7 Oct 2025
The iPhone Air is introduced as Apple's thinnest and lightest smartphone to date, offering an innovative design and unique aesthetic. However, its significant local market price, combined with a smaller battery and camera limitations, raises critical questions about its overall value compared to existing iPhone models and competitors.
The segment introduces the iPhone Air, highlighting it as a new, innovative addition to Apple's lineup. A full review by Mehrana will address its pros, cons, and purchasing rationale for potential users.
The iPhone Air's significant local market price, illustrated by the iPhone 17 Pro Max's 294 million tomans (256 GB) on Digikala, far exceeds its $2,000 equivalent, indicating a substantial markup. The current high price raises questions about its overall value compared to more established and cheaper alternatives like the regular iPhone 17.
The iPhone Air is Apple's thinnest phone to date, featuring an incredibly light design and a 5.64mm platform thickness. It incorporates a Ceramic Shield and a highly polished titanium frame that is prone to fingerprints, leading to a debate about the practicality of using a protective case. The device's weight is noted to be concentrated around the camera module, where the battery (30-100 mAh) and other components are located.
The Fusion Camera system, while excelling in amazing selfies and capturing fine details, demonstrates clear limitations with its single main lens compared to dual-lens setups. It performs portrait mode through software, a feature absent in the 16-inch model, signifying a deliberate product differentiation. The main camera's default yellow tint is adjustable in color profiles, and while it captures incredible detail, the S24 offered better color rendition.
Concerns exist regarding the thin design's impact on heat dissipation and potential throttling of the A19 Pro processor with its smaller GPU. Initial observations showed no abnormal heating during setup, which is typical for operating system indexing, but the powerful chip and thin design inherently make some heating and CPU throttling logical.
The iPhone Air is equipped with a smaller capacity battery (30-100 mAh). This smaller battery, combined with its powerful processing chip, is expected to result in high power consumption and potentially limited battery life, raising concerns for users.
The reviewed 'Cloud White' model exhibits a subtle blue tint, particularly visible on its titanium sides, and its shiny finish makes fingerprint smudges prominent. Preferences are expressed for pastel and matte color options over the glossy titanium.
The regular iPhone 17 is considered a superior and safer purchase choice, being $200 cheaper than the Air and offering better hardware, camera, chip, and battery life. The iPhone 17 Pro is also deemed less logical to buy than the regular 17 due to minimal feature upgrades like one additional GPU core and camera, not justifying its higher price.
The iPhone Air is priced $200 below the Samsung S25 Edge, suggesting Apple's strategic pricing to undercut competitors or Samsung's attempt to lead with an earlier, higher-priced release. The S25 was initially $1,200 compared to the Air's $1,000.
For users prioritizing functionality and value, the regular iPhone 17 is strongly recommended over the iPhone Air due to its more comprehensive features and lower price. The iPhone Air appeals as an innovative first-generation product but comes with compromises not ideal for a primary utility device.
First-generation products like the iPhone Air naturally incur higher costs due to extensive research and development. Future iterations are anticipated to either maintain their price with added features or see price reductions for increased value.
This phone is an attractive product for Apple as a new and innovative product, at least among its own products.
| Key Aspect | Insight | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & Market Value | The iPhone Air's local market price is disproportionately high compared to its dollar equivalent. For instance, the iPhone 17 Pro Max (256GB) retails for 294 million tomans. | This significant markup makes the iPhone Air a questionable value proposition locally, despite being $200 cheaper than the Samsung S25 Edge globally. |
| Design & Ergonomics | It is Apple's thinnest (5.64mm platform) and lightest phone to date, featuring a polished titanium frame and Ceramic Shield. | While innovative in design, the glossy titanium is highly prone to fingerprints, challenging the practicality of its sleek form factor without a protective case. |
| Battery & Performance | The device features a smaller capacity battery (30-100 mAh) and an A19 Pro processor with a smaller GPU. | This combination raises concerns about rapid power consumption, potentially limited battery life, and the impact of the thin design on heat dissipation and CPU throttling. |
| Camera System | The single Fusion Camera excels in selfies and detail capture, but it shows limitations compared to dual-lens systems. | Portrait mode is software-driven, and the main camera exhibits a slight yellow tint by default (though adjustable), with the S24 offering better color rendition. |
| Comparative Advantage | The regular iPhone 17 is considered a superior and safer purchase option, being $200 cheaper than the Air and offering better hardware, camera, chip, and battery life. | For users prioritizing functionality and value, the iPhone 17 provides a more logical and comprehensive choice over the Air's innovative but compromised design. |
| Product Generation | As a first-generation product, the iPhone Air's high cost reflects extensive research and development expenses. | Future iterations are anticipated to either maintain the price while incorporating additional features or experience price reductions to enhance overall value. |
