The anticipated iPhone 17 Air could potentially outperform expectations, as rumors suggest it might carry a powerful new chip. This ultra-slim flagship model may be equipped with the same processor found in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, albeit with fewer graphics processing cores. Traditionally, Apple has reserved its advanced mobile chipsets for the Pro models, while the base versions use the standard silicon.
However, conflicting information surrounding the upcoming iPhone 17 Air has emerged, causing speculation. Recently, a leaker named Fixed Focus Digital indicated that the standard iPhone 17 might utilize the base A19 chip, which could be the only variant in the lineup with 8GB of RAM. There’s ongoing debate about whether the iPhone 17 Air will have the A19 or the A19 Pro chipset, with some recent rumors suggesting it may contain a base A19 while leaving the vanilla iPhone 17 to rely on the same A18 chip as the previous model.
Current leaks propose the following specifications for the iPhone 17 lineup: the standard iPhone 17 would feature an A19 chip accompanied by 8GB of RAM. The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to include the A19 Pro chip with a 5-core GPU and 12GB of RAM. Finally, both the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to come with the A19 Pro chip, but with a 6-core GPU and also 12GB of RAM.
As always, this information should be approached with caution due to the mixed reports and the questionable reliability of the leaker. Yet, Apple has a history of creating varied mobile chip configurations. For instance, the iPhone 16e includes a modified A18 chipset with a 4-core GPU, whereas the standard iPhone 16 has a regular A18 configuration with a 5-core GPU.
It is believed that Apple will push for the best possible specs in the iPhone 17 Air, likely providing it with the A19 Pro and significant RAM to compete effectively against rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.