Overview: The new iPhone Air is the sexiest iPhone ever

Wow, it’s skinny. And gentle. And it feels very good in your hand.

I’ve been exhibiting Apple’s new iPhone Air to individuals for the final couple of days, and that, with out fail, is the response that I get.

This tells me that I could have been incorrect concerning the iPhone Air. When it was first introduced, I wasn’t certain that the world wanted a really skinny iPhone. And I used to be certain {that a} super-thin iPhone would absolutely take a success in relation to battery life. And after I noticed that it solely had a single rear digicam — the horror! “This thing will surely be a dud,” I assumed.

But the iPhone Air isn’t simply skinny. Think about it this fashion: This is the primary iPhone that was designed, at first, to be as cool, stunning, and, sure, horny as attainable.

I’ve solely had the iPhone Air in my palms for a couple of days, not sufficient time to completely assess its digicam or battery life. My full evaluate of the iPhone Air is coming in every week or two. For now, let’s discuss first impressions.

The iPhone Air is the gorgeous one

5.64 mm. And no, the digicam ‘plateau’ does not destroy the impact.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The dimension distinction is even greater once you evaluate the iPhone Air with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is precisely what its title says, a professional-grade workhorse within the type of a cellphone. I’ll have extra on the iPhone 17 Pro Max later, however once you place it subsequent to the iPhone Air, it looks like a Ford F-150 parked subsequent to a Porsche. The Porsche might not have the utility {that a} pick-up has, but it surely turns heads.

CNET reporter Abrar Al-Heeti holds the iPhone Air.
Credit: CNET

Yes, the iPhone Air is sort of impossibly skinny. At 5.64mm, not counting the digicam bump, it feels prefer it shouldn’t exist. More stunning, to me, was how gentle it was. It weighs 30 p.c lower than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, however in your hand, it feels just like the distinction is even greater.

Most importantly, it’s simply so extremely good to have a look at. I’ve acquired the Space Black variant, and in the event you’re on the fence, I extremely suggest you test it out in individual on the Apple Store; photos simply don’t do it justice. The 6.5-inch show melts into the polished titanium body (sure, this one nonetheless has a titanium body, in contrast to the brand new scratch-prone Pro fashions), making the bezels appear virtually non-existent. On the matte black again, the shiny digicam plateau rises to disclose a single rear digicam. Most different telephones emphasize the digicam bump; on the iPhone Air, Apple made it virtually disappear, except you have a look at it immediately from the aspect.

Easy to overlook in the event you’re holding it sideways.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The iPhone Air can be very good to carry. Not solely is it gentle, however the weight is distributed properly. I guess that the rationale why Apple didn’t put a second digicam into that digicam bump (plateau) was weight distribution; a top-heavy cellphone simply doesn’t really feel nearly as good in your hand.

Please, no equipment

The iPhone Air has virtually the identical chip structure because the Pro fashions, and it performs buttery clean. The OLED show is attractive, because of ProMovement tech that’s now customary throughout the complete lineup. As I’ve mentioned, battery life and digicam want extra testing, however I’m fairly certain the iPhone Air gained’t evaluate properly to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The MagSafe battery helps with battery life, however the Air is simply not the identical when it is on.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Knowing this, Apple despatched me a bunch of equipment that considerably scale back the problems that come up with having an extremely skinny and light-weight smartphone. One is the bumper case, a easy body that shields the system from the edges however does little to guard the again. Another is a see-through case with a MagSafe ring. Finally, there’s the (white) MagSafe battery pack that attaches to the again so as to add some extra juice to the battery life.

To heck with all of them, I say. Yes, the iPhone Air wants safety; a cellphone this good shouldn’t be stuffed with scratches. And the extra battery juice is unquestionably nice to have. But all of those new iPhone equipment make the iPhone Air quite a bit thicker, and method much less cool than it’s purported to be. If I needed to choose one, I’d most likely take a bumper case (maybe one thing slimmer than the one from Apple), slap an Apple Wallet to the again for some safety, and hope for one of the best.

But who’s it for?

I guess most individuals will favor the Air.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Is there a marketplace for one of these cellphone? I’ll know extra after I spend extra time with it. At first look, I’d say the reply is sure. My guess is that nearly everybody who walks into an Apple retailer and compares the iPhone Air with every other iPhone will favor the Air. Which one you find yourself selecting is one other matter, however the Air wins on first impressions, and that is no small factor.