Headlines have proclaimed iPhone Air the ‘Ozempic phone’. Its slim profile means there’s so little to love – in the best way possible! says technology expert ALEX ZAHAROV-REUTT.

Is Apple’s super-thin iPhone Air its most indestructible yet?

Headlines have proclaimed iPhone Air the “Ozempic phone”. Its slim profile means there’s so little to love – in the best way possible! 

Apple’s iPhone Air, at 5.64mm, is one tough cookie.

Its titanium frame provides strength, with famed YouTuber Zack Nelson’s Jerry Rig Everything channel showing a strong attempt to snap the iPhone Air, with both hands, to no avail. 

In the end, a “crane” applying 215 pounds of pressure to the centre of the phone saw it finally break, putting to rest worries that keeping the phone in your back pocket and sitting on it could make it bend, as was the case in 2014 with the iPhone 6 “Bendgate” scandal. 

Apple has clearly learned its lesson. So, what of the battery life with such a thin phone?

User reviews online have expressed surprise at the battery’s longevity. 

Due in part thanks to Apple’s own processor, and Apple’s home-grown chip for 5G, 4G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that sips power, these chips outclass power-hungry alternatives from primary competitor Qualcomm. 

The battery is the smallest of the new iPhone 17 range at 3149 mAh, but even with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I had to carry around a portable battery, so nothing changes. 

The downsides? There is only one 48 megapixel camera, unlike the iPhone 17’s two cameras and the Pro Max with 3 cameras, but while this will be a deal breaker for some, the everyday user won’t be worried. 

There’s also the speakers. Regular iPhones have two speakers which get louder and better every year. 

The Air only has one speaker, with tinnier sound, and this might be a deal breaker for others, too. 

I use AirPods 90 per cent of the time, so it’s just not a huge issue for me – and portable Bluetooth speakers have always sounded better than any smartphone’s internal speakers. 

Would I buy one? I did! On launch day, September 19, I was in Sydney, and skipped the large queue at Apple’s flagship George Street store. 

As a Telstra customer, I went to Telstra’s Pitt Street store around the corner instead, and was helped immediately. 

So far, the phone has been a joy to use. Noticeably lighter at 165g than the 227g iPhone 16 Pro Max it has replaced, everyone holding it has been visibly surprised. 

Its 6.5-inch screen is smaller than the 6.9-inch screen of the 16 and 17 Pro Max models, but I’ve quickly adjusted. 

I do wish it had at least two cameras – an ultrawide and the regular camera, but with this first generation of a super thin iPhone having space at a premium, space is still the final frontier. 

Perhaps an Air 2 next year, or an Air 3 in 2027 will see this change, but perhaps the Pro Max will get thinner by then, too. 

The iPhone Air (from $1799 for 256gb) is also great news for Samsung’s super svelte S25 Edge at 5.8mm thin and 163g. 

Launched on May 30, initial reactions were a combination of “who asked for this” and “nobody needs this”, but I was very impressed by the S25 Edge, and still am that Samsung beat Apple to the punch. 

The S25 Edge (from $1849 for 256gb) has two cameras and an even bigger 6.7-inch screen. Android fans have a powerful alternative to choose from and have had for nearly four months, and many will look again following the great reception for Apple’s Air. 

Whatever your choice – thin is fashionable again. Are you in?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt has loved tech since his father bought him (aged four-and-a-half) a computer from Dick Smith in Fyshwick in 1979. Hear his tech show on 2CC every Saturday from 10.30am.