Apple Has Reportedly Considered Releasing iPhone 17 Air Bumper Case

Sunday August 24, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple has "considered" releasing a bumper case for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Similar to the bumper case that Apple introduced for the iPhone 4 in 2010, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air version of the case would cover the edges of the device, but not the back of it. Those bumper cases were made of rubber.

Given that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have an ultra-thin design, customers who purchase the device might be reluctant to put it inside of a regular case, due to the added thickness. A bumper case would be a fitting compromise, as it would provide some level of protection against drops and scratches, without being overly thick.

Apple eventually ended up offering customers a free iPhone 4 bumper case, due to the infamous "antennagate" issue, which related to spotty cellular signal reception when the iPhone 4 was held in a way that covered the device's antenna bands.

The Information's Wayne Ma previously reported that Apple also plans to release an iPhone 17 Air battery case, for extra battery life on the go.

Apple last released battery cases for the iPhone 11 lineup, followed by the since-discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12 models and newer.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series and any related accessories in September.

Related Roundup: iPhone Air

Tag: Mark Gurman

Buyer's Guide: iPhone Air (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...

• 80 comments

Apple Released Yet Another New Product Today

Friday March 20, 2026 2:39 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple has unveiled a whopping nine new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and now the Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as...

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for iOS 26.4

Wednesday March 18, 2026 11:56 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, which means we're going to see a public launch as soon as next week. The RC versions of the software include Apple's official release notes, giving us final details on what's included in the update. Apple Music - Playlist Playground (beta) generates a playlist from your...

• 105 comments

Top Rated Comments

SD449

8 months ago

Image has been leaked…

Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)

gpat

8 months ago

Just release the 4 again, with full-screen front. Such an amazing design.

Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)

ipedro

8 months ago

Apple could easily add a tiny lanyard hole to the iPhone and charge $50+ for the strap. Plenty of people would line up to buy a Hermès version for $249. The iPhone 17 could then be marketed as a fashion accessory instead of a phone—since with its short battery life and single camera, it wouldn’t serve much other purpose anyway.

I get that you’re joking but I’m on board with that idea. iPod Touch had a little pop out button for a lanyard.

It was honestly better to me than a case. Loop it around your wrist when in use and it won’t fall. Adds a little individual style without covering it up. I remember that people even attached charms to the loop.