IPhone Air

Last updated

iPhone Air
IPhone Air (logo).svg
IPhone Air Vector.svg
iPhone Air in Sky Blue
Developer Apple
Type Smartphone
Slogan "The thinnest iPhone ever.
With the power of pro inside."
Series iPhone
First releasedSeptember 19, 2025 (2025-09-19)
Related iPhone 17
iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max
Compatible networks 2G GSM/EDGE, 3G UMTS/HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G NR
Form factor Slate
Colors
  • Sky Blue
  • Light Gold
  • Cloud White
  • Space Black
Dimensions156.2 × 74.7 × 5.64 mm (6.15 × 2.94 × 0.22 in)
Weight165 g (5.82 oz)
Operating system Original: iOS 26
Current: iOS 26.0.1, released September 29, 2025 [1]
System-on-chip Apple A19 Pro
Modem Apple C1X
Memory12 GB LPDDR5X
Storage256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB NVMe
SIM Dual eSIM
Battery12.263Wh (3149mAh) @ 3.894V [2]
Charging
Rear camera48 MP, f/1.6, 26 mm (wide)
Front camera 18 MP, f/1.9 (wide)
Display6.5 in (165 mm) OLED, 2736 × 1260 resolution at 460 ppi, 120 Hz refresh rate
SoundMono speaker
Connectivity Wi-Fi 7 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) tri-band
Bluetooth 6.0 (A2DP, LE)
Ultra-wideband (UWB)
Thread
NFC (reader mode, Express Cards)
USB-C: USB 2.0 480 Mbit/s
Dual-frequency GPS (L1, L5), GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, NavIC
Water resistance IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6 m for 30 minutes)
Made inChina, India
OtherEmergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite
Website apple.com/iphone-air

The iPhone Air is a smartphone developed and marketed by Apple. Part of the nineteenth generation of the iPhone, it was announced alongside the lower-priced iPhone 17 and the higher-priced iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max during the Apple Event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on September 9, 2025. The iPhone Air replaces the Plus series in the iPhone line-up, with a rebranded option focused on lightweight design and enhanced features. [3] [4] With a depth of 5.6 mm (0.22 in), it is the thinnest iPhone ever made, surpassing the 6.9 mm (0.27 in) thick iPhone 6; this excludes the top of the phone with a depth of 11.3 mm (0.44 in).

Contents

Design

The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone model ever developed by Apple, surpassing the iPhone 6. IPhone 17 launch at Apple TRX Malaysia 13.jpg
The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone model ever developed by Apple, surpassing the iPhone 6.
iPhone Air phones in each different color IPhone 17 launch at Apple TRX Malaysia 59.jpg
iPhone Air phones in each different color

The iPhone Air features a very slim polished titanium body compared to the aluminum iPhone 17 models, also being the lightest of the nineteenth generation of iPhones. [8] The front glass uses Ceramic Shield 2 with a new Apple-designed anti-reflective coating. [3] The back is protected by Ceramic Shield, and has an elevated section housing the cameras, speaker, and logic board. The iPhone Air is available in four colors: Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, and Space Black. [9]

ColorImageName
Sky Blue iPhone Air.jpg Sky Blue
Light Gold iPhone Air.jpg Light Gold
Cloud White iPhone Air.jpg Cloud White
Space Black iPhone Air.jpg Space Black

Specifications

Chipset

The iPhone Air features the A19 Pro system-on-chip (SoC) with a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. It uses the new Apple-designed C1X modem [10] and N1 networking chips, part of a trend by Apple to reduce reliance on third party chip suppliers. [5] The N1 chip includes Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.

Display

The iPhone Air includes a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with 3000 nits peak brightness and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120  Hz. The display has a resolution of, 2736×1260 at 460 pixels per inch. It has always-on functionality and adjusts down to 1 Hz when not in use. [3]

Camera

The iPhone Air features a 48 MP Fusion camera system with a single lens. [3] As it lacks an ultrawide lens, it does not have a macrophotography mode and cannot take spatial photos.

