Apple Considers IPhone 17 Air Without USB-C Port, But Canceled

IPhone 17 Air will bring a number of features from the iPhone 16 Pro (photo: x @SumahoReview)

JAKARTA - Apple reportedly considered making the iPhone 17 Air a portless cellphone, fully relying on wireless charging. However, a recent report from Bloomberg written by Mark Gurman revealed that the Cupertino company's plans were eventually canceled.

According to the report, the iPhone 17 Air will bring a number of features from the iPhone 16 Pro, including Camera Control and ProMotion screens. Previously, rumors have long been circulating that the entire iPhone 17 lineup will have ProMotion technology, but it is still unclear whether the iPhone 17 Air will include the Camera Control feature. Now, it looks like the feature will be present in this model.

In line with previous leaks, the iPhone 17 Air is said to be one of the thinst iPhones Apple has ever made. Its thickness is estimated to be only 5.5 mm, at a price of around 900 US dollars (Rp. 14.7 million) or the equivalent of the iPhone 16 Plus which will be replaced.

However, this thin design also brings some compromise. The iPhone 17 Air won't have a second speaker and will only be equipped with one rear camera, in contrast to the iPhone 16 Plus which has two rear cameras. Even so, this device still offers a 6.6-inch screen.

One aspect that Apple doesn't sacrifice is battery life. According to Gurman, Apple doesn't want to sacrifice battery life for a thinner design. For that, Apple redesigns its screen components, processors, and software to make it more power efficient.

New Chip, Without mmWave Support

In addition to a slimmer design, the iPhone 17 Air will be one of the first phones to use the C1 chip, a 5G modem made by Apple itself. This chip was first introduced on the iPhone 16e and will now be present on the iPhone 17 Air.

However, the use of this chip has other consequences, namely the absence of support for the mmWave network. Even so, Apple still claims that this phone offers a Superfast 5G cellular experience like the one on the iPhone 16e.

Apple Urges To Create IPhone Without Port

One of the most interesting decisions is the cancellation of Apple's plans to remove the USB-C port on the iPhone 17 Air. Initially, Apple considered making it the first phone without a port, but the plan was eventually canceled.

EU regulation appears to be the main factor behind this decision. Applicable regulations require that if a phone has a port, then the port must be USB-C type. While this rule does not explicitly ban mobile phones without ports, Apple may see the decision as less practical for the global market.

If the estimated price of 900 US dollars is really realized, the iPhone 17 Air has the potential to be one of the most interesting iPhones in recent years, especially with its much slimmer new design.