Apple may ditch physical cards in the iPhone 17 Air and bet only on eSIM

 The iPhone 16 continues to be Apple's flagship model focused on transforming itself to artificial intelligence, with features being added with each new iOS 18 update. But rumors about the next generation of the smartphone have been emerging consistently, especially with regard to the debut of a thinner model, which many are already calling the iPhone 17 Air.

The first reports are that Apple may be building its own 5G modem, which is expected to debut in the iPhone SE 4. And soon after, at the end of the summer, the debut of a Wi-Fi chip, also manufactured in-house, could be added to the iPhone 17. This device is expected to be created with artificial intelligence from scratch and Apple will take the opportunity to restructure the connectivity hardware, including Bluetooth.

This hardware is said to be capable of drastically reducing battery consumption, especially when the user activates Low Power mode on the iPhone. But slimming down the smartphone also represents a “diet” for the battery and its manufacture may be hampered by a lack of raw materials . Apple needs a new substrate material for the inside of the battery. This substrate allows for more efficient thermal control, helping to reduce the size of the battery.According to The Information , Apple may continue to “skin” the iPhone 17 Slim. In this case, it may ditch the physical SIM card and tray, opting for an eSIM. In the United States, the eSIM is already the standard format for devices, but the next generation may be expanded globally. One of Apple’s main challenges is to obtain authorization in China to move forward with the exclusive eSIM, since regulators require smartphones to have physical SIM cards.Rumors suggest that the smartphone will be between 5 and 6 millimeters thick, which would be thinner than the iPhone 16 at 7.8 mm. You have to go back in time to the iPhone 6 to find an Apple device with this thickness .

All of these changes are due to the challenge faced by engineers in trying to fit essential components such as the battery and thermal materials into a compact format . And in this sense, another element that can be reduced are the speakers, being reduced from two to just one, says Gizchina .

Other rumors also point to changes to the photographic module, which could be limited to just one rear camera, placed in the center . A radical change in design, when compared to current models.