Thinnest iPhone, pro performance, all-day battery. The list goes on for why Apple wants you to buy its newest product. In fact, pre-orders start on September 12, with availability beginning on September 19. You might look at this phone and think to yourself, “This is everything I’ve ever wanted!” But you might want to think twice before clicking that pre-order button.
Disregarding the fact that the new iPhone Air might cost you close to $1,200 (the equivalent of a week’s earnings for the average American household), there are many features that might make you draw back in hesitation, like the new sleek, thin-styled phones. While some people might see this as an advancement in Apple’s design, I see it as a step back. Apple has lost its novelty by hopping onto the trend of thin phones. Since the iPhone’s birth in 2007, Apple has always prided itself on the thickness (or depth, as the tech specialists call it) of its phones. Models before the iPhone 6 had always rocked the blocky, 3-dimensional look. Even after the transition to rounder designs, Apple maintained the firm, graspable shape of its phones. Now, it’s no different from every other Android.
After taking a look at pictures of the new design, I’ve come to the conclusion that the iPhone Air is its most slippery product. I have a feeling that it will be named “The Most Dropped Phone” one day. At 5.6 mm width, it’s just so paper-thin, light, and glossy that if you aren’t careful, it might fly right out of your hand or pocket. At the same time, Apple decided to include a “plateau” design on the back of the phone. It beats me why they made that decision because it makes the phone top-heavy, defeating the entire purpose of the thin design. It’s a complete paradox.
Since they removed so much material from the body of the phone to make it thinner, I was expecting at least an investment of the cost savings in the camera. After all, Apple has been pretty active with camera updates in the past. I was wrong. In order to maintain the ultra-thin profile, Apple has kept only a single camera. This is supposed to be a core feature of the “Air” line, but in reality, it’s a poor feature. Although the 48-megapixel Fusion camera serves multiple purposes, it simply does not function as well as more advanced systems. This means that users will no longer have access to the ultra-wide camera or the Cinematic Mode feature. You know what that means? No more silly 0.5 shots of your friends! Apple’s clear camera quality has always been a major selling point for its phones. With just a single camera hanging on, Apple’s phones have clearly lost the bigger picture.
To tie everything up, the iPhone Air has only four colors to choose from. If you’re really particular about the aesthetics of your mobile device, then this might not be the phone for you. I hate to break it to you, but we’ve lost the vibrant colors of the iPhone 15 and 16 releases. Say goodbye to the pastel greens and hot pinks as dull whites and grays replace them.
The only characteristic that might save the Air from being an absolute flop is the battery life. We all know that Apple’s phones have a reputation for their poor battery lives, but some customers are actually finding the Air’s battery to be quite powerful. Compared to the iPhone 16, which has 22 hours of video playback from a 3561mAh battery, the Air has 27 hours with a 3149mAh battery. Even then, its battery life has tradeoffs due to its incredibly thin design. For that reason, Apple has introduced a new and improved reason to empty your wallet. In an attempt to extend the phone’s endurance, it offers an optional, thin MagSafe battery pack to bring the total battery life up to 40 hours of playback when attached.
This is what happens when you try to sacrifice quality for quantity. Crunching out new phones every year will inevitably make the designs sloppy. Instead of focusing on real improvements, Apple has resorted to short-lived trends and poorly planned designs. At this point, if you still want the iPhone Air, then all I can really offer you is my thoughts and prayers. I hope that you at least give that wallet a good kiss before you strip it bare for what might be Apple’s worst creation.
Sources
Apple. “Introducing iPhone Air, a powerful new iPhone with a breakthrough design.” Apple, 9 September 2025, https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/09/introducing-iphone-air-a-powerful-new-iphone-with-a-breakthrough-design/. Accessed 17 September 2025.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers – Second Quarter 2025.” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22 July 2025, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf. Accessed 17 September 2025.
Casey, Henry T. “iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro hands-on: Release date and specs.” CNN, 10 September 2025, https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/electronics/iphone-air-iphone-17-pro-hands-on. Accessed 17 September 2025.
Richards, Jamie. “Apple should be celebrating the iPhone Air’s battery life, but instead it’s kept quiet – and I can’t stop wondering why.” TechRadar, 11 September 2025, https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/apple-was-suspiciously-quiet-about-the-iphone-airs-battery-life-during-the-awe-dropping-event-and-i-cant-stop-wondering-why. Accessed 17 September 2025.