Apple’s expected iPhone 17 Air is positioned to replace the Plus model in the existing lineup. This change implies that the iPhone 17 Air will share specifications with the standard model and could launch with 4 subtle colors. Still, reports suggest the device will sit somewhat over the basic model yet under the premium iPhone 17 Pro versions.
According to recent data, the svelte iPhone 17 Air will have the same 12GB of RAM as the Pro models and will be powered by the A19 Pro chip, though with fewer GPU cores. Expected to be between the basic and Pro versions, the iPhone 17 Air has little performance and GPU. Fixed Focus Digital, a well-known Weibo leaker, has claimed that the iPhone 17 Air will use Apple’s A19 Pro chip, which features a 6-core GPU found in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max’s design trade-off.
This leaker, however, claims that while the iPhone 17 Air would run the A19 Pro CPU, it would be limited to a 5-core GPU, hence its graphic performance would fall far short of that of the ‘Pro’ models. Users can expect a gaming experience somewhat less intense than that of the Pro-branded devices, should this data remain accurate. Note that though the chip is rather quick, typical users may not detect a noticeable performance difference; hence, this is a slight downgrade.
Still, the chip’s performance is predicted to stay constant, which will be rather important for the Air’s battery life. Surprisingly, industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has proposed that the iPhone 17 Air may, in fact, have the regular A19 chip, the same chip to be employed in the standard version of the lineup. (Source: Mac Rumors)
Considering the contradictory nature of these claims at this time, Apple’s ultimate placement of the product is unknown. But given that the iPhone 17 Air will have the same RAM as the Pro models, putting the A19 Pro chip could bring its performance levels much closer to those of the higher-end models.
Read about this recent breakthrough in Apple foldables – Premium Price Tag for a Next-gen Foldable iPhone.
