iPhone Air Review: Apple's Latest Experiment

Should phones be thinner? The world seems to think so, and by “the world” I mean phone brands. OPPO has come out with a thin phone, Samsung has its own, Apple joined the party, and once one brand jumps on a gimmick the rest don’t waste time following. Now, let’s not just throw stones for the sake of it. Thinness is a gimmick, yes, but in some cases it’s needed. Look at folding phones: they have to be thin, otherwise you end up with a brick in your pocket. But regular phones? Hmm, I’m not convinced yet.

People genuinely wouldn’t mind slightly thicker phones if it meant bigger batteries, so it really feels like companies are going in the opposite direction of what consumers want. Thinness only has one thing going for it; it looks cool in person. But is a thin phone as durable as a regular-sized one? And does it perform the same? Especially when it comes to battery life and heat dissipation? A thinner frame usually means less room for structural support, which makes you wonder how much durability is being sacrificed for aesthetics.

Apple’s Design Philosophy

We know Apple as the company behind the iPhone: probably the most popular phone in the world. But popularity doesn’t automatically mean “best”. The iPhone isn’t the best phone you can buy. The iPad isn’t the best tablet. The Apple Watch isn’t the best smartwatch. You could argue that recent MacBooks are industry-leading, but the point stands: Apple makes the most popular devices in each category, not necessarily the most technologically dominant.

And this isn’t new. Even at the height of Steve Jobs’ leadership, Apple wasn’t producing the most powerful gadgets, they were producing the best-looking ones. Jobs obsessed over design to a microscopic level: the exact font on billboards, the perfect shade of aluminium, the visual harmony of every device. Apple has always been a design-first company.

They even admitted it, proudly, when unveiling the iPhone Air and the iPhone 17 lineup. The keynote featured this classic Steve Jobs quote: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

That’s the lens Apple wants you to use when you look at the iPhone Air. Forget how you might drop it more easily, or how it might not match other phones in battery performance, or how it has a single camera lens in a world where three is the norm. Apple wants you focused on the design philosophy behind it.

For years, Apple has been chasing a third iPhone segment that actually sells. They tried it with the Mini, while popular with some, it never reached the sales numbers Apple hoped for. Then came the iPhone 15 and 16 Plus models, targeting the other end of the spectrum, but those, too, lasted only two generations. The iPhone Air represents another experiment, a thin phone aimed at a new segment. Personally, I think it might struggle even more than the Mini or the Plus series, but Apple is dipping its feet into the waters once again.

Two Weeks With the iPhone Air 

Design & Feel

The first time I held it, I genuinely paused. It’s shockingly thin, almost unnaturally so, and ridiculously light. At just 5.6mm, the iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone ever made, and it almost feels unnatural to hold. You forget you’re holding it, which is both brilliant and terrifying. Even after two weeks, I’d still catch myself thinking, Wow, this is really what Apple decided to do this year?

Everyone who saw it reacted the same way: impressed by the design, scared to hold it. The polished titanium makes it feel premium, especially in the gold finish, which gives it that jewellery-like quality Apple loves.

Apple nailed the wow factor so well that the Air is almost impossible to ignore: it’s so thin that there’s no physical SIM card slot. When I went to Cell C to get an eSIM activated, the staff were stunned. One lady even called over a coworker to have a look. 

This phone is a design feat above everything else. Apple wants you to admire it, flex it, talk about it. You absolutely should not be putting this in a case; that defeats its entire purpose.

Display & Day-to-Day Use

The Air rocks a 6.5-inch display, bigger than the base iPhone 17, and it’s the perfect fit for the body. You get 120Hz ProMotion and all the premium display perks from the Pro lineup. The thinness doesn’t affect usability at all, the display feels like a normal phone in the hand.

A big highlight: it hits 3000 nits peak brightness, the brightest an iPhone has ever gone. The bezels are also extremely thin, which adds to the whole “this is art, not a gadget” vibe.

Battery Life & Charging

This was my biggest fear going in. Apple launching a new MagSafe battery pack alongside the Air felt like a warning sign, almost like they were saying, “You’ll need this. ”Surprisingly, that’s not the case.

You can comfortably get through a full day. You won’t end the night with as much juice as a Pro model, but considering the size, the battery performance is honestly the most impressive part of the Air.

It didn’t run hot either, thanks to the titanium build. Charging speeds are solid, and the fact that they still managed to include MagSafe in a body this thin is wild. In terms of screen-on time, I averaged around five hours, which is pretty standard these days.

Camera Performance

Yes… it has one lens. And yes… this is where many people will look away. You don’t get proper zoom, there’s no macro, and compared to a Pro iPhone the downgrade is obvious. Apple calls it a versatile 48MP Fusion camera system. The custom main lens covers popular 28mm and 35mm focal lengths, giving more options to frame your shots. The selfie camera, on the other hand, is actually an upgrade; Center Stage also makes its way onto the Air.

Performance in Practical Terms

This phone is confusing in the best way. On paper, most of the performance features match the Pro line, and in everyday use it genuinely keeps up. No throttling, no freezing, none of the overheating people predicted.

Who This Phone Is Actually For

This is still the hardest question to answer, because it’s certainly not for me.

It’s not for creators, because the camera system simply isn’t enough.

It’s not for everyday iPhone buyers either; the regular iPhone 17 offers better value, and the 17 Pro is in a league of its own.

The iPhone Air costs from R25 999, while the base iPhone 17 costs from R20 799.

This is where you have to circle back to that Steve Jobs quote: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

The iPhone Air exists because of that philosophy.

It’s for the person who wants a conversation starter.

For someone who wants a device that feels experimental, elegant, and deliberate.

For people who value design first, everything else second.

If you want a showpiece, a testament to Apple’s design obsession, something that makes people stop and say, “Wait… what phone is that?” Then the Air is for you.