iPhone Air packs a 5.6mm titanium design, 120Hz Super Retina XDR display, A19 Pro chip, eSIM-only tech, and camera features ideal for mobile photography.
Apple iPhone Air
Apple rarely chases trends, but it knows when to zag. And with the new iPhone Air, it’s making a point.
Unveiled during its 2025 Fall event, this is Apple’s thinnest and arguably most striking iPhone to date. At just 5.6mm thick and weighing 165g, the titanium-framed Air is lighter and tougher than it looks.
In a year dominated by foldables and AI-first handsets, Apple has instead doubled down on sleek design and power efficiency. But why now?
And who exactly is iPhone Air for?
With the iPhone Pro range handling the heavy lifting on advanced camera tech and neural processing, the Air feels like it’s for people who value portability without wanting to compromise on performance.
It’s a design-first iPhone, and, interestingly, the Air name is absent from the iPhone 17 lineup, and the usual Plus-sized model is gone entirely.
Features Apple iPhone Air
Apple has re-engineered the internal layout and used Grade 5 titanium to cut size, not features. There’s a new raised plateau on the back to house the camera system, and Ceramic Shield now wraps the entire device, front and back.
The latest Ceramic Shield 2 on the display is said to offer triple the scratch resistance, while the back delivers 4x better crack protection. Despite its profile, this is officially Apple’s most durable iPhone to date.
Up front is a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion up to 120Hz and an Always-On mode. Peak outdoor brightness hits 3,000 nits, the brightest on any iPhone, and refresh rates scale down to 1Hz when idle to help with power saving.
Under the hood are three new Apple-designed chips: A19 Pro, N1, and C1X. Together, they make iPhone Air the most power-efficient iPhone ever.
The A19 Pro includes a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, with neural accelerators baked into each GPU core. Apple says this brings 3x the peak GPU compute of the last generation.
N1 powers Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, while the C1X modem is faster and more efficient than even the one found in the iPhone 16 Pro.
The rear camera system features a 48MP Fusion Main lens with support for 28mm and 35mm focal lengths. There’s also a 2x telephoto option, and a large quad-pixel sensor helps low-light shots look their best.
Up front, Apple is introducing an 18MP Centre Stage camera with a square sensor that supports portrait and landscape framing without rotating the device. Dual Capture lets you shoot from both sides at once, while stabilised 4K HDR video keeps things sharp.
Apple’s not quoting exact battery capacity but says iPhone Air delivers “fantastic all-day battery life.” That’s down to the power-efficient chips, a larger internal battery, and software tweaks in iOS 26, including a new Adaptive Power Mode that learns your habits and adjusts accordingly.
The all-new iPhone Air is so powerful, yet impossibly thin and light, that you really have to hold it to believe it’s real. This huge leap in design and engineering is only made possible through Apple innovation, especially Apple silicon.
Apple
eSIM is the only option here. Apple says this helped slim things down, and it aligns with their push for simpler, more secure connectivity when travelling. With over 500 carriers now supporting eSIM globally, finding coverage abroad shouldn’t be a headache.
iOS 26 comes pre-installed, with the usual updates to apps, UI polish, and a stronger push into Apple Intelligence. While iPhone Air isn’t being sold as an AI phone, it still supports the new on-device foundation model, Live Translation, and improved visual tools, all built with privacy in mind.
iPhone Air comes in four colours: space black, cloud white, light gold, and sky blue.
Specifications Apple iPhone Air
| Features | iPhone Air |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 156mm×75mm×6mm |
| Weight | 165g |
| Colour Options | Space Black Cloud White Light Gold Sky Blue |
| Display | 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR 120Hz ProMotion 3,000 nits peak brightness |
| Chip | A19 Pro N1 wireless C1X modem |
| Rear Camera | 48MP Fusion Main 2x Telephoto Photonic Engine |
| Front Camera | 18MP Center Stage Dual Capture 4K HDR video |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 6 Thread eSIM-only |
| Battery | All-day use Up to 40 hrs video with MagSafe Battery |
| Storage Options | 256GB 512GB 1TB |
| Software | iOS 26 Apple Intelligence Adaptive Power Mode |
| In the Box | iPhone Air USB-C Cable |
| Website | apple.com |
Price & Availability Apple iPhone Air
The Apple iPhone Air starts at $999/£999, with storage tiers at 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
Pre-orders go live Friday, 12 September, with the official launch a week later on 19 September on apple.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
iPhone Air features Apple’s A19 Pro chip, supported by the N1 wireless chip and a C1X modem — making it the most power-efficient iPhone yet.
Yes, the iPhone Air has no physical SIM slot. It supports eSIM only, which saves space inside and works with over 500 global carriers.
The iPhone Air measures just 5.6mm thick — thinner than any iPhone before it — and is built around a Grade 5 titanium frame.
Yes. The N1 chip inside iPhone Air enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, giving it future-ready wireless performance.
iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion, offering adaptive refresh up to 120Hz and peak brightness of 3,000 nits.
Apple says the iPhone Air delivers all-day battery life, enhanced by a power-efficient chip setup and Adaptive Power Mode in iOS 26.
It does. The iPhone Air includes a 2x telephoto option via its 48MP Fusion Main camera, along with improved low-light performance.
Yes. iPhone Air’s 18MP Center Stage front camera supports 4K HDR, auto-framing, and Dual Capture — perfect for calls and content.
No. Apple left the Air out of the iPhone 17 naming and dropped the Plus model, raising questions about where iPhone Air now fits in the lineup.
You can pre-order iPhone Air from 12 September. It officially launches on 19 September and comes in four colours starting at 256GB.
