Apple considered a completely "port-free" design for the iPhone 17 Air
What stopped Apple from making an iPhone with no charging port?
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The Apple iPhone 17 Air is said to sport the same wide horizontal camera bar design as the iPhone 17 Pro. Photo: Front Page Tech
Beyond adopting an ultra-thin and light design, Apple reportedly wanted the rumoured iPhone 17 Air to be "port-free". In other words, Apple wanted to ship it without a USB-C port.
According to Bloomberg, Apple initially wanted to remove the USB-C port on the iPhone 17 Air to achieve a "port-free" design. This isn't the first time that Apple is said to be exploring a completely wireless iPhone. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and tipster @choco_bit wrote a few years ago that Apple's ultimate goal was to have no ports on the iPhone.
In a 2020 report, Bloomberg believes Apple's move to USB-C would be short-lived. The iPhone maker aims for a wireless-first future with some variant of the cancelled AirPower technology implemented within the next decade.
The latest report indicates that Apple shelved its futuristic plan due to . The regulatory measure mandates that products must use the USB-C charging standard from December 2024.
Additionally, Apple wanted to equip the iPhone 17 Air with a larger 6.9-inch display. The iPhone maker, however, settled on a 6.6-inch screen as it does not want a repeat of the 2014 "Bendgate" saga. A larger display would have made the device more susceptible to being bent.
Bloomberg shared that the iPhone 17 Air will come with some features of the iPhone 16 Pro such as the Camera Control and ProMotion technology. In line with the Korean site Sisa Journal, Bloomberg also expects the iPhone 17 Air to have the same price points as the iPhone 16 Plus.
Despite the ultra-thin form factor, Bloomberg says Apple is not willing to compromise on battery life. The engineering team was instructed to redesign the display and silicon components to make the device more power-efficient.
Recent leaked CADS and high-resolution renders seem to confirm a single rear camera module housed in a wide horizontal bar design.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to debut alongside the other iPhone 17 models in September.
Source: Bloomberg via 9to5Mac, Apple Insider
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