Apple introduces an ultra-thin iPhone Air with a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display, three in-house chips, and no SIM card.
Until now, Apple has only used the Air name for its MacBooks and iPads, but from now on, it’s also giving this designation to its new iPhone, the Apple iPhone Air. This device, which is being announced alongside the new iPhone 17 series, is half a centimeter thick, making it the thinnest iPhone ever. At the same time, Apple claims this new model is more robust than all other iPhones, thanks to the Ceramic Shield. The iPhone Air features a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion up to 120 Hz and is equipped with chips including A19 Pro, N1, and C1X. A notable feature of this new device is that it doesn’t accommodate a physical SIM card.
The iPhone Air is available in four colors: black, white, gold, and blue. The starting price is 1,229 euros including VAT.
Light yet Robust
At 5.6 mm, the iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever created. This makes the iPhone Air just slightly thinner than the already slim Galaxy S25 Edge from rival Samsung at 5.8 mm. The device only supports eSIM and foregoes the physical SIM card. This choice makes the device more compact and lighter.
The iPhone Air features a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology. The refresh rate automatically adjusts between 1 Hz and 120 Hz, depending on usage. Thanks to the always-on display, information remains visible while the device stays energy-efficient. With a peak brightness of 3,000 nits and double contrast, the screen promises to be easily readable even in bright sunlight.
The device is further equipped with Ceramic Shield 2 on both the front and back. According to Apple, this material is more resistant to scratches and cracks than previous glass applications. The scratch resistance has reportedly tripled, while the back is said to be four times more resistant to breakage than in previous models. The titanium frame is also designed to meet internal standards for bending strength.
Cameras
The 48-MP Fusion main camera contains the equivalent of four lenses. For the main lens, you have a choice between 28mm and 35mm focal lengths, giving you more framing options. The 2x telephoto lens is equipped with a Photonic Engine designed to capture details and colors more accurately.
The 18 MP Center Stage camera on the front allows you to take horizontal selfies without having to turn your phone. For group photos, the Center Stage feature uses AI to automatically keep everyone in frame, switching to landscape format if necessary.
Furthermore, you can record videos in 4K HDR with the camera. The ‘dual recording’ option allows you to film the front and back simultaneously, as if you’re in a FaceTime call.
Apple Silicon
The slim design of the iPhone Air is made possible by Apple’s chips. The device is equipped with the A19 Pro, N1, and C1X, which according to Apple makes the iPhone “the most energy-efficient iPhone from Apple ever.” The A19 Pro chip contains a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU with custom architecture. Apple claims that this chip provides faster processing times and higher graphical performance, even for demanding applications such as mobile games and AI applications. The integrated Neural Accelerators are said to increase the GPU’s processing speed up to three times compared to the previous generation.
In addition to the main chip, the iPhone Air also includes the new N1 chip for wireless connectivity. This supports WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, and is designed to make existing features like AirDrop and personal hotspot more stable. The C1X chip, intended for mobile data, is a new internal modem that Apple claims is faster than its predecessor and consumes less energy. Compared to the C1 modem, the C1X uses up to 30 percent less power, which Apple says makes it their most energy-efficient modem to date.
iOS 26
The iPhone Air runs on iOS 26 by default, which integrates Apple Intelligence, among other features. This set of AI functions supports live translation of text and audio within Messages, FaceTime, and Phone.
Screen recognition has also been improved: users can perform contextual actions based on what’s on the screen. Apple states that many of these AI functions work offline, with attention to data protection.
Furthermore, iOS 26 features a renewed design under the name Liquid Glass, and introduces new functions within CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet.
The Apple iPhone Air is available with storage capacities of 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB, with respective starting prices of 1,229 euros, 1,479 euros, and 1,729 euros including VAT.