Six things you should know about the iPhone Air’s design, which is the thinnest ever

“Design is not just how it looks, but also how it works”. That's the Steve Jobs quote that set the tone for the September 9th event for the unveiling of Apple’s new iPhone lineup. That's also the main concept at the heart of the new iPhone Air, the thinnest iPhone Apple ever launched.

The new smartphone's design was indeed made possible by how the phone works, thanks to the miniaturization enabled by Apple's A19 Pro chip. The thinness comes with a few compromises, though admittedly less dire than expected. The battery should last a day, and the phone is as powerful as the Pro models.

The single camera is somewhat limiting, but it has the ability to act as two different cameras thanks to Apple's Fusion Camera system for computational photography. The iPhone Air is an interesting design feat, and one that will certainly set expectations for the entire smartphone market going forward.

At just 5.6mm and 165 grams, the iPhone Air is the thinnest and lightest iPhone Apple has ever made. Despite the slimmer profile, the 6.5-inch OLED display supports ProMotion up to 120Hz and peaks at 3,000 nits of brightness.

Apple kept things simple with a single 48-megapixel rear Fusion camera that can switch between wide and 2× telephoto modes. Paired with an 18-megapixel front camera, it covers most everyday needs. Dual Capture and smarter group selfies are the main tricks, but of course it lacks the versatility of the Pro’s multi-lens system.

The iPhone Air runs on the same A19 Pro chip found in the iPhone 17 Pro models. That means performance isn’t compromised, even in such a thin design. Battery life is rated for a full day, with up to 27 hours of video playback. Apple was able to pack a big enough battery thanks to the fact that most components are bundled together under the camera bump, a feat of engineering made possible by Apple Silicon’s unique thermal profile.

The iPhone Air frame is made from polished titanium, with Ceramic Shield glass on the front and back. Apple says it’s three times more scratch resistant than before and says the iPhone Air is one of the most durable iPhones it ever produced. The device will be available in four "light" colours: Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, and Space Black.

The iPhone Air drops the physical SIM tray entirely, relying instead on eSIM for connectivity on every market. The move saves internal space, contributing to the phone’s thin design, while also offering better security since the SIM cannot be removed if the device is lost or stolen.

Apple presented the iPhone Air as a new frontier in engineering and design, rather than simply a thinner iPhone. Some analysts view it as groundwork for a future foldable, with lessons from the Air’s design potentially informing durability and component layout. That said, a foldable still seems unlikely unless Apple can overcome the category’s biggest challenge: display durability and overall quality, rather than thinness alone.