Apple has introduced its thinnest iPhone to date: the iPhone Air. Measuring just 5.6mm thick, it is over a millimeter slimmer than the 6.9mm iPhone 6 and only slightly thicker than the 5.4mm M4 iPad Pro. Preorders for the iPhone Air begin on September 12, priced at $999, with official availability starting September 19.
The new device is offered in four finishes: Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, and Space Black. It features a 6.5‑inch 120Hz ProMotion OLED display with a variable refresh rate from 1Hz for always‑on mode up to 120Hz, matching the rest of this year’s iPhone lineup. The screen reaches up to 3,000 nits for peak outdoor brightness, with typical maximum brightness at 1,000 nits and 1,600 nits for HDR content. The frame is crafted from polished, glossy titanium, and the front and back are protected by Ceramic Shield 2 glass, which Apple states offers four times better scratch resistance compared to previous iPhone back glass. The rear includes a single camera housed within a raised bar that spans the top of the device.
Battery life is a critical consideration for such a slim device, yet Apple claims performance comparable to the iPhone 16 Pro. According to the company’s specifications, the iPhone Air delivers up to 27 hours of video playback and 22 hours of video streaming—identical figures to those cited for the 16 Pro. Alongside the phone, Apple unveiled a slimmer MagSafe battery pack (the phone supports MagSafe) that extends usage to 40 hours of video playback or 35 hours of streaming. Using a 20W adapter via the USB‑C port, the iPhone Air can recharge to 50% in 30 minutes.
On the back, the iPhone Air sports a single 48MP Fusion camera system that Apple says effectively works as four lenses. It captures 24MP and 48MP stills with the main camera, and switches to a 2x telephoto mode that takes 12MP “optical‑quality” photos with optical image stabilization. The phone supports up to 10x digital zoom. For video, it records 4K Dolby Vision at 24–60fps, 1080p at 25–60fps, and 720p at 30fps. It also includes an iOS Action mode for steady recording of fast‑moving subjects like sports at up to 2.8K Dolby Vision and 30fps, with digital zoom up to 6x in video mode.
On the front, an 18MP selfie camera supports Center Stage, Apple’s digital panning feature—also available on Macs and iPads—that keeps you centered in the frame. If more people join the shot, the system automatically zooms out to include everyone, simplifying group photo setups.
The iPhone Air comes with 256 GB of storage and is powered by the A19 Pro chip—the same as in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max—along with a 5‑core GPU that integrates AI accelerators in each core. Apple states the device delivers computational performance on par with a MacBook Pro. It also uses Apple’s in‑house C1x cellular modem, said to be twice as fast as the C1 modem that debuted in the iPhone 16e earlier this year. The phone supports Wi‑Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and includes a Thread radio for compatibility with the Matter smart home standard.
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