Apple unveiled the iPhone Air on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, during its special event for the new series. The slim-chic iPhone was announced alongside the Apple Watch Series 11, AirPods Pro 3, and other new products.
The new ultra-thin phone opened for pre-orders on September 12 and officially landed in stores on September 19, 2025.
iPhone Air price and deals
The iPhone Air starts at $999, making it pricier than the Plus models it replaces. Here’s the full breakdown by storage option:
256 GB: $999
512 GB: $1,199
1 TB: $1,399
Apple iPhone model
Starting price
iPhone Air
$999
iPhone 16 Plus
$899
iPhone 15 Plus
$899
iPhone Air deals:
Apple: Apple isn’t planning to drop its iPhone Upgrade Program anytime soon. The setup is simple: trade in your current iPhone, make 12 monthly payments, and then roll into a new model each year – with AppleCare+ included. Depending on what device you hand in, the trade-in credit can shave off up to $700 from the price of your new phone.
Verizon: The iPhone Air is offered with a great discount of up to $1,100. While the standard iPhone 17 is available for free with certain Unlimited plans and a trade-in of any phone, the iPhone Air comes with trade-in credits.
T-Mobile: Customers can enjoy discounts ranging from up to $1,100 on any iPhone 17 model. You can also get it for free with certain plans.
AT&T: AT&T also has compelling offers for the iPhone 17 lineup. The standard iPhone 17 is available at no cost upfront when bundled with an eligible plan and a trade-in, regardless of the phone's condition. The case for the Air model is similar, or a discount of up to $800 may be offered with a qualifying plan and the trade-in of a relatively recent iPhone model.
iPhone Air camera
iPhone Air has only one camera. | Image by Image credit – Apple
The iPhone Air introduces a brand-new Center Stage front camera, complete with the first-ever square sensor on an iPhone. Stepping up to 18 MP photos, it delivers a massive field of view that allows users to snap portrait or landscape shots without physically turning the device.
For group selfies, on-device AI intelligently widens the frame, while video calls utilize tracking to keep you perfectly centered. The front shooter also gains support for stabilized 4K HDR video and Dual Capture, enabling simultaneous recording from both the front and rear lenses.
On the back, there’s a 48 MP Fusion camera system with four focal lengths, including 28mm and 35mm options, plus a 2x Telephoto lens with an updated Photonic Engine. Thanks to a massive quad-pixel sensor, low-light performance gets a serious boost, while a revamped image pipeline delivers advanced Focus Control for tweaking portrait depth long after a shot is taken.
Recommended For You
Finally, the iPhone Air supports the latest Photographic Styles, including a new Bright option. Crisp mobile cinematography is further rounded out by Action mode, Spatial Audio recording, Audio Mix studio tools, and built-in wind noise reduction.
iPhone Air camera system specs:
48 MP main camera
18 MP selfie camera
iPhone Air storage
The new iPhone Air comes in three storage tiers:
256 GB
512 GB
1 TB
iPhone Air design
This is the iPhone Air. | Image credit – Apple
Apple has made the iPhone Air its thinnest iPhone yet at just 5.6 mm. The phone uses a titanium build that balances strength with a lightweight feel, supported by a redesigned internal structure. The back is reinforced with Ceramic Shield, while the front uses Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says offers up to three times better scratch resistance than before.
Despite the slim profile, the iPhone Air still includes the Action button for customizable shortcuts and a dedicated Camera Control button for quick access to shooting tools and visual intelligence features.
The Air is super thin. | Image by Image credit – Apple
The phone comes in four finishes:
Space Black
Cloud White
Light Gold
Sky Blue
iPhone Air display
iPhone Air comes with 6.5-inch display. | Image by Image credit – Apple
The iPhone Air comes with a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display that supports ProMotion with an adaptive refresh rate up to 120 Hz. The display can scale down to 1Hz when idle to save power and supports Always-On mode for quick glanceable info.
For outdoor use, it reaches up to 3000 nits peak brightness – the highest yet on an iPhone – and offers 2x better outdoor contrast.
iPhone Air battery
The internal design maximizes battery space. | Image by Image credit – Apple
Being so thin usually comes with some trade-offs. Apple hasn’t disclosed the exact battery capacity, but estimates suggest it’s around 2,800 mAh.
Still, thanks to advanced Apple silicon, an internal design that maximizes battery space, and software optimizations, the iPhone Air should provide all-day battery life.
Plus, the new Adaptive Power Mode in iOS 26 learns your typical usage patterns and predicts when the battery might run low, intelligently conserving power to help you get through the day.
iPhone Air features and software
Out of the box, the iPhone Air runs iOS 26, giving users access to Liquid Glass and all the Apple Intelligence features included in the latest OS update.
