The rumored iPhone 17 Slim (or maybe the iPhone 17 Air, but this article will call it “Slim”) is reportedly coming next year to round out Apple's smartphone lineup. After the overwhelming sales of both the iPhone mini and Plus models, Apple will be hoping that the thinner version is the variation that buyers have been waiting for.

But while the device is expected to be upgraded in many attractive ways, it is the camera performance that is expected to lag behind the Pro version. And a new report from Korean outlet The Elec seems to confirm that once and for all.

The article explains that LG Innotek, Apple's main supplier of camera modules, is investing 357.9 billion won (just over $255 million) in new equipment to produce the iPhone 17 Pro hardware. This means that next year's non-Pro models (the regular iPhone 17 and possibly the iPhone 17 Slim) will not have the 5x optical zoom with tetra prism camera system that more expensive models enjoy.

This is not so surprising for several reasons. First, optical zoom has been a Pro-only feature for generations, and there was no reason to think this strategy would change in 2025.

Besides, the iPhone 17 Slim is rumored to be only 6 mm thick, 13% thinner than the iPhone 6, Apple's reigning thinnest smartphone titleholder. Fitting multiple bulky camera modules into such a thin shell is technically extremely challenging. Given that thinness is said to be Slim's biggest selling point, simplicity must prevail.

Perhaps this is why the device will have only one camera lens, suggesting that the ultra-wide module familiar from the previous iPhone 16 will be eliminated and look more like the entry-level iPhone SE. Of course, the 48MP sensor and Apple's amazing ability to emulate 2x zoom through pixel binning should produce much better results than the latter. However, the Slim model may be a tough sell for the casual buyer who just goes to the Apple Store and counts lenses.

Even more so if early rumors that it will be expensive turn out to be correct. iPhone 17 Slim could reportedly be the most expensive device in Apple's history, meaning it will surpass the iPhone 16 Pro Max's starting price of $1,199.

Personally, I find that price hard to believe. Being slim in hardware is attractive, but not that attractive. Unless Apple markets the upcoming iPhone SE 4 as a partner to the regular iPhone 17, Apple will effectively have only one mid-range device (given the rumored price of $499 and up, it is not impossible that it could be closer to the iPhone 16's $799 (Not that there's any chance of that).

Still - we'll have to go with our gut here - we'd be surprised if the iPhone 17 Slim crosses the $999 mark. It will still obviously be more expensive than the retiring $899 Plus model, but not at the predicted level. Of course, that would require a transition to the $999 iPhone 16 Pro (which is not impossible, given that the Pro line has maintained the $999 price point since the iPhone 11 series was introduced five years ago).

We will have to wait and see what Apple's pricing will be when the iPhone 17 series launches in September 2025. However, a confirmed MSRP for the iPhone SE may give us a better feel for the situation in March.