Apple iPhone Air ZDNET's key takeaways The thinnest and lightest iPhone yet offers Pro performance at a competitive $999 price point.
It's designed to feel burdenless, and that's the biggest reason to buy one over the iPhone 17 series.
You'll just have to settle for only one camera, average battery life, and a single-firing speaker. View now at Apple View now at Best Buy View now at Verizon more buying choices
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The iPhone "Pro" label has always represented the bleeding edge of Apple's industrial design. I've upgraded to the Pro model every year since it debuted six years ago, and at this point in time, Apple's formula is so refined and polished that the investment is almost always worth it.
That's why, going into Apple's Awe-dropping event earlier this month, my attention was reserved for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, both of which launched with a new vapor chamber cooling system -- resolving a longstanding issue of overheating on Pro models -- as well as a redesigned and improved camera system. But the keynote ended with me shifting my focus to a different iPhone.
Also: I compared the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max: Here's who should upgrade
See, Apple did what it does best: marketing. It introduced the iPhone Air, with a theatrical flair, balanced on the tip of a finger at the Steve Jobs Theater, to a chorus of "oohs and ahhs." The iPhone 16 Pro Max in my pocket was feeling heavier and heavier by the second.
Let me be clear: the iPhone Air is a first-generation product, and I've been burned by many first attempts. However, there's a very calculative approach to designing the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever that makes it worth my time. But is it worth yours?
An iPhone that won't crack under pressure
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