Apple iPhone Air debuts with ultra-thin titanium frame, 5.6mm profile, A19 Pro chip, 6.5-inch display, more

[Shawn Knight]

Highly anticipated: Apple has introduced its thinnest and most durable iPhone to date. The new iPhone Air is made from grade five recycled titanium and measures just 5.6mm at its thinnest point, although there is a significant camera bump – which Apple now refers to as the "plateau."

Apple's new iPhone Air features a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display (2,736 x 1,260 pixel resolution, 460 PPI) with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and always-on functionality.

The screen boasts up to 3000 nits of peak brightness and according to Apple, improved anti-reflective capabilities. It utilizes Ceramic Shield 2 tech on the front and original Ceramic Shield protection on the rear.

The Air is driven by Apple's own A19 Pro SoC packing six CPU cores (two performance cores, four efficiency cores), five GPU cores with neural accelerators, a 16-core neural engine, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Apple's redesigned iPhone utilizes a single rear-facing camera, a 48-megapixel shooter with f/1.6 aperture lens and sensor-shift optical image stabilization. It also functions as a 12-megapixel camera with "optical-quality" 2x telephoto, and has a digital zoom that goes up to 10x.

Around front is an 18-megapixel Center Stage camera with f/1.9 aperture, autofocus, image stabilization, and more. Both front and rear cameras can capture 4K Dolby Vision video at up to 60 frames per second.

The iPhone Plus replacement puts its thin profile front and center, meaning Apple had to maximize internal space to keep battery life respectable.

The new iPhone Air is all battery

According to the company's own numbers, the iPhone Air gets up to 27 hours of local video playback on its own or up to 40 with the optional MagSafe battery pack attached.

Apple also went with a new version of its in-house modem for the iPhone Air. The C1X is said to be up to 2x faster than the original C1 found in the iPhone 16e, and uses 30 percent less energy than the Qualcomm modem in the iPhone 16 Pro.

Other noteworthy features include IP68 splash, water, and dust resistance, fast-charge capability, Face ID authentication, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, eSIM, and a programmable Action button.

Dual Capture allows users to simultaneously record from the front and rear camera at the same time. An accessory-free iPhone Air weighs 165 grams, although the company is happy to sell you a branded case or even one of their new crossbody straps.

The iPhone Air will be available to pre-order from September 12. Pricing starts at $999 for 256GB of onboard storage, but models are available with 512GB and 1TB of space as well. Color choices include space black, cloud white, light gold, and sky blue. Look for them to launch a week later on September 19.

Permalink to story:

Apple iPhone Air debuts with ultra-thin titanium frame, 5.6mm profile, A19 Pro chip, 6.5-inch display, more

 

[Billybobjoey]

Are people really clamoring for an even thinner and lighter phone? They're already pretty thin and light compared to how they were in the early iPhone days. I am impressed that they managed to shove the Pro chipset in there, though we'll see how well the thermals hold up.

 

[PXAbstraction]

Now with 50% less repairability. But it's a couple millimeters thinner so, worth it right?

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

Are people really clamoring for an even thinner and lighter phone? They're already pretty thin and light compared to how they were in the early iPhone days. I am impressed that they managed to shove the Pro chipset in there, though we'll see how well the thermals hold up.

They'll be fine. Realistically, all chips have had a focus on battery efficiency for a long time and that has a side effect of reducing heat. Plus, heat is dissipated from surface of the phone to the ambient environment. You may notice it heating a little sooner, but the rest of the phone is not supposed to store much heat. Surface area, not volume is the key.

 

[ibnMuhammad]

Dead on arrival.

 

[Dreadcthulhu]

It seems so strange to me that phone makers put so much effort into making the phone thinner, only to have the giant camera section jutting out like a tumor. Devices would look so much better it they made the whole thing as thick as the camera part, and then there would be space for a really big battery.

 

[neoopus]

They'll be fine. Realistically, all chips have had a focus on battery efficiency for a long time and that has a side effect of reducing heat. Plus, heat is dissipated from surface of the phone to the ambient environment. You may notice it heating a little sooner, but the rest of the phone is not supposed to store much heat. Surface area, not volume is the key.

