Apple iPhone Air first impressions

This year’s iPhone 17 launch had a ‘One More Thing’ moment in the brand-new iPhone Air. As the name suggests, this is a sort of MacBook Air version of the iPhone with an ultra-slim design that doesn’t really compromise on features or performance. Having spent a few hours with it, here’s our Apple iPhone Air first impressions.

Apple iPhone Air design

Staying true to the launch event’s name, the iPhone Air is truly ‘Awe Dropping’ when you hold it for the first time. At just 5.6mm thick and weighing in at 165 grams, it is nothing short of an engineering marvel. With Ceramic Shield protection and a titanium frame, the phone doesn’t feel fragile at any point or bend either. Overall, we were quite surprised by how refined the phone feels to hold.

ALSO READ: iPhone Air vs Galaxy S25 Edge: The battle of the super-thins

To achieve this slim design, Apple has crammed the camera, chipset, speaker into what it calls the plateau. This is sort of an extended housing at the top of the phone, which also lends a rather unique look to this year’s iPhones. Having all the important bits in the plateau, leaves the rest of the space for the battery.

Apple iPhone Air top features

The front is dominated by a 6.5-inch OLED display that is bright and supports the 120Hz smoothness of ProMotion. Under the hood is the Pro-level A19 Pro chipset, which should easily handle everything you throw at it, and more.

ALSO READ: iPhone 17 finally gets 120Hz ProMotion: Here’s what it means for you

The 48MP primary camera is again the same as the Pro iPhones, so in theory, it should click some great photos. But you do miss out on a zoom lens. We will however reserve our judgements for later. Up front is an 18MP selfie camera with support for the new Center Stage feature, which we can’t wait to test out extensively.

All eyes will be on how the battery in the iPhone Air lasts. Per Apple, it should last an entire day with up to 27 hours of video playback. But real-world figures could differ based on usage.

Apple iPhone Air: First impressions

It’s safe to say that we are blown away by how refined the iPhone Air actually feels. It is truly an engineering marvel. But there’s a lot more to the phone than its design, and all those remain to be tested.

With prices starting from Rs 1.19 lakh, it sits smack in the middle of the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro series. So, is it worth buying it over the other? We will answer that and more in our upcoming Apple iPhone Air review.