iPhone 17 Air could come with an A19 Pro chip – but there's a catch
It could come with slower graphics than the iPhone 17 Pro
📱 Apple might use its next top-of-the-line chip for the iPhone 17 Air
⚙️ A new rumor says the phone will come with an A19 Pro processor
👾 However, it’ll have slower graphics performance than the iPhone 17 Pro
📲 The regular iPhone 17 will stick to a normal A19 chip
📅 Apple is rumored to announce the iPhone 17 Air on September 9
Apple might give its best chip to the iPhone 17 Air. The ultra-thin phone, which is expected to be announced in less than a month, could be powered by the upcoming A19 Pro processor, according to a Weibo post from Fixed Focus Digital. However, there’s a catch: it won’t be quite as powerful as the A19 Pro we’re expecting in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
👾 Slightly slower graphics on iPhone 17 Air?
The GPU portion of the A19 Pro is said to consist of six cores, but in the iPhone 17 Air, it’ll only come with five cores. This will reduce graphics performance slightly, but likely not noticeably.
Why the different GPU? Fixed Focus Digital doesn’t reveal the reason, but we can guess that Apple probably has to mitigate thermal performance on the iPhone 17 Air. Given the fact it’s expected to be just 5.5mm thin, there isn’t a lot of room for heat dissipation, and including a powerful chip like this might spell trouble for keeping things cool. It could also be an issue of not having enough space for an extra core.
It’s also worth mentioning that this is the first time we’ve heard this rumor. Up until now, the iPhone 17 Air has been rumored to include the normal A19 chip, which the regular iPhone 17 is still expected to come with. However, Fixed Focus Digital has a reputation for leaking accurate Apple information close to launch day, like the name of the iPhone 16e. It’ll be curious to see which chip Apple settles on for its thinnest phone to date.
The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be announced on September 9. The device will come with a 6.6-inch 120Hz display, a single rear 48MP camera, a tiny 2,900mAh battery, a single speaker, and the Apple C1 5G modem.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.