Great comment. Furthermore, we suppose that for a trillion-dollar company, the least they will do during the design phase is to simulate the phone dissipation using the SOTA thermodynamic and CFD models out there, which are pretty advanced right now. Maybe they've got something that is paired with AI to get even more results in all kinds of scenarios.… I doubt that would be out of the mind of some of the most brilliant engineers in the world. Of course, I may be mistaken, and also Apple will still make mistakes, but they will more likely come from something that is challenging to predict at this point than from heat management and power consumption, as they wouldn't make this model if they were not sure that they were not taking major risks that would make people opt not to buy it because it overheats or its battery wouldn't last for at least 8hrs watching YouTube (as most people right now are used to expecting that from any smartphone).

 

[m4a4]

It seems so strange to me that phone makers put so much effort into making the phone thinner, only to have the giant camera section jutting out like a tumor. Devices would look so much better it they made the whole thing as thick as the camera part, and then there would be space for a really big battery.

This is Apple, they tell you what you want in a phone, and other big makers copy it because.. they can?

I would personally like to go back to flat phones (at the least) since I don't foolishly think of myself as a photographer, but with the acceptance so high otherwise, there's no point for them to.

 

[Squid Surprise]

They break so easily (despite ceramic nonsense) and cost so much that you should always get a case… which negates the point of making it so thin and light…

I’d rather it be thicker, faster, more durable, have better battery life and more (expandable) storage…

 

[Alfonso Maruccia]

Ah, so that's Apple's idea for a bending phone...

 

[p51d007]

Well, look at it this way. When (especially girls) stuff these things in the back of their TIGHT jeans, then sit down, the phone will BEND to meet the curve of their rear & won't stick out like an ugly bump. LOL

 

[ibnMuhammad]

Personally, I know perhaps not so many with my view, but still waiting for a real small iPhone.
The 13 mini wasn't "mini" enough for me, especially considering screen size (5.4 inch).

Still using an iPhone SE (1st gen), which was lightweight (113 grams / 4 oz), and 4 inch screen, still a phone, not a phablet which is what all recent phones are.

 

[toooooot]

I admire superthin phones. Not as something practical or even useful, but as style and technical marvel.

"and uses 30 percent less energy than the Qualcomm modem in the iPhone 16 Pro" Looks like years of hard work and failure have finally paid off. I feel like in years Apple would have modems 50% more efficient than Qualcomm.

 

[toooooot]

Well, look at it this way. When (especially girls) stuff these things in the back of their TIGHT jeans, then sit down, the phone will BEND to meet the curve of their rear & won't stick out like an ugly bump. LOL

Bend tests from JerryRig it incoming.

 

[LuckyMenace]

They break so easily (despite ceramic nonsense) and cost so much that you should always get a case… which negates the point of making it so thin and light…

I’d rather it be thicker, faster, more durable, have better battery life and more (expandable) storage…

Uh, good news. They announced a pro phone just for you!

 

[Squid Surprise]

Uh, good news. They announced a pro phone just for you!

lol… I already have the 15 pro max… I’d rather have a pro max that was a few mm thicker…

 

[MaestroIT]

There should be law by having thickness measured at the max thickness, not min thickness

 

[ScottSoapbox]

And yet my iPhone 13 Mini will still fit in my pocket better than the thin Air.

 

[guillejp]

Women are gonna love it, is my suspicion.

 

[BogdanR]

And yet my iPhone 13 Mini will still fit in my pocket better than the thin Air.

That’s the one I still have, great little phone!
This new iPhone is a bit of a joke design wise, it looks awkward from all the angles except from straight on.
We’ll see how it will fare mechanically in day to day use, especially for those people carrying it in their back pockets.

 

[Anton Longshot]

I'll take the Air if I get it for free. Purchase is never gonna happen as I feel the concept is just plain silly. And don't get me started on the island that makes it a table with one leg ha ha (sadly, speaking from experience).
Still, I'm very aware there's no accounting for taste and many many people will likely consider the Air the best and most beautiful phone ever.

 

[netman]

"According to the company's own numbers, the iPhone Air gets up to 27 hours of local video playback on its own or up to 40 with the optional MagSafe battery pack attached."

Let's see... Apple die hard fans would buy this iPhone in US only...! International wants physical eSIM...!

Also...they also buy the Battery Pack at some point which kills the thinness idea...!