Apple iPhone 17 Air official – the first all-new iPhone in many years

After many months of rumours, Apple has finally announced the iPhone 17 Air – its own rival to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and a step in a new design direction for the brand.

Much slimmer than the standard iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, the Air is just 5.6mm thick. It does come with some caveats, such as a trimmed down back camera on the rear, but what you lose in features, you gain in sleek aesthetics and pocket-ability.

Launched during Apple's Awe Dropping event, the new device looks to be a real contender for those wanting one of the best iPhones, but are also looking for a real statement handset.

The chassis is covered on both sides by Apple's hardened glass technology – Ceramic Shield 2 – with a polished finish. It comes in four colours too – Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, and Sky Blue.

You get a 6.5-inch 120Hz display and a new camera "plateaux" that sticks out a little more than its thinnest profile. This sports a single lens, but you do get a 48-megapixel sensor in what Apple calls a "Fusion camera system".

The front camera is 18-megapixels and supports Apple's Center Stage tech for photography. It will recognise faces in a shot and expand the field of view to frame everyone correctly.

There's a dual-camera feature for video too. It enables you to use both the front and rear cams at the same time during recording, to simultaneously get your reaction while filming action.

Superslim but super powerful too

The Air might be a lot thinner than other iPhones, but it doesn't skimp on the hardware. It sports the same A19 Pro chipset found in the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a 5-core GPU for good measure. And here's a new N1 chip for wireless connectivity (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 7), plus a C1x modem chip made by Apple itself.

The iPhone 17 Air is eSIM only worldwide – which makes sense considering its slim build. And that helps with the battery life too, with more space inside afforded to the battery. Apple claims it will last "all day".

Storage starts at 256GB and the latest addition to Apple's range will be available from 19 September. Pre-orders will start a week before – on Friday 12 September – and pricing will begin at £999 / $999/AU$1,799. That makes it cheaper than the new iPhone 17 Pro.