I have always been a iPhone Pro fan. Apple’s premium smartphone has been around since the days of the iPhone 11, bringing with it a better camera, more advanced display technology and a higher-powered chip than the standard iPhone.
But this year, things are different. Apple unveiled a thinner, lighter version of its smartphone that the company promised would give pro performance. Anything Samsung can do, Apple can try to do one better. After Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S25 Edge, Apple countered with the super-thin iPhone Air. Powered by the A19 Pro chip, it promises pro performance with an eye-catching look.
There are some trade-offs for that new design. The camera has been changed to a single lens, albeit Apple’s Fusion 48-megapixel camera system that combines several lenses into one, crammed into a not inconsiderable camera bump. There is also the battery life to take into account, with the iPhone Air sacrificing a few hours of use to shave down the battery.
And the iPhone Air is e-sim only, which means your phone provider has to support the virtual sims. There is no space or a physical sim card, which might prove a problem if you are with a provider that does not offer them. The good news is that most Irish mobile operators have made the switch, including Three, Vodafone and Eir, along with its GoMo subsidiary.
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I didn’t expect to like the iPhone Air as much as I did. Out of the box, it definitely has the “wow” factor. Made from titanium, which should hopefully prevent a recurrence of “bendgate”, the new Air is a head turner. It is 5.6mm thick; by contrast, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 8.75mm. Even with the case, you can feel the significant difference in the iPhone Air.
You also get an excellent display on the iPhone Air – 6.5 inches, with Apple’s Pro-motion technology that gives you up to 120Hz refresh rate and 3000 nits of peak brightness. That means even in bright sunlight you should be able to see what is going on.
The camera is flexible too. Although officially the iPhone Air has a single camera on the back, Apple bills it as multiple lenses in one. You can choose between the 26mm and 35mm focal lengths, with a 1x and 2x optical zoom. It also has a video camera capable of shooting 4K video at 60fps.
If you don’t use the extra zoom on the iPhone 17 Pro or the ultrawide camera on the regular 17, then the Air may well fit the bill. With the different focal lengths – something I rarely use in the 16 Pro Max – you can cover a multitude of scenarios.
On the front, you have an 18 megapixel camera that has Apple’s Centre Stage technology built in. That means it will auto-frame the subjects, including zooming in and out, when it detects people in the frame. You can also rotate the frame to landscape mode by tapping on the screen – no more awkward angles. And the front camera includes better stabilisation technology for video, and you can capture video from both the front and back cameras at the same time.
The battery life was the area that caused me the most concern. I am tough on phones, and it wouldn’t be uncommon to have to top up the battery of a phone that claims “all-day battery life” at least once during the day. So how would the iPhone Air stand up?
Better than I thought, although if you are used to the Pro’s stamina, you might find it falls a little short of what you might think of as “all day”. Officially, it clocks in at 27 hours of video playback, which is three hours shy of the standard iPhone and 12 hours fewer than the iPhone 17 Pro.
In reality, it will be less than that, with a mixture of web browsing, photos, music streaming, emails and more eating into your battery throughout the day. But Apple has come up with a new line of accessories for the phone, including a slimline iPhone Air battery that clips on the back via the magnetic MagSafe connection. All the power you need, without sacrificing style.
It was a pleasant surprise to realise that the sacrifices made to slim the phone down are – at present at least – not really missed. The one exception was the macro lens in the camera, which would have been nice to include.
There is something else to consider. While the iPhone Air itself may be a new departure for the company, it could also be the forerunner of something more exciting: the rumoured folding phone. It is not a big leap to see the thin format as a potential building block for the future.
The good
The iPhone Air is noticeably thinner and lighter than its Pro sibling, even with a case. The device has been built to last, with a titanium frame and Apple’s ceramic shield technology front and back. But even if you decide not to risk it and put a case on, the Air is still noticeably different from both the standard and Pro versions of the phone.
Performance wise, it stood up to all the tasks I threw at it, including video.
The changes to the selfie camera – landscape at a tap, centre stage and auto framing – were also helpful.
The bad
You make some sacrifices to get that thin look. The battery life is lower than the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro. While the camera is great for most people, if you are looking for the best camera, the 17 Pro is your best choice.
The rest
The iPhone Air brings new accessories, from the battery and cases to a cross-body strap that can be used with other models.
The A19 Pro has a the six-core CPU and five-core GPU, putting it between the 17 and 17 Pro in terms of power.
The verdict
The iPhone Air packs a lot into an notably smaller frame.
