Apple iPhone Air review

Design and handling

Apple describes the iPhone Air as a "paradox you have to hold to believe." That's certainly overselling it as the vivo X5Max from 2014 is almost a full millimeter slimmer and had a far smaller camera bump to boot. But there's no denying that in today's market the Air stands out as impressively thin and light without sacrificing performance. After all, the Air runs on a full-fledged (well, almost, but we'll get to that) Apple A19 Pro chip.

The Air first major achievement actually came way before it was even officially announced. The slim and light concept starting making a comeback the moment we started hearing Apple is working on the 5.6mm smartphone that tips the scale at just 165 grams. Samsung actually beat Apple to the market with its Galaxy S25 Edge, which even weighs 2 grams less than the Air, but is also 0.2mm thicker. Tecno and Infinix also unveiled sub-6mm phones recently and more will undoubtedly follow over the next months.

And while those differences sound imperceivable the iPhone Air actually feels slimmer than the Edge, thanks to its slightly curved edges and corners that allow the phone to rest comfortably in one's hand, while the S25 Edge's more blocky design makes it feel bigger. Or it could also be the screen diagonal - the Air's display is considerably more compact, making for an overall smaller phone look.

Apple had to push its engineers hard to make a phone this slim without sacrificing durability. The frame is made of recycled grade 5 titanium, a material that even the Pro duo doesn't get this year. The back is protected by Ceramic Shield, while the front gets the brand new Ceramic Shield gen 2.

But while the engineering side of it is downright impressive, the actual in-hand feeling of the Air left us puzzled. We can't quite put our finger on it, but the side frame's finish feels cheap, almost plastic-like. The gaps where the side frame meets the front and back glass really don't befit a design-first product. And that glossy element on the camera bump just looks and feels off.

On the other hand, the frosted back glass feels extra nice and the Sky Blue color we got looks and feels fresh if you are looking at it from an arm's distance. It's also well reistant to smudges. In addition to the Sky Blue, Apple is offering the handset in Light Gold, Cloud White and Space Black.

Going around the sides, we find the usual set of hardware buttons - the power button on the right with the Camera Control button near by and the volume keys on the left with the Action button right next to them.

iPhone Air

All in all, the body is impressive, but the design decisions are a bit polarizing. The chosen materials are excellent, but they are not put together as well as they could and overall the Air just doesn't feel as premium as one would expect. On the other hand, there aren't that many premium, lightweight options available right now, and it's the thinnest iPhone ever made (excluding the camera bump), so that will surely count for something.