The upcoming iPhone 17 Air from Apple is expected to take the place of the ‘Plus’ model in the smartphone lineup. Instead of simply mirroring the specifications of the base variant, the iPhone 17 Air will be positioned just above the entry-level model but below the premium iPhone 17 Pro series. Reports suggest that this ultra-slim device will come equipped with 12GB of RAM, similar to that found in the Pro models, and will use the A19 Pro chip, albeit with a caveat regarding its graphical capabilities.
According to a notable leaker from Weibo, known as Fixed Focus Digital, the iPhone 17 Air is anticipated to feature the A19 Pro chip; however, it will include a downgraded 5-core GPU compared to the 6-core GPU present in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. As a result, the graphics performance of the iPhone 17 Air is not expected to match that of its Pro counterparts, which could lead to reduced gaming performance. Despite this, the A19 Pro chip promises substantial speed, and average users may not notice any significant difference in performance, making the downgrade relatively minor. The chip’s efficiency is also expected to remain high, which will be vital for optimizing battery life.
Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that the iPhone 17 Air may actually utilize the standard A19 chip, typically reserved for the basic variant of the lineup. This creates some uncertainty about the final specifications as the launch approaches. Given that the iPhone 17 Air will share RAM specifications with the Pro models, adopting the A19 Pro chip could bring its performance closer to that of the higher-end devices.
Kuo has previously indicated that the standard iPhone 17 will be powered by last year’s A18 chip, which would make the inclusion of the A19 chip in the iPhone 17 Air a significant point of differentiation. While Kuo hasn’t stated that the Air will utilize the Pro chip, as the launch date nears, more details will become clear. Other sources like analyst Jeff Pu have also affirmed that the standard iPhone 17 will feature the A18 chip, adding credibility to this developing narrative. Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 17 lineup in September, and comprehensive coverage of the event is anticipated.
