Review · Apple
iPhone Air Review: 2025 Best Design, Beautiful — And Compromised
Won Best Design at MKBHD's 2025 Smartphone Awards. At 5.5mm, the iPhone Air is the thinnest mainstream phone ever made. It's a triumph of industrial design — and a compromised daily driver due to its smaller battery and single-camera system. Buy it for the design; don't expect it to outwork the iPhone 17.
By SmartphoneAwards Editorial · Published · Updated
Pros
- MKBHD's 2025 Best Design winner
- Thinnest mainstream phone ever made (5.5mm)
- Beautiful in person — feels like a different category
- Same A19 chip, same iOS 19, same Apple Intelligence as the 17
Cons
- 2,800 mAh battery — shortest screen-on time in the 2025 lineup
- Single 48MP camera — no ultrawide, no telephoto
- $899 is $100 more than iPhone 17 with worse functional specs
- Less protective in pockets than thicker phones
The design statement
Held next to the iPhone 17, the Air feels like it's from the future. At 5.5mm thin, it's somewhere between a credit card and a phone in pocket. Apple's industrial design team clearly poured most of their 2025 effort into this device — and MKBHD's Best Design award reflects that effort. If you've handled an iPad mini and wished for something thinner and pocketable, the Air is the answer.
Display
6.6-inch ProMotion OLED, 120Hz adaptive, ~3,000 nits peak. Larger than the iPhone 17's 6.1-inch but smaller than the 17 Pro Max. Quality is excellent.
Performance
Same A18 chip and 8GB RAM as the iPhone 16. Note: the Air uses A18, not A19 — meaningful for sustained AI workloads. iOS 19 + Apple Intelligence is fully supported.
Camera
Single 48MP main camera. No ultrawide, no telephoto. Stills quality is on par with the iPhone 17's main lens — but if you shoot ultrawide or zoom regularly, you'll feel the absence. Video maxes at 4K60. No ProRes.
Battery
2,800 mAh battery. We averaged 5–6 hours of screen-on time across two weeks — the shortest in Apple's 2025 lineup. Light users will be fine; power users will notice. Fast wired charging is standard 20W, MagSafe is 25W.
Verdict · 4.5 / 5
Buy the iPhone Air if design and pocketability are decisive for you and you've physically held it. It won MKBHD's 2025 Best Design award and the recognition is earned. For everyone else, the iPhone 17 (MKBHD's 2025 Phone of the Year) is the smarter $100-cheaper buy with better cameras and longer battery.
🛒 Buy the iPhone Air on AmazonAlternatives to consider
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the iPhone Air worth $899?
Only if you specifically value the thin design over functional specs. For most buyers, the iPhone 17 (MKBHD's 2025 Phone of the Year) at $799 is the better practical buy.
How is the iPhone Air's battery life?
Short — 5–6 hours of screen-on time average, vs 6.5–7.5 on the iPhone 17. The smaller 2,800 mAh battery is the biggest functional trade-off.
Does the iPhone Air bend?
Apple has used reinforced titanium and internal support structure, and reviews 4 months in suggest no widespread bending issues. Use a case if you put your phone in tight pockets regularly.
How we rate
Our editorial score is anchored to outcomes from MKBHD's annual Smartphone Awards (2014–2025), then refined for everyday usability. Phone of the Year winners earn 5/5; category winners 4.5/5; runners-up 4/5; otherwise we score on merit. We earn a commission on purchases via our retailer links — at no extra cost to you.