iPhone 17 Air won’t have one of the iPhone’s most widely-used camera features

The iPhone 17 series will reportedly usher in a big change compared to previous years. The iPhone Plus model will be replaced by a new so-called iPhone Air, a significantly thinner smartphone than the other three devices in the iPhone 17 series.

Some leaks say the iPhone 17 Air might be just 6mm thick, which is something Apple has never done before. The iPhone 6, with its 6.9mm profile, is Apple’s thinnest iPhone to date.

The thinner the iPhone gets, the clearer it is that Apple will need to make compromises. For example, the iPhone 17 Air can’t feature a massive camera module on the back. That means at least one camera might have to go, as was the case on the 2024 iPad Pro.

With that in mind, you shouldn’t expect the iPhone 17 Air to feature a tetraprism zoom camera. Now, a new report from Korea seems to confirm that, saying the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will be the only iPhones to feature zoom lenses next year. Considering zoom is something every single person with an iPhone uses, the lack of optical zoom may be a deal-breaker for some Apple fans.

Apple introduced the tetraprism lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max last year. It then added the same zoom camera to the iPhone 16 Pro this year. In the process, Apple increased the size of the iPhone 16 Pro slightly. The iPhone 16 Pro Max grew proportionally.

The tetraprism zoom system takes up space inside the phone, which can be a problem for a Pro model. Add to that Apple’s desire to pack larger batteries inside the iPhone 16 Pros, and you end up with this year’s size increases.

Battery life will be even more critical for the iPhone 17 Air, which is probably why the phone will have a 6.6-inch display. Apple is said to be reducing the thickness but increasing the height and width of the phone, compared to a base 6.1-inch model. That’s how you ensure you get the same or better battery performance in a thinner phone.

You don’t need rumors to realize the iPhone 17 Air might feature just one camera: the main (wide-angle) camera that all iPhone 17 models will get. However, a new report from the Korean website The Elec says that Apple will not use tetraprism cameras on non-Pro iPhone 17 models.

The report says that only the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will continue to offer buyers periscope lenses like the iPhone 16 Pros and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The base iPhone 17 will continue to feature two lenses. That also makes sense, of course. Apple will want to keep selling more expensive iPhones to buyers, and the telephoto lens is one way to do it.

The Elec notes that LG Innoteck is upgrading its facilities to accommodate Apple’s future iPhone 17 camera module orders. The iPhone 17 phones will have better specs but the report doesn’t detail them. The Elec says that the camera specs have not changed significantly overall.

Meanwhile, other rumors say Apple will upgrade the selfie cam on all iPhone 17 models and use 48-megapixel sensors for all three iPhone 17 Pro cameras.

LG is already Apple’s biggest iPhone camera parts supplier, so the company isn’t making big investments to increase production. Instead, it’s just upgrading its equipment so it’s ready for Apple’s iPhone 17 manufacturing needs.