When it was first revealed that Apple was developing an ultra-thin smartphone, it was unofficially called the iPhone 17 Slim or iPhone 17 Air. The Information, one of the first sites to report the news, added that it could be the most expensive iPhone ever, even beating the iPhone 16 Pro Max's $1,199 price tag.

Being Apple being Apple, this did not seem implausible, but as more details about the device emerged, it seemed a bit far-fetched. This is, after all, the phone that is expected to replace the $899 iPhone 16 Plus in the lineup, and it appears to have only one rear camera compared to the Pro model's three rear cameras. Moreover, it appears to have only one rear camera compared to the Pro model's three.

Now, the Wall Street Journal seems to have a simple and entirely predictable answer: in this article, which is mostly about Apple's slow move toward developing its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone 17 Air there are a few clear and unambiguous lines about.

“Starting next year, Apple plans to introduce an iPhone that will be thinner than the current model's roughly 8 mm profile, people familiar with the company's plans said,” the article reads. The model will be cheaper than the Pro model and is intended to simplify the camera system in an effort to cut costs.”

Frankly, that makes much more sense. At this point, the iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999, which means the iPhone 17 Air could be the same price as the iPhone 16 Plus at $899. Alternatively - and entirely possible - all prices could be revised upward in 2025, but even then it seems unlikely that the slim model will break the four-figure barrier (unless additional storage is added, in which case it would typically add $100 to $500).

As readers may know, I ditched my Android in 2022 after 13 years and bought an iPhone 14 Pro. It is still going strong and I have no plans to upgrade anytime soon, but if something were to happen to the iPhone between now and September, the iPhone 17 Air would be a candidate to replace it.

Given everything we know about the device, it is objectively a downgrade. But in fact, recent developments have made me more convinced to switch. Sure there may only be one camera, but the fact is, I rarely use the extra lens on my current phone, and the recent non-Pro models do a great job of emulating a 2x zoom by pixel binning.

I don't care if the chipset slows down, even if it does. The apps I use on a daily basis (Reddit, WhatsApp, Instagram, Gmail, Safari, Coffee Golf, etc.) are not silicon intensive.

In fact, the one thing that would stop me from downgrading is the hotly touted prospect of all four models having ProMotion 120Hz screens next year and being phased out entirely. Sounds ridiculous, but after years of using high refresh rate panels, I don't think I could handle 60Hz.

Maybe I am not a typical consumer. Given that I spend a lot of time thinking about technology for a living, I may in fact not be! But if I were, the iPhone 17 Air might be the elusive fourth model Apple has been looking for after the (relative) failure of the mini and Plus.