The front of the device features an 18 MP, Center Stage camera. The front camera has the first square sensor on an iPhone, which enables expanding the field of view or rotating from portrait to landscape orientation for group shots, independent of the device orientation. [11]

Connectivity

All iPhone Air units support eSIM, and are sold without physical SIM card support worldwide [12] . Previously, models without physical SIM card support (starting with the iPhone 14 series) had been sold only in the United States; the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro continue this trend by offering physical SIM card support in models sold outside the US.

According to ifanr, Apple created the eSIM Carrier Activation feature to meet China's regulatory requirement of in-person eSIM activation. This involves an NFC reader at carrier stores to obtain device info after identity verification, after which the phone will automatically download and activate the pre-configured eSIM. Apple's Mathias added that eSIM Quick Transfer will be launched in mainland China, which will allow users to move eSIMs to new devices without returning to the store. [13]

Security

Starting with all iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air, devices based on the A19 and A19 Pro include Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE). [14] [15] MIE is an always-on, hardware-and-OS, memory-safety defense that uses Apple's secure memory allocators, Enhanced Memory Tagging Extension (EMTE) in synchronous mode, and Tag Confidentiality Enforcement policies. [14] By default, MIE hardens key attack surfaces including the kernel and over 70 userland processes while preserving performance. [14] Apple states that MIE targets mercenary spyware by making end-to-end exploit chains significantly more expensive and difficult to develop and maintain. [14]

Release and pricing

The iPhone Air has a starting price of US$999. Pre-orders began on September 12, 2025, and sales started on September 19.

Availability by region

September 19, 2025
October 17, 2025


October 22, 2025

Reception

The Central News Agency (Taiwan) tested the iPhone Air, finding its battery life on par with the iPhone 17 Pro and its photo quality excellent. The agency did, however, point out its restricted camera framing and insufficient gaming performance. [16]

References

  1. "About iOS 26 Updates". Apple Inc.
  2. "iPhone 17 series battery capacity leaks ahead of launch". GSM Arena. September 8, 2025. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Introducing iPhone Air, a powerful new iPhone with a breakthrough design". Apple Inc. September 9, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  4. Charlton, Hartley (September 9, 2025). "Apple Announces iPhone Air With Ultra-Thin Design". MacRumors. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Roth, Emma (September 9, 2025). "The iPhone 17 comes with Apple's new in-house networking chip". The Verge . Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  6. Winkler, Rolfe (September 9, 2025). "Apple Releases Thinner 'iPhone Air,' Seeking to Boost Upgrades With New Design". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  7. "Accessory Design Guidelines for Apple Devices" (PDF). Apple Inc. September 20, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  8. Forristal, Lauren (September 9, 2025). "Apple debuts the $999 ultra-thin iPhone Air". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  9. Render, Josh (September 9, 2025). "iPhone 17 unveiled — release date, price, specs, colors and all the upgrades". Tom's Guide . Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  10. Christoffel, Ryan (September 9, 2025). "Apple debuts new C1X in-house modem, the successor to C1". 9to5Mac. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  11. "iPhone Air - Technical Specifications". Apple Inc. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  12. Mehta, Ivan (September 9, 2025). "iPhone 17 Air will be eSIM only worldwide". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  13. 爱范儿 (October 18, 2025). "专访Apple eSIM团队:有更多空间,就有更多创新". 虎嗅网. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Memory Integrity Enforcement: A complete vision for memory safety in Apple devices". Apple Security Research. Apple Inc. September 9, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  15. Hardwick, Tim (September 10, 2025). "iPhone 17 Introduces 'Groundbreaking' New Memory Security Feature". MacRumors. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  16. Jia-haur, Wu (October 9, 2025). iPhone Air能当主力机?专家实测点出拍照续航2关键 [Can the iPhone Air Be Your Main Phone? Expert Hands-on Review Highlights 2 Key Factors: Camera and Battery Life]. Central News Agency (Taiwan) . Taipei. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
Preceded by
First
iPhone
19th generation
alongside iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro / 17 Pro Max
Succeeded by
Most recent