Apple iPhone Air Sky Blue 512GB

The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone ever at 5.6mm and 150g, with a 91st percentile performance score from the A19 Pro chip. The 3000-nit display is a standout, but the 3500mAh battery is only average and the camera sits at 68th percentile. At $1,149 to $1,300, you're paying a premium for the design, not the specs.

The A19 Pro chip is the star here. Apple calls it the most efficient iPhone chip yet, and our benchmarks put the Air in the 91st percentile for performance. That's one of the best on the market right now, and it means this ultra-thin phone handles gaming, video editing, and multitasking without breaking a sweat. The 8GB of RAM keeps things smooth, and the 512GB of storage means you won't be deleting photos to make room for apps anytime soon.

Connectivity is another strong point. The Air hits the 92nd percentile in our database, which puts it near the top of the charts. You get 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, eSIM support, and satellite connectivity for emergencies. That's a genuinely future-proofed setup. The display is no slouch either, 3000 nits of brightness puts it in the 85th percentile, which is a standout for outdoor visibility. You'll be able to read this thing in direct sunlight without squinting.

Stacked against the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the iPhone Air wins on portability and display brightness, but the S24 Ultra brings a more versatile camera system and a bigger battery. The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is the better pick if photography is your priority, its camera performance is consistently stronger than the Air's 68th percentile showing. The OnePlus 13 undercuts the Air on price while offering comparable performance, though it's noticeably heavier. And the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 is the wildcard, a foldable that competes on novelty but can't match the Air's build quality or raw performance. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a camera monster, but it's also thick and heavy by comparison. If thin and light is your thing, nothing else here comes close.

Pricing is a bit of a mess right now. US listings range from $1,149 to $1,300, a $151 spread across just 3 listings. That's a meaningful difference, and it pays to shop around. Best Buy is the main retailer here, and they offer a price match guarantee plus installment options, which helps soften the blow. But at this price point, you're paying a premium for the thin-and-light design. The performance is there, but the camera and battery don't quite justify the top-end asking price. If you can find it closer to $1,149, it's a much easier recommendation than at $1,300.

The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever made at 5.6mm, and it weighs just 150g. That's the headline here, and it's backed up by a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display pushing 3000 nits of peak brightness, an A19 Pro chip, and 512GB of storage. In our database, the Air lands in the 91st percentile for performance and the 90th for build quality, so this isn't a case of thin meaning fragile or underpowered.

But the numbers also tell a more complicated story. The 3500mAh battery sits at the 55th percentile, which is about average, and the camera system lands at the 68th percentile. That's solid but not spectacular for a phone in this price bracket. The user sentiment score is 85/100, though it's based on very limited data, just 9 pieces of evidence and 23 ratings. Early owners love the lightweight design, but there's not much else to go on yet.

If you're a heavy camera user, look elsewhere. The 48MP main sensor and 48MP ultrawide are fine, but the 68th percentile camera ranking means you're not getting the best photo quality in this price range. The lack of a dedicated telephoto lens is a real limitation, and the 2x optical zoom is just okay. Battery-focused users should also think twice. The 3500mAh cell is average at best, and 20W wired charging feels slow when competitors are pushing 45W and beyond. And if you're buying on a budget, the $1,149 to $1,300 price range is hard to justify when the OnePlus 13 offers similar performance for less money. The Air is a design statement first, a spec monster second.

The iPhone Air is a genuinely impressive piece of engineering. A 5.6mm body with a 91st percentile performance score is not something we see every day, and the 3000-nit display is a joy to use outdoors. But the compromises are real. The battery is average, the camera is good but not great, and the price is steep. Early adopters seem thrilled with the design, but with only 23 ratings and 9 pieces of sentiment evidence, we're working with a small sample size. If you want the thinnest, lightest iPhone ever made and you're willing to pay for it, this is your phone. Just know that you're trading camera versatility and battery capacity for that sleek profile.