Review: The new iPhone Air is the sexiest iPhone ever

Wow, it’s thin. And light. And it feels very nice in your hand.

I’ve been showing Apple’s new iPhone Air to people for the last couple of days, and that, without fail, is the reaction that I get.

This tells me that I may have been wrong about the iPhone Air. When it was first announced, I wasn’t sure that the world needed a very thin iPhone. And I was sure that a super-thin iPhone would surely take a hit when it comes to battery life. And when I saw that it only had a single rear camera — the horror! “This thing will surely be a dud,” I thought.

But the iPhone Air isn’t just thin. Think about it this way: This is the first iPhone that was designed, first and foremost, to be as cool, beautiful, and, yes, sexy as possible.

I’ve only had the iPhone Air in my hands for a few days, not enough time to fully assess its camera or battery life. My full review of the iPhone Air is coming in a week or two. For now, let’s talk first impressions.

The iPhone Air is the pretty one

The size contrast is even bigger when you compare the iPhone Air with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is exactly what its name says, a professional-grade workhorse in the form of a phone. I’ll have more on the iPhone 17 Pro Max later, but when you place it next to the iPhone Air, it feels like a Ford F-150 parked next to a Porsche. The Porsche may not have the utility that a pick-up has, but it turns heads.

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

Yes, the iPhone Air is almost impossibly thin. At 5.64mm, not counting the camera bump, it feels like it shouldn’t exist. More shocking, to me, was how light it was. It weighs 30 percent less than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but in your hand, it feels like the difference is even bigger.

Most importantly, it’s just so incredibly nice to look at. I’ve got the Space Black variant, and if you’re on the fence, I highly recommend you check it out in person at the Apple Store; pictures just don’t do it justice. The 6.5-inch display melts into the polished titanium frame (yes, this one still has a titanium frame, unlike the new scratch-prone Pro models), making the bezels seem almost non-existent. On the matte black back, the glossy camera plateau rises to reveal a single rear camera. Most other phones emphasize the camera bump; on the iPhone Air, Apple made it almost disappear, unless you look at it directly from the side.

Easy to miss if you’re holding it sideways.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The iPhone Air is also very nice to hold. Not only is it light, but the weight is distributed well. I bet that the reason why Apple didn’t put a second camera into that camera bump (plateau) was weight distribution; a top-heavy phone just doesn’t feel as good in your hand.

Please, no accessories

The iPhone Air has almost the same chip architecture as the Pro models, and it performs buttery smooth. The OLED display is gorgeous, thanks to ProMotion tech that’s now standard across the entire lineup. As I’ve said, battery life and camera need more testing, but I’m pretty sure the iPhone Air won’t compare well to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The MagSafe battery helps with battery life, but the Air is just not the same when it’s on.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Knowing this, Apple sent me a bunch of accessories that somewhat reduce the issues that arise with having an incredibly thin and light smartphone. One is the bumper case, a simple frame that shields the device from the sides but does little to protect the back. Another is a see-through case with a MagSafe ring. Finally, there’s the (white) MagSafe battery pack that attaches to the back to add some more juice to the battery life.

To heck with all of them, I say. Yes, the iPhone Air needs protection; a phone this nice shouldn’t be full of scratches. And the additional battery juice is surely great to have. But all of these new iPhone accessories make the iPhone Air a lot thicker, and way less cool than it’s supposed to be. If I had to pick one, I’d probably take a bumper case (perhaps something slimmer than the one from Apple), slap an Apple Wallet to the back for some protection, and hope for the best.

But who is it for?

I bet most people will prefer the Air.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Is there a market for this type of phone? I will know more when I spend more time with it. At first glance, I’d say the answer is yes. My guess is that almost everyone who walks into an Apple store and compares the iPhone Air with any other iPhone will prefer the Air. Which one you end up choosing is another matter, but the Air wins on first impressions, and that’s no small thing.