skinnier iPhone.
Read more: Want to Buy a New iPhone? You Should Probably Wait and Here's Why
iPhone 17 Air release date: Is the slimmer iPhone coming this year?
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