I replaced my Samsung S25 Edge with the iPhone Air – and my buying advice has changed

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The thinnest and lightest iPhone but presents Professional efficiency at a aggressive $999 value level.
• It is designed to really feel burdenless, and that is the largest motive to purchase one over the iPhone 17 sequence.
• You may simply should accept just one digital camera, common battery life, and a single-firing speaker.

extra shopping for decisions

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The iPhone “Professional” label has at all times represented the bleeding fringe of Apple’s industrial design. I’ve upgraded to the Professional mannequin yearly because it debuted six years in the past, and at this cut-off date, Apple’s system is so refined and polished that the funding is nearly at all times price it.

That is why, going into Apple’s Awe-dropping event earlier this month, my consideration was reserved for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, each of which launched with a brand new vapor chamber cooling system — resolving a longstanding problem of overheating on Pro models — in addition to a redesigned and improved digital camera system. However the keynote ended with me shifting my focus to a special iPhone.

Additionally: I compared the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max: Here’s who should upgrade

See, Apple did what it does finest: advertising. It launched the iPhone Air, with a theatrical aptitude, balanced on the tip of a finger on the Steve Jobs Theater, to a refrain of “oohs and ahhs.” The iPhone 16 Professional Max in my pocket was feeling heavier by the second.

Let me be clear: the iPhone Air is a first-generation product, and I have been burned by many first attempts. Nevertheless, there is a very calculated strategy to designing the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever that makes it price my time. However is it price yours?

An iPhone that will not crack underneath stress

I would prefer to assume that I am one of many few individuals who have been in a position to check each the iPhone Air and its Android competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, so after I first held the iPhone, the expertise was unusually acquainted. 

The gadget’s ultraportability will impress anybody who picks one up, however for me, seeing the fluid Liquid Glass animations circulate throughout the 6.5-inch OLED display screen was when actuality actually set in. That is what iOS 26 was meant to be for.

Additionally: iPhone Air vs. Samsung S25 Edge: I compared the two ultra-slim phones, and here’s the winner

The concept of an ultra-thin and light-weight iPhone has been reasonably international over the previous few years. In truth, holding the iPhone Air jogged my memory much less of the opposite titanium-cased fashions in recent times and extra of the iPhone 6 Plus from 2019. Again then, such a type issue bordered between regular and dangerous. It was each a trendy standing image and a tool that gave into pressure. 

I count on the previous of the 2 clauses — standing image — to proceed with the iPhone Air, with its near-invisible aspect profile (it is simply 5.6mm thick) and singular digital camera plateau representing one of the vital burdenless iPhones of late. As for bendgate, I am not too frightened about that — and Apple does not appear to be both. 

Following the September keynote, the corporate confirmed members of the media its sturdiness testing facility, which included a machine that utilized 130 kilos of drive on the middle level of the iPhone Air. It bulged however by no means cracked or snapped in half, and even straightened itself shortly after. That is a testomony to each the titanium body that wraps across the cellphone and the Ceramic Defend layering on the back and front.

When you’re extra fascinated by a real-world stress check, I not too long ago sat down with the iPhone Air in my again pocket, and the gadget confirmed no indicators of fragility. And I am a six-foot man who’s properly over 130 kilos. If there’s one cellphone that it’s best to use with no case, let it’s this one.

A Professional cellphone with out the branding

There is a little bit of weight that is lifted when an iPhone does not have the Professional moniker; you count on it to have shortcomings, fewer options, and only a serviceable expertise. That units the iPhone Air up for room to impress, with it being powered by the identical A19 Professional chip that revs up the iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max fashions.

Additionally: iOS 26 is now live – here’s how to download it (and which iPhones support it)

After letting my iPhone Air work by means of all its preliminary setup duties and app downloads, I paced it by means of a sequence of efficiency benchmarks alongside my iPhone 16 Professional Max, iPhone 16 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Edge. Listed below are the outcomes.

Deal with relativity. From my testing, the iPhone Air competes properly with older and certain newer iPhone Professional fashions, and even higher towards the S25 Edge. Nevertheless, its best weak point is effectivity and extended energy administration. I’ve observed that the digital camera plateau, the place a lot of the processing parts are fitted in, typically will get heat after a couple of minutes of intense workloads.

It is much less noticeable on different telephones, together with the S25 Edge, as a result of warmth is extra evenly dispersed throughout the physique, however by condensing every thing inside a strip of glass and steel, and never having the identical vapor chamber cooling system discovered on the iPhone 17 Professional fashions, the Air takes a success throughout prolonged utilization.

That carries into the battery life. This is not an all-day endurance cellphone, not with no cost or two all through or the MagSafe battery pack that Apple is pitching the Air with. It is nonetheless too early for me to quantify my every day battery life, however I am undoubtedly discovering myself searching for a charger extra typically than after I was on my iPhone 16 Professional Max and different thicker handsets.

Additionally: iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: I compared the two flagship models, and here’s the winner

A part of me needs Apple had added the identical 40W wired charging price from the iPhone 17 Professional fashions to the Air, however that might seemingly open one other can of worms relating to thermals and battery degradation. With the Air’s already smaller capability, you simply cannot take that threat.

The excessive and low factors of the iPhone Air

The iPhone Air’s cameras are each its excessive and low factors. I am a fan of the 18MP Heart Stage entrance digital camera, as it could possibly adaptively stretch out the sphere of view and provides selfies a degree of depth and embrace that is lengthy been lacking on telephones typically. 

For the previous two months, I have been taking group images and portraits with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 because the outer show serves as a viewfinder for the rear vast and ultrawide cameras. The iPhone Air and its new sq. sensor basically obtain the identical factor, however with fewer digital camera faucets, unfolding, and different maneuvers required.

Additionally: I tested the iPhone 17 for 24 hours, and I’m already questioning if I need a Pro

A squared sensor additionally provides the selfie digital camera extra room for digital stabilization, that means movies seem much less stuttery and shaky, even when in comparison with final 12 months’s iPhones.

However, the rear 48MP digital camera leaves a sensor or two to be desired. Coloration accuracy, distinction, and shadow element are nonetheless the iPhone’s forte (as depicted within the samples above), however there have been a number of moments after I craved the extra distant optical zooming of the Professional mannequin, particularly when recording live events and topics far-off. 

The absence of an ultrawide lens additionally means you may’t dramatize landscapes and scenic views from up shut or pull in macro-level particulars like on the common, $200-less iPhone 17.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

So, who can purchase the iPhone Air? At $1,000, you are primarily paying for the ultraportability and innovation issue. Of all 4 new iPhones launched this 12 months, the iPhone Air feels just like the one we’ll most probably reference sooner or later, when even the Professional fashions — and probably foldables — are constructed underneath the same framework.

When you’re a digital camera fanatic, energy consumer, or need an iPhone that may not require a battery swap after 2-3 years, then I would think about your different choices this 12 months, together with the base model.

Additionally: I compared the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max: Here’s the best buy for you

What I count on to finally tip the scales within the Air’s favor would be the in-store expertise, when curious buyers choose up the gadget and really feel an absence of thickness and bulk. (For many who care, you may additionally discover that the Air is available in a black colour, however not the 17 Professional.)

The iPhone Air is a tool you have to see in particular person to know its significance. Whenever you do, switching between it and another mannequin will solely amplify the concept the opposite mannequin will quickly be a factor of the previous.