I spent quite some time in an Apple store over the weekend, most of it hands-on with the iPhone Air – with the iPhone 17 Pro very much a secondary thing. That experience, including seeing and hearing how other visitors were reacting to the phone, convinced me of two things … The iPhone Air is the future First, this kind of form factor absolutely is the future of iPhone. The degree of public interest in the new phone was immediately obvious on walking into the store. While I could clearly see the display tables for the base iPhone 17 and for the iPhone 17 Pro, I couldn’t see any sign at all of the iPhone Air table – because it was absolutely surrounded by people. In order to be fair to those waiting to take a close look, I initially did my hands-on time in stages, stepping back to allow the next person to try it while I rotated around the table and waited for the next one to become free. Apple is an absolute master at making its new iPhones look completely stunning in the combination of photos, renders, and videos used in the keynote. Generally, they never look quite as good when you actually see them for yourself. But the iPhone Air is very much an exception to this. Everyone at the keynote said that it looked just as good in real life as in the presentation, and I would absolutely echo this. It looks completely stunning. I’m the kind of person who unboxes my iPhone and immediately places it into a case. But I have to say, if I were buying this, I would almost feel it was a crime to do so! It looks impossibly sleek. It also feels really great in the hand. Even with the additional weight of the store tether blocks, it feels incredibly light. I’d wondered whether the very thin edges might feel uncomfortable in the hand, but absolutely not. It’s clear a lot of thought went into the side profile to make it feel comfortable to hold. I’d predicted beforehand that I was going to lust after the design, and that is most certainly the case. If I could have the same camera capabilities in a device this slim, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one. I think this is the future of iPhone design, not just because this particular model is so thin, but also the approach of putting almost all of the electronics into the camera plateau. I spent a little time with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the main body is thinner than last year’s model for the same reason. Sure, it’s a kind of cheat, but then the same is true of the original wedge-shaped MacBook Air, and I absolutely love that design. Thinking of that comparison, it did make me wonder what a wedge-shaped iPhone would look like! Probably not that comfortable to hold. But it’s not yet the present for me But the second thing that was very clear is that this device is not yet the present for many of us, including myself. Much as I love the form factor, there is no way in the world I would be willing to settle for a single camera, even if Apple does make the questionable claim that it’s two in one. Holding the iPhone Air in one hand and my iPhone 16 Pro Max in the other, there was no question at all that the additional bulk and weight is 100% worth it for me. But just as we’ve seen with MacBooks, I think Apple will manage to gradually slim down the Pro model too so that it feels like a significantly sleeker device – and I’m certainly looking forward to that. Other impressions I’m normally very much of the view that gadgets should be either silver or black, but I must say that in this case I think the white iPhone Air looks massively better than the black. The light color and slightly translucent look really emphasizes the sleekness of the design. Additionally, the black model has a very slightly visible MagSafe ring which I think detracts from the look. There seems to be some question of whether we’re at the start of a #scratchgate, with some saying that the issue extends to the black iPhone Air. Time will tell, but I can say that despite handling several different demo models, I didn’t see any sign of this issue. It may, however, add to the argument of choosing the white color if you’re brave enough to go caseless. iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max I wasn’t a fan of the two-tone look when I saw it in photos and video, and that remained the case when I saw it for myself. I know it always takes a little time to get used to a new look, and I’ve often said that what people comment on initially is often forgotten just a few weeks later, but so far I’m really not keen. I also think it’s criminal that there isn’t a black model! The blue does look good, but it’s no substitute for black. I really dislike the orange, so if I were buying one, it would definitely be the silver. But as I say, I do appreciate the depth shaving that’s been made possible by the camera plateau. I don’t personally think it looks any better or worse than the camera island in previous years. If you’ve either bought one or tried a hands-on session in a store, please do share your own impressions in the comments. Highlighted accessories