Video credit – Apple
Right out of the box, the iPhone Air ships with iOS 26, giving users instant access to the new Liquid Glass design language and Apple’s latest suite of Apple Intelligence features.
The redesigned Liquid Glass interface makes app navigation and system animations feel significantly more expressive. It shifts the visual focus entirely to your content while keeping the core iOS experience intuitive and familiar.
On the AI front, Apple Intelligence now powers system-wide Live Translation for both text and audio across Messages, FaceTime, and the native Phone app, drastically streamlining cross-language calls. Additionally, new visual intelligence capabilities allow users to snap a screenshot and instantly search or interact with whatever text or imagery is on their screen.
Under the hood, Apple has opened up its on-device foundation model to third-party developers, paving the way for a new wave of privacy-focused apps that can process smart features completely offline.
To help you stay present, updated communication tools actively minimize notifications and filter out background noise, letting you focus on the conversations that actually matter. iOS 26 also brings updates across CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet, along with Apple Games, a new app that provides a single hub for all games.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the standout features in iOS 26:
Liquid Glass UI: A new design style with light-based effects, transparency and motion.
Apple Intelligence: All the core AI features are available across the iPhone 17 lineup.
Visual Intelligence upgrades: Smarter image recognition and online interaction tools.
Offline live translation: Handy for travel or spotty connections.
AI-powered call screening: The Phone app now uses AI to filter calls more intelligently.
3D photo wallpapers: Turn your regular photos into depth-effect lock screen wallpapers.
So while Apple’s not leading the AI race just yet, it’s making sure iOS 26 delivers where it actually counts.
iPhone Air hardware and specs
CPU: A19 Pro chip
RAM: 8 GB
Battery: 2,800mAh
Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
Camera setup: Single main 48 MP unit, 18 MP selfie
The iPhone Air’s slim design is made possible by Apple Silicon. It packs the A19 Pro, N1, and C1X chips, making it the most power-efficient iPhone to date.
The A19 Pro features a new 6-core CPU, improving everyday performance and efficiency, and a 5-core GPU with an upgraded architecture for advanced mobile gaming, including AAA titles. Each GPU core also includes Neural Accelerators, offering up to 3x the peak GPU compute compared to the previous generation – ideal for running generative AI models on device.
The N1 chip handles wireless networking, enabling Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. It also boosts the performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. The C1X cellular modem, designed by Apple, is up to 2x faster than the previous C1 and even faster than the modem in the iPhone 16 Pro, while using 30% less energy, making it the most efficient modem Apple has made.
For connectivity, the iPhone Air uses an eSIM-only design. eSIM offers greater flexibility, improved security, and seamless global connectivity. It’s supported by over 500 carriers worldwide, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, and allows for convenient international roaming with either home carrier plans or local prepaid options with 200+ carriers. Since it cannot be physically removed, eSIM also adds a layer of security for lost or stolen devices, and iOS 26 makes managing travel eSIMs easier with a streamlined setup.
Competitors
The main competitor for the iPhone Air is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which launched earlier this year. The Edge is currently the thinnest Galaxy phone at 5.8mm, and it comes with dual rear cameras, 12 GB of RAM, and support for all Galaxy AI features. However, it’s priced higher, starting at $1,099.99.
A full comparison between the two phones will have to wait until we get hands-on with the iPhone Air for a complete review. For now, here’s what we know so far in the Galaxy S25 Edge vs iPhone 17 Air matchup.
After our team spent some real time with the iPhone Air, there are a few clear takeaways. First off, if you are into ultra-thin phones, this one is basically unbeatable right now. The Galaxy S25 Edge might be slim, but in the hand it still feels like a regular phone – especially when you put it side by side with the Air. Apple really nailed the “wow” factor here.
Of course, going this thin comes with trade-offs. You are giving up two cameras and even a loudspeaker in exchange for owning the slimmest phone on the market. If you can live with those sacrifices, though, the iPhone Air is absolutely the kind of device that’s going to grab attention everywhere you take it.
What really caught us off guard is the battery life. It’s actually better than expected, and while there is some thermal throttling under heavy loads, the phone still feels snappy in everyday use – unless you are the type to run benchmarks on loop, you won’t notice much slowdown.
Iskra Petrova is a news writer at PhoneArena, where she covers mobile tech news and maintains the site’s device hubs with the latest leaked specs, rumors, and official details for upcoming phones. She joined PhoneArena in 2020 after three years in technical support for Microsoft Exchange, giving her practical experience with software infrastructure and troubleshooting. Iskra holds a Master’s Degree in Literature, which helps her translate complex tech details into clear, reader-friendly coverage. She is a daily Apple ecosystem user, while also closely following Sony Xperia’s camera-focused phones and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series.
