Apple has just announced the iPhone range for 2025, and it’s full of redesigned devices, new colours and spec bumps everywhere.
The star of the show, at least when it comes to features, is the iPhone 17 Pro. Available in two sizes, the £1099/$1099 flagship has an eye-catching look, huge camera bump and new seflie camera.
The iPhone 17, the entry-level model, fixes a major issue we’ve had with the series for the past few years, by finally switching the standard 60Hz panel to a 120Hz ProMotion panel.
Look closely at the 2025 iPhone lineup though and, if you’re familar with the last few years of Apple releases, you might notice something missing…where’s the iPhone 17 Plus?
There is no iPhone 17 Plus model, but there’s a reason
Liike the iPhone Mini range before it, the Plus series of phones looks to be a thing of the past as Apple decided against releasing a larger version of the standard iPhone 17.
Instead, Apple has announced the iPhone Air (note, this isn’t called the iPhone 17 Air as many had expected) which essentially takes the place of the iPhone 17 Plus.
The iPhone Air is more than just an iPhone 17 Plus under a different guise, though – this, for many, will be the, model to plump for this year.
As the rumours had predicted ahead of launch, the iPhone Air is Apple’s thinnest iPhone. The phone’s depth of just 5.6mm makes it notably slimmer than the 7.8mm iPhone 16 Plus, and it’s lighter too. While the iPhone 16 Plus tipped the scales at 199g, the Air is a mere 165g – that’s even lighter than the smaller iPhone 17.
The iPhone Air is clearly a design-first product, so it’s not necessarily going to attract the same sort of buyer who would have previously picked up a Plus-phone.
Sacrifices have been made to keep the phone slim, notably there’s only a single 48MP camera on the back as opposed to two. The screen is slightly smaller than the Plus series too, at 6.5-inches as opposed to 6.7-inches. It also lacks a SIM slot globally, so eSIM is the only way forward.
We’re also keen to see how the battery performs, as we were impressed by the endurance of the iPhone 16 Plus and slim phones we’ve tested previously, like the Galaxy S25 Edge, pale in comparison to their beefier sibling.
With just the spec-sheet to go on so far, Apple is claiming the same ‘up to 27 hours of battery life for the iPhone Air as it claimed for the 16 Plus. However, as Apple is also selling a MagSafe battery pack for the Air designed to extend its endurance.
Of course, the different in price might annoy some. The iPhone Air will retail for £999/$999, that’s £100/$100 more than the base iPhone 16 Plus model. However, you’re now getting 256GB starting storage rather than 128GB.
Opinion
Ditching the iPhone 17 Plus for the Air makes complete sense, as it removes a sort of pointless member of the iPhone family for a. very desirable new product.
Having both options, at a fairly similar price point, would be confusing to buyers and there’s no need for five iPhone 17 models. If the iPhone Air manages good battery life and takes good pictures with the single camera, the move make complete sense.
