*Image credit — Fpt.
Apple’s new flagship model this year — the super slim iPhone 17 Air — is rumored to be continuing the trend of colors that, ironically enough, lack any color. Though this isn’t a confirmed report just yet, there is a possibility (translated source) that the Air will introduce a new blue color unlike anything that Apple has used before.That isn’t necessarily a good thing, as the rumor claims that the color is such a light shade of blue that, under certain lighting conditions, it basically appears as white. This is similar to certain other modern color options for smartphones — like “Silverblue” for the Galaxy S25 Ultra — that don’t commit too hard to a unique shade.
Fortunately, according to other reports, at least the base model iPhone 17 may be introducing a new color that isn’t just a different shade of black or white. The base model iPhone 17 will have purple as an option, and it looks better than previous purple shades on the iPhone 14. It’s not as royal as the purple as the iPhone 12, however, which is a bummer.
Blue or not, there are a few other problems haunting Apple when it comes to the Air. The biggest one for now seems to be the fact that iPhone 17 Air displays are cracking, as the phone requires a much thinner LTPO OLED panel than usual. Yep, an LTPO OLED panel, because Apple is finally ditching 60 Hz and bringing all of its flagship phones up to modern standards.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge — the main rival to the iPhone 17 Air — suffers from the same dull color problem. It comes in three shades — Titanium Jet Black, Titanium Silver, and Titanium Icy Blue — and the last two are basically just different shades of white. If you were to choose between the two phones solely based on color choices, then you couldn’t go wrong either way.
The Air is expected to replace the Plus models, and as such will be unveiled alongside the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup later this year. If it fails to sell like the Edge remains to be seen, though I think we can all tell where the iPhone 17 Air is headed.
