The iPhone Air is Apple's new ultra-thin flagship that brings Pro-level performance to a dramatically slimmer and lighter body, sitting alongside the iPhone 17 lineup rather than replacing it. It focuses on design, display, and silicon power, while making calculated trade-offs in camera versatility and battery capacity to stay impossibly thin.
What is iPhone Air?
Apple positions the iPhone Air as the thinnest iPhone ever, at around 5.6 mm, designed to showcase just how far Apple silicon and engineering can push a modern smartphone form factor. It launched as a new member of the iPhone family in 2025, effectively taking the place of the "Plus" model in the lineup with a more premium, design-first identity.
The device targets users who value a sleek, futuristic feel and a Pro-caliber experience without stepping up to the bulk and price of the 17 Pro Max. For many, it is essentially a "Pro in disguise," trading a second rear camera and some battery headroom for extreme portability.
Design and Display
Design is the headline: the iPhone Air is incredibly thin and light, with a flat, ultra-slim chassis, softened edges, and a weight of roughly 165 g that makes it noticeably lighter than Pro models. Front and back are protected by Ceramic Shield (with an upgraded Ceramic Shield 2 on the front in some regions), giving better scratch and drop resistance despite the slim profile.
On the front, the phone uses a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion up to 120 Hz, matching the smoothness and brightness characteristics of the latest Pro devices. Resolution is around 2736×1260, with high typical and peak brightness that keeps HDR content and outdoor visibility on par with the iPhone 17 Pro.
Performance and Hardware
The iPhone Air is powered by Apple's A19 Pro chip, closely related to the same processor in the iPhone 17 Pro but with one fewer GPU core to optimize for thermals and efficiency in the thinner chassis. It features a 6-core CPU (two performance, four efficiency) plus a 5-core GPU with per-core neural acceleration and advanced dynamic caching.
There is also an updated 16-core Neural Engine and 12 GB of RAM, enabling faster on-device AI tasks, image processing, and improved multitasking across the system. Users still get modern hardware extras like the Action Button, USB-C, MagSafe, IP68 dust and water resistance, and support for the latest wireless standards.
Camera System and Imaging
Apple takes a focused approach to imaging on the iPhone Air with a single high-end rear sensor instead of a triple-camera system. The rear camera is a 48 MP Fusion main sensor, which uses pixel binning and computational techniques to emulate multiple focal lengths while preserving detail.
On the front, there is an 18 MP Center Stage-enabled camera that improves selfies and video calls with subject tracking and better low-light performance. While the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens means some zoom flexibility is sacrificed versus Pro Max models, the overall photo and video quality lands squarely in the Pro tier for most everyday use.
Pricing and Availability
In the US, the iPhone Air starts at 256 GB storage with a base price of 999 USD. In India, launch pricing starts at roughly ₹1,19,900 for the entry 256 GB variant, sitting between the standard iPhone 17 and the 17 Pro.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Air on September 9, 2025, during its flagship iPhone 17 event. Pre-orders opened on September 12, 2025, with retail availability starting September 19 in major markets like the US, Europe, and India.
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