Apple iPhone Air review: The skinny on the MacBook-level, tough-as-teak smartphone

Device is ultra-compact and has battery life of up to 40 hours

Apple said all the right things in the lead-up to the launch of the iPhone Air. Now that it's here, all doubts have been laid to rest: Apple has ushered the iPhone into its Air atmosphere, and we expect this to trigger another front in the smartphone game.

It begs the question: is the product as good as the hype? It seems it is. The National takes a deeper dive into the iPhone Air.

Design: Thin as Air

We're saying this because when Apple uses “Air”, it means it touts a device's compactness.

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The iPhone Air does scream slim: at 5.6mm, it beats out the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge's 5.8mm. Though that's the thickness of a strand of hair, numbers are numbers, and so are bragging rights.

And unlike previous cycles in which some iPhones were left out, the iPhone Air has the full suite of buttons, and by that we mean it also has the Action Button and Camera Control, which we'd like to call “convenience buttons” as they're shortcuts to specific functions.

Up front is a 6.5-inch (16.5cm) display, which has a max brightness of 3000 nits – perfect under the desert sun – and Apple's updated Ceramic Shield 2, which the company says provides significantly more toughness. And, in a first, that coating has also been applied on the back for all-around protection.

At the back you'll find the defining design change: a camera block that now spreads across its width. Now this is more than an aesthetic preference: that bigger and longer bump allowed Apple to cram more hardware into the iPhone Air to soup up its different features.

The Apple iPhone Air with the new crossbody strap. Victor Besa / The National

Do note, however, that the iPhone Air does not have Apple's new device-cooling vapour chamber – that is exclusive to the 17 Pro models.

Deeper inside, and without getting too technical, Apple says the combination of boosted efficiency, advancements in artificial intelligence capabilities and a “big upgrade” to the GPU compute abilities of its Neural Engine resulted in what is akin to having a laptop in your palm.

We definitely felt that with its speed and precision. And combined with the fluidity of iOS 26's Liquid Glass, it's just a smooth experience overall.

How tough is it? We had to bend it ourselves

Now, as slim and fragile as it looks, Apple says the iPhone Air is one tough cookie.

Apple went to great lengths to ensure that the iPhone Air is, according to them, its toughest iPhone. In video demonstrations, they sent the device through a gauntlet of stress tests, including simulating drops from various heights and on to different surfaces, which left the iPhone Air unscathed.

But probably the biggest flex Apple did was a bend test with a pressure of 60kg; the results did show the device bend, but it wasn't enough to do anything and the iPhone Air just snapped back to its usual shape as if nothing had happened. According to studies, that's well above the 50kg a human hand can dole out.

So, we gave it a try. And believe us, it was nerve-racking – risking wrecking a 1TB, Dh6,000 device. Well, we did give it a lot of effort and it barely budged. Kudos. (Memories of bendgate on the iPhone 6, anyone?)

The Apple iPhone Air is just 5.6mm thick. Victor Besa / The National

Camera: No frills but all thrills

Here's where we're left wondering: the iPhone Air has only one camera – though it has a 48MP sensor with some tricks: at 1x, you get a focal length of 26mm, while 1.5x nets you 35mm; the digital zoom can go all the way to 10x.

The key here is Apple's Fusion technology, which combines hardware, the power of the A19 Pro and artificial intelligence to produce professional-grade photos. Our initial testing showed that the iPhone Air does make good on its promises, with the right balance of colours, brightness and minimal grain in lower-light situations.

Up front is an 18MP camera with Centre Stage, the AI-powered feature first introduced in the M-powered iMacs that automatically detects subjects and adjusts the frame to fit everyone. You won't even need to rotate your phone to landscape orientation as that will be automatically done when needed.

Battery: The best … with a little assist

The iPhone Air spec sheet shows that it would last for up to 27 hours of video playback, which is the lowest among the new set of iPhones, but which is, pound for pound, still good. However, there is a way to make it the longest among them – with the new MagSafe battery specially made for the iPhone Air, which is sold separately for Dh399.

With it, the device will be able to last for up to 40 hours – beating out the iPhone 17 Pro Max's 39 hours. No issues with this, as it easily lasted the whole day with nearly half of its juice ready to go the following morning.

The Apple iPhone Air (top) compared with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Victor Besa / The National

The Verdict

The Apple iPhone Air delivers on its promise to be a great start for a slim iPhone. Though given this final result, we're still convinced that this is what we call a beta version.

Why? Because there's definitely room for another camera and better battery life. It's clear here that Apple is testing the water and, as always, isn't afraid of going with the “minimum”.

But if this is that minimum, we're looking forward to the iPhone Air's next iteration. Saying that it has MacBook-level power to begin with is a bold statement and start.

Is this the future of devices? Yes, especially with the possibility of Apple going for a portless phone. For now, we'd like to see Apple test the limits of a device barely edging out the height of a USB-C port – which would require a new name other than Air. iPhone Hair, anyone?