The all-new iPhone Air has grabbed all the headlines this week, and that’s hardly surprising. This is Apple’s thinnest smartphone, measuring in at just 5.6mm thick. I was lucky enough to be in California for the ‘Awe Dropping’ launch event and having already had the Air n my hands, it really has the wow factor. This device is unbelievably skinny. It’s also light, far easier to handle, and much less bulky when pushed into pockets.
Along with a wafer-thin design, the Air is supremely powerful thanks to the A19 Pro chip, and it’s made of very tough stuff thanks to its titanium design. A single Fusion camera sits neatly on its rear case and it gets bonus featres such as the Camera Control button and MagSafe charging. Despite its size, Apple is still promising all-day battery life thanks to improved efficiency and power saving modes.
There’s sure to be a lot of excitement when the Air arrives in stores next week, but I think there’s something even better from Apple this year.
The standard iPhone 17 may have been eclipsed by the Air, but this is now a feature-packed device that fixes many of the gripes I’ve had with previous Apple smartphones.
It finally gets a bigger 6.3-inch ProMotion 120Hz screen for speedy scrolling, a better front and rear camera system has been added, there’s faster charging, and a more robust design thanks to the latest Ceramic Shield Glass 2.
Owners get 256GB of storage as standard – that’s double the amount found in the entry-level iPhone 16 and it has an improved A19 processor inside.
You get all this for £799 – that’s £200 less than the Air.
Yes, the iPhone Air will get everyone talking when you pull it from your pocket, but if you want a solid smartphone at a more reasonable price, my money is firmly on the iPhone 17.
Of course, there is more to Apple’s lineup this year with a new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max going on sale as well.
These devices get a new look with a brushed aluminium unibody design, fast A19 Pro processor, a vapour chamber for improved cooling and a very good triple rear Fusion camera. Apple is also promising the best battery life ever in an iPhone.
To help jazz things up this year there’s even the option to take delivery of the Pro in a very striking Cosmic Orange colour – it does look pretty eye-catching when you see it in the flesh.
Yes, the Pro devices are still the most feature-packed, but they are also the most expensive. Things start from a whopping £1,099 this year and can push to almost £2,000 if you add 2TB of storage and opt for the bigger Pro Max model.
If you want the best smartphone Apple makes, then Pro is always the way to go, but the iPhone 17is now closer than ever to those more premium models and I think it’s a bit of a bargain this year.
The iPhone 17, Pro and Air will be available to pre-order from 12pm today – September 12.