Apple revealed the latest iPhone lineup on Tuesday, 9th Sept 2025, and the talk of the town is the slimmest design yet of the iPhone Air. Promoted with the title “awe-dropping”. The iPhone Air will cost $99,9, and we are wondering, is the slimmer design worth the features you’re missing out on?
Let’s find out.
The iPhone Air
2025 is apparently the year of slim phones, and the iPhone Air has joined a lineup of Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and Honor Magic V5 with the crown of “Slimmest iPhone Yet”. The iPhone Air is exactly 5.6mm thick, which is incredible as it’s even thinner than Samsung’s thin phone, and it’s 2.65mm thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro.
It’s not just thinner, it’s also 24 grams lighter compared to the regular iPhone 16. Remember the good old days of iPhone 6? That is exactly how the iPhone Air will feel in your hand, especially keeping in mind that it comes with a 6.5-inch screen.
Being so thin and light, it raised some questions about the phone’s durability, which is why it’s the only phone in the entire 17 lineup to have a titanium body. Speaking of durability, the Ceramic Shield 2 material makes your phone 3X scratch-resistant and offers 4X better drop protection, as Apple suggests. The back glass uses the original Ceramic Shield glass mixture.
Unfortunately for us, there’s still a camera bump, and it’s horizontal now. One thing you wouldn’t expect is that with the hefty price tag, you get only 1 camera. It can simulate a 2X optical zoom like most iPhones today, but no ultrawide camera. If you’re a camera enthusiast, you’re better off staying away from the iPhone Air.
One more thing that’s new in the iPhone Air is that it features Apple’s CIX modem, which means your phone supports sub-6 5G but no mm wave 5G, and it also features Apple’s first-ever N1 wireless networking chip. The N1 Chip supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support, which can improve local smart home controls with supported devices.
One good thing to note is that you still get some features from previous iPhones, like Dynamic Island, Action Button, and Camera Control. It has a selfie camera of 24 megapixels, which supports Apple’s Center Stage technology.
The selfie camera also has a square sensor, allowing you to take selfies in landscape or portrait mode without having to switch the phone in your hand. Now users can also record videos with both cameras at the same time (a feature that has been available in other phones for quite a while).
Apple claims that inside the iPhone Air is a “high-density battery”, which most likely means a silicon-carbon battery technology that helped make the phone this slim. Some other notable features include:
- A19 Pro Chip
- Apple’s ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate
- Magnetic Q12 25W wireless charging
The iPhone Air is available in black, white, light gold, and light blue.
Plus, the iPhone Air will have the same video playback numbers (27 hours) as the iPhone 16 Plus – Apple claims.
Comparison of iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17
So, coming to the main question – is the iPhone 17 Air worth the price tag, or would you be better off with the base iPhone 17 model?
The iPhone 17, in my opinion, is the most value-for-money iPhone from this year’s lineup. There are some significant updates to the base model that make it a truly worthwhile phone to have. It now comes with a bigger 6.3-inch screen to match the iPhone 17 Pro. You’d be able to enjoy the bigger screen as it comes with ProMotion 120-Hz refresh rate. While a 120 Hz refresh rate has been a common thing for most Android phones, it’s still a huge upgrade for a base model iPhone.
The entire iPhone 17 lineup comes with an upgraded 18 megapixel selfie camera, which also supports Apple’s Center Stage technology. Apart from the iPhone 17 Air, all the other models now support 25-watt wireless charging. iPhone Air supports only 20 watts.
| Specs | iPhone Air | iPhone 17 |
| Display | 6.3-inch, 120 Hz, OLED, 3,000 nits (peak), always-on display, anti-reflective coating | Aluminium and Ceramic Shield 2 on the front |
| Processor | A19 Pro (5-core GPU) | A19 (5-core GPU) |
| Storage | 256, 512 GB, 1 TB | 256, or 512 GB |
| Cameras | 48-MP main camera, 18-MP front camera | 48-MP main camera, 48-MP Ultrawide with Macro, 18-MP front camera |
| USB-C speeds | USB 2, up to 480 MB/s | USB 2, up to 480 MB/s |
| Colors | Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue | Lavender, Mist Blue, Black, White, Sage |
| Material | Titanium, Ceramic Shield 2 on front, Ceramic Shield on back | Aluminium and Ceramic Shield 2 on front |
| Thickness | 5.64 mm | 7.95 mm |
| Extra Features | Qi2 20W (MagSafe) wireless charging, Face ID, Dynamic Island, Ultra Wideband (2nd Gen), IP68, N1 networking chip, Apple C1X modem, Dual Capture | i2 25W (MagSafe) wireless charging, Face ID, Dynamic Island, Ultra Wideband (2nd Gen), IP68, N1 networking chip, Dual Capture |
| Price | $999 | $799 |
Also Read: iPhone 17 Pro & Pro Max review – Rumors suggest iPhone 17 Pro models will get a 24 MP front camera
Conclusion – Does the Price Justify the Device?
Honestly, no. Unless you’re a fan of slim, minimalistic phones that weigh next to nothing, the iPhone Air may be for you. But if you’re one of those who want a little bit more out of their device and want to save some money, I’d rather go for the base iPhone model.
