Apple Announces iPhone Air With Ultra-Thin Design - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Announces iPhone Air With Ultra-Thin Design

Apple today unveiled the iPhone Air, an all-new kind of iPhone featuring an ultra-thin design.

iphone air
The ‌iPhone Air‌ is just 5.6mm thick, making it the thinnest iPhone ever. The frame is made of titanium with a polished mirror finish. The device features Ceramic Shield 2 with 3x better scratch resistance and 4x better crack resistance, on both sides of the device for the first time. Apple says that it is the most durable iPhone ever. A new plateau spans the entire rear width of the device and contains the rear camera, front camera, speaker, and Apple Silicon.

It features a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion and up to 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness — the highest ever on an iPhone. The front glass also features a 7-layer antireflective coating to reduce glare and distractions, and be more readable in bright lighting conditions.

The ‌iPhone Air‌ features a single 48-megapixel rear fusion camera, with 1x and 2x modes from one camera. A 18-megapixel front-facing camera features Center Stage that uses AI to automatically expand the field of view and rotate the frame for you based on how many people are on the screen. A square sensor allows four different composition sizes, so you don't need to rotate the phone to take a landscape selfie.

New features combines the front and rear cameras, with dual-capture video. Stabilization from the front camera keeps you in frame, while rear camera lets you zoom in.

The ‌iPhone Air‌ features the A19 Pro chip, featuring a six-core CPU and a five-core GPU. The GPU is updated with the second generation of Dynamic Caching, doubled math rates, and unified image compression.

It also contains the new C1X custom modem that's twice as fast as the C1 in the iPhone 16e. A new custom-designed N1 chip integrates Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth, and Thread connectivity. It is eSIM only.

The high-performance A19 Pro, N1, and C1X chips make it the most power-efficient iPhone ever made, according to Apple. Despite its thin design, the ‌iPhone Air‌ still delivers "all-day" battery life.

The ‌iPhone Air‌ takes the place of the "Plus" model in the lineup, sitting above the standard iPhone 17 but below the iPhone 17 Pro.

The ‌iPhone Air‌ comes in Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold and Sky Blue with pricing starting at $999. Pre-order start on Friday, with availability on September 19.

Related Roundup: iPhone Air
Buyer's Guide: iPhone Air (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iphone air camera

Leaker: Apple Will Release iPhone Air 2 No Matter How Badly It May Sell

Wednesday April 8, 2026 7:27 am PDT by
Despite the iPhone Air's struggling sales, a known leaker claims Apple will push ahead with at least two generations of the device, while also suggesting the standard iPhone 18 will see virtually no exterior design changes. In a recent post on Weibo, the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said that the standard iPhone 18 will not have substantial changes to its design, reinforcing rumors...
iphone air all colors

iPhone Air 2 and iPhone 18e Reportedly Launching Early Next Year

Wednesday April 8, 2026 9:38 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an updated iPhone Air and a lower-end iPhone 18e early next year, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said Apple plans to unveil the two devices in spring 2027, alongside a standard iPhone 18. If so, Apple will likely announce the trio of devices in March or April next year. It is unclear if there will be a live-streamed ...
iphone air camera

Apple Had to Heavily Discount the iPhone Air to Sell It

Thursday April 9, 2026 3:40 am PDT by
Apple discounted the iPhone Air by up to 30% on its official UK Amazon storefront last month, in a steep and highly unusual direct price reduction, and at least one color sold out entirely. The sale price brought the 256GB iPhone Air down to as low as £699 across two colorways (Sky Blue and Space Black), both reduced from their original £999 price. Sky Blue has since sold out entirely,...

Top Rated Comments

bobdobalina Avatar
9 months ago
Now do a Mini.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9 months ago

I don’t quite understand who this is for.
Me, for one! I’ve only owned pro/pro max since they’ve existed, but air is exactly what I need. Lighter, pro motion screen, pro processor, but no unnecessary 3-camera system or weight
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
emperormacnut Avatar
9 months ago
Tempting. I’ve been a pro guy since forever, but I’m very tempted.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
9 months ago

I don’t quite understand who this is for.
Anyone who doesn't need all the bells and whistles of the pro. Why does a product have to be pigeon-holed to certain people and no one else? Stop overthinking the obvious.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9 months ago
I know that the camera bump has to be there because of hardware limitations (focal length, sensor size). But it just looks silly.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
9 months ago
Yeah, I'm not interested after all.
[LIST=1]
* only 1% lighter than the 16e (165 vs. 167 grams)
* very pronounced camera wart
* camera bar isn't unibody
* glossy edge which I don't like
* eSIM-only in Europe as well

I'll stick with the 13 mini for a while longer. We'll see what the 17e will bring.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: News | Mac | Buyers Guide | Lifestyle | Local News