Apple iPhone Air

Apple has used a titanium frame for the iPhone Air, giving its slim body impressive durability. I even tried bending it, but it barely flexed. Despite my habit of keeping my phone in my back pocket, the phone held its shape without issue. The new Ceramic Shield Glass 2 on the front and back stayed scratch-free during my testing, even without a case, though I didn't have the heart to drop it. The phone also carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

To achieve the slim form factor and maximise battery capacity, Apple had to remove the physical SIM card slot from the smartphone. The iPhone Air is the first of its kind in India to be eSIM-only. If you are new to the concept, the eSIM is a digital version of the physical SIM, embedded into the smartphone. All mobile carriers, including Airtel, Jio, and Vi, provide eSIM support in the country and existing users can convert their physical SIM to eSIM from the comfort of their homes. It works just as well as a physical SIM card. I didn't experience any network issues after switching from a physical SIM to an eSIM in my day-to-day usage. The signal strength remained strong in most scenarios, with 5G-level upload and download speeds.

This year's iPhone lineup doesn't differentiate in viewing experience. All models, including the iPhone Air, feature a Super Retina XDR Always-on OLED display, with Dynamic Island, ProMotion technology for adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR support. The displays can also reach equally bright levels, with a maximum of 3,000 nits, ensuring easy legibility of content outdoors under direct sunlight.

At the heart of the iPhone Air is Apple's new A19 Pro chipset, also found in the iPhone 17 Pro models. The Air, however, comes with five GPU cores instead of six and lacks the vapour chamber cooling system. For most users, this won't be an issue, as the iPhone Air is designed more as a lifestyle device than a performance powerhouse. Regardless, the device has enough features to deliver a smooth performance for most daily usage. On the AnTuTu benchmarking app, the handset scored 20,67,200, which might be lower than iPhone 17 and 17 Pro scores, but is still quite impressive.

The iPhone Air packs a 3,149mAh battery, which is modest for a phone with a 6.5-inch display. I've been using it for about a week, and it hasn't given me any battery anxiety, mainly because I've had easy access to charging throughout the day, whether commuting or at the desk. If your daily routine allows similar charging convenience, the battery life shouldn't be a concern.

The iPhone Air's camera design is as straightforward as it can get. The handset features a 48MP rear camera, making it the first Apple flagship since the iPhone 8 (2017) to sport a single-lens setup. However, Apple claims that the iPhone Air effectively offers two advanced cameras, primary and telephoto, in one, thanks to its Fusion technology. Introduced last year, this technology enables "optical-level zoom" by natively capturing 12MP images at 2x cropped from the 48MP lens to offer better clarity and sharpness compared to the digital zoom, which merely enlarges pixels.

Unless you've been living under a rock, iOS 26, which succeeds iOS 18, is the latest operating system for iPhones. Apple has changed its naming convention to align the software version with the calendar year. But that's not the only change the update brings; you can read all about the new features in our detailed iOS 26 beta hands-on article.