Remember that Mac commercial where, in 2008, Apple took the very first MacBook Air out of a Manila envelope? This year, the thinnest iPhone may not have come out of an envelope, but it sure could have.
The only phone to be built in titanium this year, the iPhone Air is thin (5.64mm) and light (165g). Easy to hold, the Air has been a complete game changer for people with small hands and the disabled. This alone, perhaps, is the main reason I’m seeing a lot more Airs than the iPhone 17s around.
Apple’s thinnest phone is all about portability or one would think. Despite the slim fit it does have durability. Full disclosure, unlike other reviewers I haven’t applied any pressure “to see if it will bounce back”. The sheer price of the phone prevents me from doing any sort of physical tests and I’m sure Apple’s done those tests already.
This is beyond a smartphone, pun intended. To achieve the thin and light frame, Apple decided that the processor would be where the camera is. Ingenious.
Apple’s only e-Sim phone means, for those who have a Dtac/True number, the pain of transferring from a Sim to an e-Sim gets a little more complicated than with AIS in Thailand. Needless to say, I have AIS and the switch took all of two minutes. Though this forward-thinking move may be a bit of a sore point for those who travel to countries where e-Sims aren’t yet available. If you’re a frequent traveller, you may want to consider this before buying it.
Though it is light, the screen remains a solid 6.5in. super retina XDR Oled and is comparable to the Pros. Though the speakers aren’t the best, they get the job done.
The phone does come with a few simple caveats; it is not for people who like to take photos with their phones and definitely not for people who need the all-day battery life. Since I’ve been using it as my second phone, the battery life doesn’t really affect me. But the photography does as the quality isn’t as good as the Pro, and for some reason, the photos don’t seem to fit into the Instagram story frame, but neither does my iPhone 17 Pro’s photo. Though that’s another article.
The camera is one 48MP. There are no additional lenses, no ultra wide, no 5x zoom and no telephoto lens. Having said this, the phone does take sharp photos, with natural colours intact. Apple’s reputation isn’t as compromised as we think.
The A19 Pro chip ensures the phone works as any iPhone should and is good at doing multiple tasks. Though a few users have complained about how hot the phone gets when gaming or continuous usage. But don’t we all when overworked.
Those buying this phone are clearly after it’s aesthetic appeal more than anything else. After all, we all aren’t after “the bulge in our pockets” look, are we?
