Apple is rumored to launch a slimmer iPhone model next year, possibly called the iPhone 17 Slim or iPhone 17 Air. The phone is expected to feature a slim design and could pack an impressive set of features. It was recently reported that the iPhone 17 Slim may not be as thin as it was initially expected. It turns out, that this could be true because Apple is encountering challenges with its slim design.
According to a fresh report by The Information, Apple is struggling to fit hardware components inside the iPhone 17 Slim/Air because of its slim profile. One major issue is accommodating the physical SIM tray, which is posing a huge hurdle.
There are chances that Apple could adopt a similar strategy to what it used for US variants of iPhones. Notably, in the US, the iPhone 14 or above models are sold with eSIMs. This eliminates the need for a physical SIM card tray. However, implementing this same strategy may not be feasible in other regions like China or India, where eSIM adoption is limited and demand for traditional SIM slots remains high.
If Apple doesn't fix this problem related to the iPhone 17 Slim/Air, then there is a grave danger of missing out on a big user base. On the other hand, another problem that could affect the iPhone 17 Slim/Air's slim design is the modem.
It has been rumored that it will be among the first iPhones featuring Apple's in-house 5G modem, and if things don't go Apple's way, they might have to ditch the in-house modem. There are a lot of components that could further pose a problem for Apple such as speakers, batteries, thermals, cameras, etc. that need to fit inside the iPhone 17 Slim casing.
The iPhone 17 Slim/Air is also reportedly not getting the 5x optical zoom lens like the "Pro" models. The phone is tipped to launch next year, potentially replacing the iPhone 17 Plus model.
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