Apple to Start eSIM Technology with iPhone 17 Air Globally

iPhone 17 Air Design

The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be significantly slimmer. The thickness of the prototype is just 5 to 6 millimeters, which is significantly slimmer than the iPhone 16’s 7.8 mm. If confirmed, it would make it one of Apple’s slimmest devices, comparable to the iPhone 6, which was 6.9 mm thick. However, the report notes that this slimmer design also poses several engineering challenges.

It is said that Apple engineers are trying to fit components like battery and thermal material in a slim frame. Apart from this, a single earpiece speaker can be found in the device, because there is no space for another speaker. Currently it is provided in iPhone models. To maintain the slim profile, the iPhone 17 Air will reportedly feature a single rear camera in a large, centered camera bump, unlike the camera setups of recent iPhones.

Apple will shift to in-house 5G modem

The iPhone 17 Air will also be the first iPhone with Apple’s in-house 5G modem. While the new modem offers greater power efficiency, the report says it currently lags behind Qualcomm processors in terms of speed and connectivity. It lacks support for mmWave 5G. Apple is promoting eSIM technology as a secure, convenient alternative to physical SIM cards. eSIMs cannot be removed if a device is lost or stolen, and they allow users to manage multiple phone numbers on a single device. However, the iPhone 17 Air which is expected to be launched next year may face many challenges in China. Physical SIM trays are still required within China’s real name registration system. Without the approval of eSIM, its release in China may be hindered.