Confirming all the rumours that were circulating online months before the iPhone series launch, Apple finally took the wraps off the iPhone Air, the thinnest iPhone ever, on Tuesday, September 9, at its much-anticipated annual ‘Awe Dropping’ event at Apple Park in Cupertino. The phone is only 5.6 mm thick and weighs about 165 grams, yet still comes with the same powerful A19 Pro chip found in the Pro models.
Apple iPhone Air uses eSim only – across the globe. “eSim coverage is available globally. Because of this, we’ve designed iPhone Air to be eSim only worldwide, maximizing internal space for battery size.”
Apple says iPhone Air offers “all-day battery life”. “We innovated in both hardware and software to deliver great battery life for iPhone Air.”
iPhone Air: Design and Display
The iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch display with very thin borders. The screen supports up to 120Hz refresh rate and gets extremely bright, up to 3,000 nits, which should help with outdoor use. The body uses a titanium frame for strength, and Apple has added Ceramic Shield 2 on the front for scratch protection.
iPhone Air: Camera
On the back, there’s a 48MP main camera that can shoot in full resolution or save smaller 24MP files by default. There’s also a 2x telephoto option built into the system.
On the front, the 18MP Center Stage camera adjusts the frame automatically for group selfies and lets you switch between portrait and landscape without moving the phone.
iPhone Air: Performance and battery
The phone runs on the A19 Pro chip, which should make it fast enough for gaming, photos, video editing, and the new Apple Intelligence features.
Battery life is expected to last all day, with Apple claiming up to 27 hours of video playback. With fast charging, it can reach 50% in about half an hour.
iPhone Air: Other details
- Storage starts at 256GB and goes up to 1TB
- A new Action button can be customised for quick actions
- Camera Control makes it easier to jump straight into photo or video mode
- A new Crossbody Strap accessory lets users carry it hands-free
- Ships with iOS 26 pre-installed
iPhone Air: Price and Availability
The iPhone Air starts at $999 for the 256GB model. Pre-orders open on September 12, and sales begin on September 19.
iPhone Air: Key Highlights
-Apple is introducing a battery pack for the iPhone Air
-The iPhone 17 Air features a single 48MP Fusion camera
-The iPhone 17 Air is 5.6mm thin – the thinnest iPhone ever
-The iPhone 17 Air features the A19 Pro chip
-The iPhone 17 Air introduces Apple’s first WiFi chip: N1
-iPhone Air, coming in at just 145 grams and a 5.5mm thickness as Apple joins the race for thinner and thinner phones
-5.7mm thin
-6.5” display, 3000 nits
-3x better scratch resistant Ceramic Shield on front and back
-New “plateau” camera bump holds everything
-The rest of space is taken up by battery
-Super strong materials
-80% recycled titanium
-Space black, cloud white, gray, sky blue
-A19 Pro chip
-Wireless connectivity
-New N1 chip, wifi 7, bluetooth 6 and thread
-New C1X modem, 2x faster, more power efficient
-Air is the most power efficient iPhone ever
-New 48MP fusion camera system
-Same new front camera as iPhone 17
-Dual capture video
-eSIM
ALSO READ: Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ iPhone 17 Launch Highlights
