Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital claims Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air will be powered by an A19 Pro chip with a disabled GPU core. The popular Chinese social account claims the Air’s A19 chip will have a 5-core GPU, compared to the full 6-core GPU in the iPhone 17 Pro lineup’s A19 Pro chip.
The reduced core count indicates Apple is planning to used binned chips based on yields, or may disable the sixth core to help manage thermal constraints in the Air’s slimmer form factors. It is likely that most users will not notice any performance differences in day-to-day usage.
The claim contradicts comments from a year ago by Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicted the iPhone 17 Air would use a standard A19 chip, in place of a Pro variant. Kuo said he expects the handset to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with Dynamic Island, A standard A19 chip, a single rear camera, and Apple’s new 5G modem.
The leaker also claims that Apple’s base iPhone 17 model will be powered by an A19 chip.