We know it’s coming, and it’s here now. According to rumors, the iPhone Air is only 5.6mm thick and features less than the base iPhone 17, which is $200 cheaper. Of course, this is not the first reinterpretation of the major smartphones – Samsung beats Apple The earlier Galaxy S25 edge This year – But Apple’s impact cannot be underestimated. It’s too early to tell if iPhone air will shake smartphones like MacBook Air does with laptops, but it’s definitely a safer development. Hey, maybe the iPhone Air is just a pit on its way to the first Apple foldable.
Let’s go back to 2008. With the MacBook Air, Apple ditched the optical drive and many ports, causing Steve Jobs to pull it out of the Manila envelope with such a thin device, when he first revealed it. The first MBA had some problems. It is powered enough, uses a small and slow hard drive and has a very bad battery life. But Apple has come up with the formula, which has led to countless slim laptops, even a new category, namely ultra-convenience.
Sadly, Apple hasn’t found an equally iconic way to reveal its ultra-thin iPhone. In fact, it puts it in a well-prepared marketing video, presumably to show how confident the iPhone Air is. But it feels like Apple is trying to ease the fear of durability in a way that doesn’t really work, because it’s just part of a well-planned marketing promotion.
This is one of two issues with thinner phones: durability. Apple’s iPhone Air has a frame made of recycled titanium, which is what the iPhone Pro does. Air also has the company’s ceramic shield, which Apple says is now more scratch-resistant than past versions. It feels like Apple has designed a phone with less chance of damage. Of course, the company would be happy to provide a super 1mm case for the paranoid among us.
Another problem is battery life. A smaller profile in a smartphone means less space for the battery. Apple claims the iPhone Air’s internal architecture “maximizes battery space”, but the company does not share specific battery capacity figures. Regardless, Apple says the iPhone Air will offer “all-day battery life”, which is still subjective.
Apple has also announced a new $99 MagSafe charging package to ensure iPhone Air can play up to 40 hours of video. However, charging hockey seems to be thicker than camera devices – the sum of the two devices is no longer a super smartphone, it is an iPhone 17 with a camera. The fact that it exists fundamentally should stop people from living in the air.
Also: That big old camera module. Samsung’s S25 Edge has a 5.8mm thick body, but if you calculate the camera, it will be close to 10mm. this iPhone air is thinner than S25’s edge5.6mm. However, the camera “plateau” adds significant width, although Apple hasn’t said it’s thickness yet. From the image, it is almost twice as thick as the iPhone Air’s body.
Compared to MacBook Air, iPhone Air is unlikely to shake the smartphone world. Crowded with technology upgradenothing revolutionary. For example, the iPhone Air still has a USB-C port – early rumors suggest it could throw away all wireless connections and charging ports. That camera might take great photos, but there is no dedicated telephoto lens that might be limited – a little bit I’ve been emphasize. Samsung’s S25 Edge tries to solve this problem with a 200-megapixel camera, allowing for a lot of digital zoom through cropping.
Despite these potential pitfalls, I’m interested in seeing the iPhone Air Far’s way. I often go back to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, just because of its lighter, slimmer silhouette. The weaknesses of smartphones I outline here did not lead to bad calls. Like Sam Rutherford Let him commentthe S25 Edge can be said to be a better phone than the S25+.
Are people desperate to use thinner smartphones? The $999 iPhone Air is smartly priced between the base iPhone 17 ($799) and the iPhone 17 Pro ($1,099), and the lack of a plus model could push people into the air.
I think there is a place for iPhone air. It’s lighter, it fits better into the pocket, and it will have all the features of iOS 26 as new features change from hardware to software. Apple is trying to solve many problems with a super phone, but real tests on battery life and durability will be used for months.
