iPhone 17 Air Could Arrive with an Underpowered GPU

Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Air is expected to launch as its slimmest offering in the iPhone 17 family. Now, a report gives us a peek into the performance side of things of the iPhone 17 Air.

As per leaker Fixed Focus Digital, Apple's 2025 slim phone entrant, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to feature the A19 Pro SoC with a 5-core GPU unit.

Apple iPhone 17 Air leaked info — Image Credit: Weibo/ @Fixed Focus Digital

This means that, unlike the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the iPhone 17 Air will feature one less GPU core. For context, the A19 Pro is expected to be a 2 nm TSMC-fabricated silicon with a 6-core GPU architecture.

If true, the iPhone 17 Air will sit right between the base iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro. Now, while the leaker has not shared the exact reason for this speculated downgrade, we believe this has to do with thermals.

Apple iPhone 17 Air dummy unit from back and side — Image Credit: Daria Lixovetckay/ Shutterstock

Since the focus here is on being slim, the iPhone 17 Air could flaunt a 5.5mm thickness, making it the thinnest mainstream iPhone out there. Hence, one reduced GPU core could very well translate to reduced heat generation during graphic-intensive tasks like gaming, video rendering and AI-based operations.

Or it could also simply mean that Apple wants to create a clear separation between the "Pro" and "Air" models. This seems like a more viable reason, since the leak also claims that the smartphone will reportedly feature an inferior battery and display compared to the Pros.

iPhone 17 Air mockup — Image Credit: Beebom Gadgets

We already know that Apple is reportedly looking to pack a small 2,900mAh battery inside the upcoming iPhone 17 Air. The actual battery unit is also said to be slim with a new steel casing for better heat dissipation and structural resistance.

As for the display, it could feature a 6.65-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel, but miss out on ProMotion (120 Hz). Besides, the iPhone 17 Air could feature premium materials like a titanium frame, something that this year's Pro models could miss out on.

With that said, nothing is confirmed as of yet. So, take this development with a pinch of salt. We hope to hear more about the upcoming Apple smartphones as we approach the iPhone 17 launch event in early September 2025.