The new iPhone 17 series has been released, and now there are no secrets about the exterior design and parameter configuration of the iPhone 17 series, including the latest design of the iPhone 17 Air
From the 1:1 body design, the iPhone 17 Air’s appearance is still very online, with a simple back and slim body, a departure from Apple’s previous designs.
The biggest feature of the iPhone 17 Air is its groundbreaking 5.5mm body thickness, which not only surpasses all previous generations of iPhones but also beats the vast majority of Android flagship models currently on the market.
But Apple has sacrificed many experiences of this phone in pursuit of its appearance, which is reflected in the following three aspects. The most direct sacrifice is the battery capacity, which is far below the average level of current smartphones, and this battery capacity may not be enough to meet the needs of users for a whole day. Even though Apple has made some adjustments to solve the battery life problem, including the installation of its self-developed C1 baseband chip
Comparison of battery thickness between iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro
Secondly, a thin and lightweight body can simplify the cooling system.
Compared to the graphene heat sink used in traditional iPhones
Due to the extremely limited internal space, the iPhone 17 Air may only use the most basic heat dissipation solution, relying solely on thin copper sheets and limited thermal conductive materials.
Although this design saves valuable built-in space, it also results in the chip being unable to maintain peak performance for a long time under high loads. Therefore, even if the A19 chip
Powerful performance, it may be difficult to fully release even when installed on the iPhone 17 Air.
Finally, the imaging system also made bold choices.
In terms of camera configuration, the iPhone 17 Air has made the boldest simplification, equipped with only one 48 megapixel camera
The rear camera is in sharp contrast to the multi camera system commonly used in current smartphones.
Apple’s decision is mainly based on two considerations: first, the thickness of the camera module directly affects the overall thickness of the phone, and multiple cameras will significantly increase the size of the thickest part of the body; Secondly, the actual needs of the target user group may be relatively low.
The specific specifications of this single camera in the iPhone 17 Air are similar to the main camera in the standard version of the iPhone 17, supporting 2x lossless digital zoom, but without optical zoom capability.
This means that iPhone 17 Air users will not be able to enjoy the long-range shooting capabilities brought by telephoto lenses, nor will they be able to take ultra wide angle photos, which may be Apple’s biggest setback in camera configuration in recent years.
Of course, existence is reasonable. If the iPhone 17 Air can be made, there will inevitably be an audience for this phone. The positioning of this phone is also very clear. It is not designed for technology geeks or performance enthusiasts, but targets a specific consumer group.
The first type is the fashionable crowd who prioritize design and portability, and they value the appearance and feel of their phones more than absolute performance;
The second type is office workers or students who use their phones lightly, mainly handling emails, social media, and instant messaging, and rarely playing games or creating content;
The third category is consumers who are backup devices, and they may already have primary devices such as iPads or Macs. They only need a portable communication tool in their daily lives.
Overall, although the iPhone 17 Air has made choices in many aspects, as a new model designed by Apple to restructure its product line, it is also a new way of thinking.
Such a lightweight phone requires comprehensive innovation in internal structure, material selection, and heat dissipation solutions. This bold product experiment, whether successful or not, will provide reference value for the future development direction of the industry!
