iPhone 17 Air is coming this fall as an ultra-thin new form factor, and it could pose a significant threat to the iPhone 17 Pro line. But there’s a good reason why launching the new model is worth the risk for Apple.
Seeing is believing with ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air
Leaks about the iPhone 17 Air are nothing new.
We’ve known for months that Apple plans to launch a new, ultra-thin iPhone this fall to replace the Plus model.
There have even been plenty of photos emerge of dummy models built with iPhone 17 Air’s dimensions.
Reading product measurements, and online images, can only go so far in communicating the new model’s appeal, though.
That’s what Lewis (“Lew”) George Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy learned.
His hands-on video with an iPhone 17 Air dummy makes one thing very clear: with this new ultra-thin model, seeing is believing.
Even though Lew had followed all the leaks, his reaction to holding the new model in his hand was surprising—even to himself.
He immediately says, “That feels futuristic,” and goes on to communicate, essentially, that Apple’s in trouble.
Why?
Because per Lew, anyone who holds an iPhone 17 Air won’t want to buy any other model.
Apple’s risk and big potential reward
If Lew’s reaction proves true for other users—and I suspect it will—Apple is taking a big risk in launching the iPhone 17 Air.
It wouldn’t be a problem if the Air was Apple’s most expensive model.
But that’s not the case. Current expectations are that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will both still be more expensive than the 17 Air.
So if the Air can sway significant numbers of Pro users, Apple will be taking a revenue hit.
It could be worth it though.
For years, the iPhone’s basic design has stayed largely the same. It’s hard to tell apart an iPhone 16 Pro from a 15, 14, and so on.
The last huge design change was the iPhone X, all the way back in 2017.
iPhone 17 Air won’t offer quite as radical a design update. But it will be poised to capitalize on pent-up demand for a fresh, substantially “new” look.
Even if Apple cannibalizes iPhone Pro sales in the short-term, the payoff could be worth it for one reason: because the 17 Air will make new iPhones exciting again.
Current iPhone sales are fine, but culturally speaking, it’s been a while since Apple launched a model that earned the kind of buzz found with, say, the iPhone X.
A buzzy, flashy iPhone 17 Air could ignite fresh consumer passion for getting the latest, greatest iPhone.
And that kind of excitement would be set to carry over into next year’s new iPhone Fold and beyond.
With its ultra-thin Air model, Apple could prove it still has the goods—in a way the iPhone has lacked recently.
And that sort of outcome makes any lost revenue from iPhone 17 Pro sales well worth it in the end.
Do you think the Air will cannibalize 17 Pro sales? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
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