iPhone Air Review: slim in design, but fine

In this review you can read what we think of the iPhone Air, the thinnest iPhone ever and the iPhone with the most innovative design in a long time.

iPhone Air Review

The iPhone Air is almost as expensive as the iPhone 17 Pro. Only with the Air you pay to a lesser extent for the performance and to a greater extent for the design. Not that the AIR performs poorly: in terms of performance it is a bit between the ‘regular’ iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro models. But there are also a few things that are left behind. We list our findings of the iPhone Air in this review for you, but we start with the prices of the different variants:

• 256 GB: 1229 euros (now: € 1,205);
• 512 GB: 1479 euros (now: € 1,469);
• 1 TB: 1729 euros (now: € 1,649).

Design

The design is of course the first thing that stands out when you see the iPhone Air. Yes, he is thin. Very thin: only 5.6 millimeters. With the exception of the camera and the thickening in which it is. That camera also ensures that the iPhone Air is not completely stable on the table. The edges of the Air have been completed, making them look even thinner than they are. In addition, they feel a bit rough, which helps not to let the iPhone slip out of your hands. Unfortunately, they are very sensitive to fingerprints.

Despite the fact that the iPhone Air is so thin, it feels solidly firmly. You immediately notice that bending is absolutely no reasonable fear. And that while the phone is certainly not small. For example, the length is only about 4.5 millimeters shorter than that of the iPhone 16 Plus. Nevertheless, the iPhone Air feels a bit smaller. That is probably because it is so thin and so light (only 165 grams). The latter in particular is very pleasant in practice, once you are used to it at least (one is more bothered by that than the other).

The iPhone Air is available in four different colors: sky blue, light gold, cloud white and Spacezwart. Here on the editors there are the opinions about what the most beautiful version is quite divided, so that is apparently very personal. In most cases the edges have the same color as the rest of the iPhone, only with the color cloud white are the edges chrome -colored.

Unlike the iPhone 17, you also have the option of opting for 1 TB storage space at the Air. That is something that has so far been reserved for the PRO models. If you choose for that, you currently pay no less than 1729 euros at Apple.

Screen

With 6.5 inches, the screen is even a little smaller than that of the iPhone 16 Plus (6.7 inch) and a little bit larger than that of the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro (6.3 inch). Apart from the format, the AIR screen is the same as that of the iPhone 17 Pro (Max), with a maximum brightness of 3000 Nits, promotion with Always-on and a coating to prevent reflections. The latter is missing on the iPhone 17.

In practice, this means that you have a fantastic screen that, thanks to the high brightness, can still be read in direct sunlight. It responds at lightning speed to your touches and is therefore a true pleasure to work with. The Always-on function is also switched off by default, presumably to save the battery more.

Camera

This is one of the things that, as said, are a bit behind. To be clear: there is an excellent camera on the iPhone Air. It is a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera with a dual zoom function of optical quality. It is only one, so compared to the iPhone 17 Pro (Max) with three cameras on it, your options are much more limited.

For example, you do not have an ultra whood corner camera. If you photograph a lot, you will miss it every now and then. If you just want to take a nice photo from time to time, the camera of the iPhone Air is completely fine. As you can see below, the quality is comparable to the wide -angle camera of the iPhone 17.

At the front, just like in all other models from the iPhone 17 series, there is an 18-megapixel camera with a center point. Thanks to this function you always remain good, even when you move a lot during a video call, for example. Incidentally, the sound of the single speaker in the iPhone Air is acceptable, but not very special. This is undoubtedly also due to the thin design. We have not noticed anything else on the microphone of the iPhone Air.

Performance

The iPhone Air runs just like the iPhone 17 Pro models on the A19 Pro chip. That certainly means that the performance is excellent, even if there is a limiting factor on the Air. Because this iPhone is so thin, the device cannot lose heat so well. Certainly in comparison with the iPhone 17 Pro (Max), which both have a new cooling system (Vapor Chamber). If your iPhone Air becomes too hot, the performance will also be reduced.

In addition, the Air also has just as much memory as the iPhone 17 Pro models, namely 12 GB. This supports Apple Intelligence and the iPhone Air is definitely a lightning -fast device. With everyday use that is fantastic, with heavy tasks it can get too hot with all the consequences that that entails. But if you are a user who wants to perform many heavy tasks, then you probably opt for an iPhone 17 Pro or an iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Battery

A lot was speculated in advance, because of course there is no large battery in such a thin iPhone. That’s right, but Apple has done the maximum. That is also the reason that you can only use the iPhone Air with an e-SIM. By omitting the physical SIM card slot, there is more room for a larger battery.

The capacity of the battery is 3149 mAh. For comparison: that of the iPhone 17 has a capacity of 3692 mAh. With the latter you can play for up to 30 hours of video, with the Air you will still come up to 27 hours. In practice, with the iPhone Air you can easily get through the day, although of course it also depends on how much you do with it. If you still have doubts, you can optionally buy an iPhone Air Magsafe Battery (115 euros at Apple). With that you have up to 65 percent more battery when there is no socket nearby.

Conclusion: Review iPhone Air

The thinnest iPhone ever looks particularly stylish, has a fairly large screen and is super fast. Nevertheless, the device is not made for heavy tasks such as video rendering, because then it cannot lose the heat. This device is also not intended for true photography enthusiasts. But if you want a modern, light iPhone that is faster, has a very own style, still takes good photos, has more storage space and has a reasonably good battery life, then the iPhone Air is definitely not a bad choice. You just have to have a good amount for it.

For a little more you can also buy an iPhone 17 Pro (Max). You in particular get better performance, better cameras and a longer battery life. But you will not get the stylish, thin design of the iPhone Air, which is also super -fast with daily use, also takes good photos and also has a battery that you will get through the day.

Buy iPhone Air?

Are you convinced after reading this review to purchase an iPhone Air? Then keep an eye on the deals below, then you know for sure that you will not pay too much!

On iPhoned we test the latest iPhones and other Apple products. The reviews put together the editorial team (just like all other content on the website) with a lot of time, care and attention.

This way you as a reader know exactly what you can expect from the tested smartphone (and other products). In the reviews we go into depth, but in an understandable way. After all, we want everyone to understand the story and ultimately know how good (or bad) the tested device is.