Two More iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max Rumors Drop Before Apple Event

It is now the eve of Apple's annual iPhone event, and last-minute rumors about the iPhone 17 devices continue to surface out of China.

iPhone 17 Air Thumb 2 Blue Electric Boogaloo
The latest rumors pertain to the iPhone 17 Air and the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

First, the account Fixed Focus Digital on Chinese social media platform Weibo today said the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air is unlikely to launch in China, due to its lack of a SIM card slot. However, regulatory database listings suggested there would in fact be a variant of the iPhone 17 Air with a SIM card slot, so the situation is unclear. In any case, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to rely entirely on eSIM technology in most countries.

Second, the account Ice Universe on Weibo today reiterated that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be 8.725mm thick, whereas the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 8.25mm thick. If this information is accurate, the iPhone 17 Pro Max would be approximately 5% thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The account previously suggested the device would be thicker in order to accommodate a larger battery with a leaked 5,088 mAh capacity.

Both of the Weibo accounts have pretty good track records. We will find out if these rumors prove to be true in around 24 hours from now.

Related Roundups: iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...

Top Rated Comments

Eminemdrdre00 Avatar
17 weeks ago
The iPhone 17 Air will look even thinner if they make the other phones thicker
[MEDIA=giphy]d3mlE7uhX8KFgEmY[/MEDIA]
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sebosz Avatar
17 weeks ago

I guess the thing I'm most curious about is what necessitated the bigger battery that resulted in the 5% increase in thickness?

Is there some technical reason, all that extra juice a requirement to support a feature inside the phone, or are they just letting the truck be a truck because the Air is an option for people who want a thin phone?
Gotta support those advanced and power hungry Apple “Intelligence” features we all love to use ?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cdsapplefan Avatar
17 weeks ago
iPhone Thick Pro Max ??
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ReliableSource Avatar
17 weeks ago
I wonder if the extra 0.475mm will even be noticeable to me. Bring on the extra battery I say
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
17 weeks ago

Why even watch the event at this point...
drinking game



Attachment Image
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wilhoitm Avatar
17 weeks ago

Too funny. People are going non-linear about an extra 0.5mm (0.02 inches) of thickness. The sky is falling, the sky is falling.
This happens at every Apple event! The "Apple is doomed" people come out of the woodwork!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)