Rumours around the iPhone Air had been circulating the internet months before the official announcement came at Apple’s Awe Dropping event.
We now have the official low-down on the iPhone Air, so we’ve compiled all its key specs and features below into one handy guide.
If you want to see how the new handset compares to the rest of the series, visit our iPhone Air vs iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone Air guides too.
iPhone Air Summary
- Thinnest iPhone to date at just 5.6mm
- Ceramic Shield 2 coats the front and back
- Includes an Action Button and Camera Control
- Only supports eSIMs
- Apple A19 Pro chipset
- 48MP Fusion lens
- New 18MP Center Stage front camera
- Up to 27 hours battery life
iPhone Air Pricing and Availability
The iPhone Air will be available for pre-order from September 12, ahead of its official launch on September 19. Available in three different sizes, ranging from 256GB, 512GB and a massive 1TB, and has a starting price of £999/$999 for the smallest option.
iPhone Air Colours
The iPhone Air is available in four different colours: Black, White, Gold and Sky Blue which is the same shade as the newest MacBook Air.
iPhone Design
The most notable design feature of the iPhone Air is, unsurprisingly, its strikingly thin dimensions. In fact, at just 5.6mm and weighing 165g, the iPhone Air is the thinnest and lightest iPhone to date.
Such lightness may concern users that the iPhone Air is delicate and fragile, but Apple assures that isn’t the case, thanks to the grade 5 titanium frame and its use of Ceramic Shield 2.
In fact, Apple promises when Ceramic Shield 2 is used on the iPhone’s display, it is three times more scratch resistant compared to the previous iteration which launched back in 2020. In addition, the iPhone Air’s use of Ceramic Shield 2 on the back, instead of a glass panel, should deliver four times better resistance to cracks too.
The combination of grade 5 titanium and Ceramic Shield 2 means the iPhone Air is said to be more durable than any other iPhone.
The back of the handset also sports a slight plateau which houses the cameras, speaker and A19 Pro chip, which maximises space for the battery to deliver “all-day” life, although we’re yet to confirm this claim from Apple.
Despite the handset being so thin, it also includes the customisable Action button, which was introduced in lieu of the ringer switch with the iPhone 15 Pro, plus the Camera Control button to quickly open the camera app.
In addition, the iPhone Air’s 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display is fitted with plenty of premium screen technologies too, including Apple’s 120Hz ProMotion and a peak brightness of up to 3000 nits.
iPhone Air Camera
While at the surface, a single rear camera like the one found on the iPhone 16e doesn’t seem particularly exciting, but Apple promises it gives users the “equivalent of four lenses in their pocket”.
The lens is a 48MP Fusion camera with an optical-quality 2x Telephoto which promises to capture more lifelike details and colour. Apple also explains the iPhone Air has the ability to record in 4K60 fps Dolby Vision, supports Action mode and video is captured with Spatial Audio for immersive listening too.
Content creators may also appreciate the Audio Mix tool which lets users adjust sound after capture to boost voices and reduce ambient noise too.
Otherwise, the iPhone Air also benefits from an 18MP Center Stage front camera, which is also found across the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup. The selfie lens is the first square front camera sensor on an iPhone, which allows users easier ability to capture group shots. Speaking of group shots, Center Stage uses AI to automatically expand the field of view to include everyone in frame.
Plus, like Center Stage found in the iPad, it ensures you keep in frame and stable during video calls.
iPhone Air Features and Specs
Much like the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the iPhone Air runs on Apple’s own A19 Pro chip which Apple promises delivers the “fastest CPU in any smartphone”. Not only that but its 5-core GPU should result in a better mobile gaming experience, while its Neural Accelerators ensure smooth running of AI models for Apple Intelligence.
That’s not all the iPhone Air includes. It also has the N1 chip which powers the latest wireless technologies and ensures tools like AirDrop and Personal Hotspots work well and the new C1X modem. The latter promises to be two times faster than C1 while using 30% less energy overall, compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, making the C1X the “most power-efficient modem in an iPhone.”
The use of Apple’s power-efficient chips means the iPhone Air is promised to deliver up to 27 hours of battery life too, despite the pocket-sized form factor.
It’s worth noting that the iPhone Air doesn’t support physical SIM cards and relies on eSIMs instead. This eSIM-only design helps to save space and retain the Air’s thin form, while offering more convenient ways to connect to mobile networks both at home and when travelling.
