The iPhone 17 production will start soon, assuming everything goes well. Recent reports say that Apple is dealing with unexpected issues with a key iPhone 17 Air component that’s also used in GPUs that AI firms need, which could lead to some stock issues down the line.
Whether the rumors are true or not, and whether manufacturing issues will impact the iPhone 17 supply at launch, it’s probably safe to say that the iPhone 17 design has long been finalized. We saw plenty of dummy units appear in images from various sources, seemingly confirming the leaked CAD designs that preceded them.
Those dummy units told us Apple is making four iPhone 17 variants, as expected, including the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. The same leaks also highlighted some of the big design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro models, like the elongated rear-facing camera module and the dual-tone back.
But it’s one thing to look at photos of dummy units and quite another to handle them. YouTube channel Unbox Therapy proves that, as Lewis Hilsenteger was stunned by the scary thin iPhone 17 Air design.
Unbox Therapy obtained dummy units for previous iPhone versions over the years. It happens around this time of the year, and they’re always coming from China.
It’s likely that case vendors in the region produce the dummy units in anticipation of the accessory manufacturing season for the new handsets. They need to have products ready for the new iPhone series as soon as it launches, which is why we see all these leaks.
Ultimately, the provenance of these dummy units doesn’t matter. What matters is what they reveal about the purported next-gen iPhone series.
As you’ll see in the following clip, the YouTuber was impressed with the phone’s incredible thickness from the moment he took the iPhone 17 Air dummy unit out of the box. The device is crazy thin, except for the single-lens camera protrusion on the back, which adds some extra thickness at the top.
The iPhone 17 Air dummy unit measured just 5.66 mm, in line with recent leaks. The YouTuber also received dummy units for the other three models, which are in line with what we saw in recent weeks. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is even thicker than its predecessor, at 8.75mm.
Hilsenteger was amazed at the iPhone 17 Air’s incredibly thin profile and how the handset felt in the hand and pocket. The YouTuber speculated that the iPhone 17 Air would sell incredibly well. Users will only have to get their hands on it, and they’ll want the handset despite whatever compromises it might come with.
The YouTuber worried about the phone’s durability, wondering if the actual iPhone 17 Air will bend, and about battery life.
As someone who is eying the iPhone 17 Air and who is well aware of what iPhone 17 Air rumors have been saying, I have no reason to worry. After the iPhone 6’s “Bendgate” scandal, there’s no way Apple will sell iPhones that bend.
As for the battery life, ultra-thin foldable phones featuring ultra-thin batteries already exist. Rumors also say Apple might adopt new battery tech to ensure the iPhone 17 Air’s battery life is decent. By that, I mean battery life should match what’s currently available in iPhone 16 models.
The YouTube clip showing the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air dummy unit follows.
