iFixit Teardown Reveals How Apple Made the iPhone Air So Thin

[Le0M]

Alu is anodized. Not painted.
It holds very well! proved by all Macbooks, ipads, watch, airpods max, normal iphones since iphone 6.

You are welcome

It holds up very well? Seriously??
I got a dark MBP. First day, I'm using it on a flat surface but there's some debris on it. I moved it around, huge scratch all over the back.

Holds up well my a*s!
From that point on, I decided to get natural finishes, this way scratches aren't that visible anymore.

 

[kp98077]

I got the 17PM but it really seems like the Air is the most well built out of the 17 Series. Seen some drop tests and it seemed to hold up the best

not for me! Air went back today, kept 17pm, battery was not great, camera not great for almost any distance detail, and, it seemed slower..

 

[mentaluproar]

my air is great. my watch stopped working again, though. weird.

 

[tCdemon]

Alu is anodized. Not painted.
It holds very well! proved by all Macbooks, ipads, watch, airpods max, normal iphones since iphone 6.

You are welcome

In natural aluminum is fine. Last time I check natural aluminum doesn't come in hot pink...clearly you haven't owned any of the colored iPod's...those aluminum devices that are colored, one good drop on a rough surface and you can see the natural aluminum. Anodized, Powder Coated, Chrome Plated...all that is just lives on the surface of the metal. Thank you very much.

 

[tCdemon]

It holds up very well? Seriously??
I got a dark MBP. First day, I'm using it on a flat surface but there's some debris on it. I moved it around, huge scratch all over the back.

Holds up well my a*s!
From that point on, I decided to get natural finishes, this way scratches aren't that visible anymore.

Exactly! I regret trading in my iPhone 15 in natural titanium...that was a gorgeous phone...but I wanted the slightly larger screen.

 

[JET3]

The ability to 3D print steel and titanium at scale is a massive flex, and is sure to be underappreciated forever. The exact same battery part as used in both the Air and the new MagSafe Battery suggests to me that there may be some hoarding in the future since you could in theory buy the battery, take it out of its shell, and swap it into the Air without worrying about parts pairing (?).

No. For a trillion dollar company to 3D print components for what they consider to be a flagship device is nothing short of the CEO nearing the end of his tenure and giving the finger to his loyal fanbase by eeking out as much money as he possibly can from the apologists who praise everything the company does no matter what. People who praise this type of garbage and don't demand quality are the reason that they keep getting away with higher prices for lower quality year after year.

 

[mlayer]

No. For a trillion dollar company to 3D print components for what they consider to be a flagship device is nothing short of the CEO nearing the end of his tenure and giving the finger to his loyal fanbase by eeking out as much money as he possibly can from the apologists who praise everything the company does no matter what. People who praise this type of garbage and don't demand quality are the reason that they keep getting away with higher prices for lower quality year after year.

Do you have a BOM for the 3D printed components from which you can base your utterly ridiculous and specious claim? Or that they’re not quality? Through what testing?

 

[tCdemon]

No. For a trillion dollar company to 3D print components for what they consider to be a flagship device is nothing short of the CEO nearing the end of his tenure and giving the finger to his loyal fanbase by eeking out as much money as he possibly can from the apologists who praise everything the company does no matter what. People who praise this type of garbage and don't demand quality are the reason that they keep getting away with higher prices for lower quality year after year.

It's not your common everyday 3D print made out of plastic...the component in question that was 3D printed by Apple was made out titanium and it was the USB C port...it was needed to be able to achieve specs and space. So freaking cool!

 

[meridiusuk]

Well, no - the article says that the Air relies on the "camera" bulge to fit in the logic board, so a smaller camera wouldn't get rid of that. Might avoid needing a second camera bulge on the camera bulge, though

Struggling to see the point of this phone or how people can pretend that a phone with a ~12MM camera bump is 5.6mm thick.

