The iPhone Air is powered by the A19 Pro chip, which Apple says is the fastest CPU in any smartphone. It’s also highly energy efficient compared to the A19 chip that powers the iPhone 17. A new 5-core GPU most notably helps power AI thanks to neural accelerators into each GPU core. Apple calls it MacBook Pro levels of compute, in an iPhone, which it says is perfect for AI workflows.
The ultra-thin profile of the iPhone Air requires significant engineering concessions. Most notably, the device features a single 48-megapixel “Fusion” camera system, which includes both a main camera and telephoto lens all housed in a horizontal camera bar across the top of the device—a departure from Apple’s traditional corner-mounted camera systems. The design eliminates both telephoto and ultrawide cameras, focusing solely on the Fusion camera. Apple says the Fusion camera excels in low light. On the front, Apple gives the iPhone Air the new Center Stage camera that’s going on the iPhone 17, so you can take photos in any orientation without needing to physically rotate your phone. And now, you can film videos using both the front and rear cameras at the same time so you can film your reaction to watching a sporting event, for example.
The iPhone Air features eSIM, so you no longer need to port a physical SIM card—but really, this is about Apple making the most use of the space of the phone, as the company said during its event. eSIM coverage is available globally—and iPhone Air is eSIM only.
In terms of battery, you can expect to get “all-day life,” according to Apple, thanks to battery-saving features in iOS 26. There’s also a new low-profile MagSafe battery that attaches to the back of the iPhone magnetically; with that battery, Apple says you can get 40 hours of battery life.
