Apple’s biggest design change in years is better than I expected

What is the Apple iPhone Air?

The iPhone Air is one of four new iPhones announced by Apple. It was revealed alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max as part of the US tech giant’s late 2025 lineup, distinguishing itself with an incredibly slim frame compared to the other models.

The iPhone Air is just 5.6mm thick, making it Apple’s skinniest iPhone to date. It’s thinner than even Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, which measures 5.8mm and serves as the iPhone Air’s closest rival. The iPhone Air is £100 more, with a starting price of £999.

This positions it in the middle of Apple’s latest iPhone range. It’s cheaper than the iPhone 17 Pro models, which start at £1,099, but more expensive than the standard iPhone 17 (£799), so you’re paying a lot more for its skinny design. I’ve been using this incredibly slim iPhone since it was first unveiled. Is it worth the additional cost?

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When I test smartphones, I use them as my main phone to get a feel for how they perform and how reliable they are in day-to-day use. That includes using them for calls, messages, browsing the web, triaging emails, scrolling social media and taking countless pictures of my kids and dog to test out the cameras. Crucially, in the case of the iPhone Air, I was specifically looking for how long the battery lasts and whether it would see me through the day and night.

I’m also looking for what the new slim design is like to use, how secure the phone feels to hold (you don’t want to drop a £1,000 phone on day one) and whether the large display is bright enough to use outdoors.

I’ve been reviewing consumer technology for more than 12 years, and in that time, I’ve reviewed many of the best smartphones from Apple to Samsung, alongside the best smartwatches, best headphones and best tablets. When I’m not testing the latest smartphones, I use an iPhone as my daily handset, ever since the iPhone 6. That means I remember the days when slim phones were the norm, rather than a novelty.

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Score: 9/10