Oppo/OnePlus tipped to launch ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air rival

Apple is rumored to offer the first-gen 17 Air as a premium alternative to the usual line of iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max handsets in 2025. It is thought to be so thin that it needs custom buttons and no SIM-card slot.

Should all these predictions prove accurate, the 17 Air might not have its niche to itself as Apple might wish for very long. The typically accurate leaker Digital Chat Station has hinted that Android smartphone maker Oppo might also get in on the trend soon.

One could say that the OEM already has an "ultra-thin flagship" in the form of the Find N5 (now available in Europe via TradingShenzhen)- however, the tipster asserts that it might release a non-foldable counterpart in order to rival Apple's new kind of iPhone.

Accordingly, Oppo has some expertise in the area - and could make the battery in their 17 Air alternative bigger, as indicated by the successful launch of the 13T from its popular brand OnePlus.

The Oppo 'Air-killer' could face more direct competition in the form of the allegedly very similar Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge in the near future, though.