I’ve spent a week with the iPhone Air and this is what makes it special

There’s no shortage of excellent phones to choose from these days. Whether you opt for Apple, Samsung, Google, or one of the Chinese brands like OnePlus or Xiaomi, pick from their flagships and you’ll have a hard time finding a bad phone. They all offer great designs, brilliant camera capabilities in most cases and a decent amount of power.

But when it comes to phones that give you something a little different, well then you’re presented with more of a challenge. You’ll find variations in design and capabilities between manufacturers, but ultimately, many flagship phones have flat sides, big displays with punch hole front cameras and some form of large camera housing on the rear.

Occasionally though, we’re treated to something that breaks the mould. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge did it back in May when its 5.8mm frame reminded us what phones used to be like. Now Apple has followed suit. I’ve spent a week with the iPhone Air and this is why it’s not just a thinner iPhone, but a phone worth your attention.

Why is everyone talking about the iPhone Air?

Apple announced four new iPhones during its September event but, despite the standard iPhone 17 having some major upgrades this year and the iPhone 17 Pro seeing a little design shake up, all everyone is talking about is the iPhone Air.

That’s predominantly because it’s the “thinnest iPhone” the company has ever made, and that automatically makes it more exciting than the other models. Its 5.6mm frame means it’s marginally slimmer than the Galaxy S25 Edge too, and just as Samsung’s phone wowed when it launched early this year, the Air is equally innovative and impressive.

It’s easy to look at the measurement and think it’s not a big deal, but hold it in your hand and you’ll think again. It’s glorious to use, and that’s coming from someone who has been more than happy with the iPhone 16 Pro Max for the last year. The slim frame and light weight (165g) make for such a refreshing change to the smartphones we’ve become so accustomed to, that you’ll be pleasantly surprised every time you pick it up.

What do you compromise for a slimmer iPhone?

Despite appreciating the design immediately, when I started reviewing the iPhone Air, I’ll admit that I very much expected to be saying you make too many compromises for the slim build. I can’t say that though, because it wouldn’t be true.

That’s not to say there aren’t any compromises because there are a couple, but a couple is considerably less than I thought. The first is camera, which you might have guessed if you looked at the rear of the iPhone Air rather being dazzled by the just frame.

There’s just a single camera lens on the back, which is the same main sensor as the iPhone 17. It takes great pictures thankfully and is more than capable in all lighting conditions, but you get more camera on both the cheaper iPhone 17 and the more expensive iPhone 17 Pro. It’s worth noting the front camera is same as both those models though, as is the display technology.

The second is a shorter battery life than the other iPhone 17 models. It’s claimed to offer 27 hours compared to the 30 hours of the iPhone 17 and 31 hours of the iPhone 17 Pro. But, and it’s a bit but, the battery life is almost identical to the iPhone 17 in my testing. Neither quite hit their claimed figures but they both get you through a day and evening. What I’m saying is that while you’d expect the battery to be terrible, it’s actually very respectable for such a slim device.

The third and final compromise is price. You pay a premium for the slim design and if you’re planning to put a case on it then I really wouldn’t bother getting this phone as you lose what makes it special immediately. If you’re good with one camera lens, a premium price for design and a few hours less battery the iPhone 17 Pro, however, the iPhone Air is wonderful and my new favourite iPhone.