You held one in your hand ? I did and this is what I call a next gen iPhone, it may lack some hardware but my god it feels like a sheet of glass.

I held it in my hand and was amazed at the design and feel and how light it was, the last time I felt like that was when Apple released the iPhone 5.

Even though the camera sticks out it still does not protrude as much as the pros do.

I love the air but I will be waiting one more year for the air 2 as I have the iPhone 14 Pro and need to see how it hold out through time and hopefully they will add better stereo speakers and ambe some extra camera functions.

I picked up the 17 pro and put it back after 1 min and was like just another same old iPhone. The air was like wow and was playing with it for 20 min.

Plus you don’t hold the phone by the camera so this is why it feels so slim compared to the pro so you will never feel the camera

 

[chuckee.2002]

I remain hopeful once we have Silicon Carbon Battery within Apple's Product. Apple will release an iPhone Air Mini that is 5.95" at probably $899. It would have a battery life that is even better than current iPhone Air.

In Apple's cadence that wont be for at least another 2 years. So earliest 2028. Considering Next year is Foldable iPhone and 2027 is 20 years anniversary. 2028 sounds about right.

iPhone 5s is the best form factor for me. No camera bump and if it will be thinner like the air, sweet! Bonus if they can get rid of the island.

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

Apple ignored the international rules of aluminum painting process for the corners

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

At this point, regular 17 model and Air is a smart peek

 

[dantay]

Great process innovation. Now use it to make a mini.

Let it go…..let it go……

 

[FunkyTang]

Do any of the teardowns discuss the weigh of the battery assembly?

If the Air battery is 12g lighter than the base 17 battery, then a base 17 with a lighter battery would be just as light as the Air with no redesign.

 

[Enmanuel]

Really looking forward to their internals wallpapers for the air.

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

No one is going to make a modern smartphone without any cameras, and even Samsung is walking away from their under screen camera.

Apple did it for corporate rats

 

[Mcsnee]

I am a converted Air skeptic. Went to the local store last week to confirm my decision not to upgrade this cycle and instead ended up buying an Air on the spot. I get that it is not for everybody, but I don't really need the camera power of a Pro and am not such a power user that I am likely to blow through the battery in a few hours.

It's honestly a pretty mind-bending feat of engineering.

 

[TheMacPotato]

I feel like apple just goes back and forth with the material the iPhones are made out of. Glass, Plastic, Aluminum, Titanium, Stainless Steel. Aluminum and color paint will not hold very well at all. I loved how sturdy and heavy the iPhone XS Max felt.

Sadly I will not be upgrading to the 17...first year I don't upgrade!

What the hell do you upgrade every year for?

 

[TheMacPotato]

Not gonna happen before a couple of decades. Take it or leave it.

physics mean they can't. You either have crappy AI enhanced optics (even more than now) or you downgrade your camera to iPhone 8 levels

 

[mlayer]

Let it go…..let it go……

Personally I would love to see the return of the mini as long as it's not as compromised as the two versions that were released. Maybe a silicon carbon battery can make that happen. I'm guessing that tech is more likely on the folding phone due to the expense.

 

[darngooddesign]

Apple did it for corporate rats

Citation needed

 

[dantay]

Personally I would love to see the return of the mini as long as it's not as compromised as the two versions that were released. Maybe a silicon carbon battery can make that happen. I'm guessing that tech is more likely on the folding phone due to the expense.

I had the 12 and 13 mini, loved the form factor, I can’t see them doing it again even with a more advanced battery. The majority of consumers only want bigger screens when it actually comes down to spending their money.

 

[mevans7]

Thank you iFixIt! So cool to see what is inside of these phones.

 

[Cervisia]

By making it very thick. I hope if Tim drives a truck, he doesn't calculate with its lowest part whether he can pass under a bridge or not.

 

[Le0M]

physics mean they can't. You either have crappy AI enhanced optics (even more than now) or you downgrade your camera to iPhone 8 levels

Exactly.
No can do.