iPhone Air Durability Tests Show Surprising Strength, but Trade-Offs and High Costs Remain

Apple’s thinnest smartphone to date, the iPhone Air, has already faced tough durability testing. Reviewers wanted to know if a device that measures only 5.6 millimeters thick could handle the stresses of everyday use.

The Air is part of the iPhone 17 lineup and arrives with big claims from Apple. Executives insisted it exceeds the company’s strength standards. They even challenged journalists to bend the phone in interviews. The bold statements raised eyebrows, especially since many still remember BendGate in 2014 when iPhone 6 models bent with relative ease.

Now, independent testing gives a clearer picture of how the Air performs. It also shows where compromises have been made.

Titanium Frame and Slim Build

The frame of the iPhone Air is made from Grade 5 titanium. The alloy is strong, light, and more elastic than aluminum. That elasticity lets it bend slightly under pressure and return to its original form instead of holding a permanent curve. Apple says most of the titanium is recycled, part of its sustainability push.

Measuring just 5.6 millimeters, the Air is thinner than three stacked quarters or half a Lego brick. This makes it the slimmest iPhone the company has ever released. Within the iPhone 17 series, only the Air carries titanium. The standard iPhone 17 and the 17 Pro use aluminum frames, a shift tied to weight and cost.

Display and Scratch Resistance

Apple fitted the phone with its second-generation Ceramic Shield, developed with Corning. The company says it is three times more resistant to scratches than earlier models.

Tests seem to back that up. Scratches that would normally appear at Mohs hardness level 6 were faint. Even at level 7, marks were minimal. For an iPhone screen, this is a marked improvement.

That said, glass remains glass. The Air may resist scratches better, but drops onto hard surfaces can still shatter the screen.

Bend Tests by Hand

The main question was whether such a thin device could survive bending. Reviewer Zack Nelson tried applying force with his hands^[1]. Pushing from the back produced no visible change. Flexing it from the front caused a brief curve, but the titanium frame straightened out again in minutes.

Image: JerryRigEverything/YouTube

The results contrast sharply with the iPhone 6 era. Back then, normal use could warp the frame permanently. With the Air, titanium seems to have solved that problem.

Breaking Point Under Measured Force

To find the exact pressure needed to snap the phone, Nelson set up a test using two metal bars and a crane scale. The phone was pressed in the center until the frame gave way.

The first crack was heard at 171 pounds of pressure. The device finally broke at 216 pounds. Even then, the back glass stayed intact, though the front glass fractured near the lower volume button.

That level of force is far greater than what most users could apply in normal life. An adult weighing 216 pounds would spread that weight across clothing and the whole phone surface when sitting down. In practice, pockets are far more likely to wear out before the iPhone Air bends.

Smaller Battery and Slower Charging

The thin profile does not come without cost. The iPhone Air carries a smaller battery than its Pro counterparts. It also charges more slowly. Apple says the Air reaches 50 percent in 30 minutes, while the 17 Pro manages the same in just 20 minutes.

The Air also lacks stereo speakers. It uses a single earpiece speaker, which limits audio depth. These are real trade-offs of the slim design.

Battery Life Across the 17 Series

In independent European testing, the iPhone 17 Pro Max lasted 53 hours on a single charge^[2]. That put it ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, which ran just under 45 hours, and Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL at nearly 49 hours.

The iPhone Air managed about 40 hours. That result is close to Samsung’s S25 Edge, which also uses a smaller battery.

Apple rates its batteries for 1,000 charging cycles before they fall below 80 percent of their original capacity. Samsung doubles that figure with its Galaxy S25 range, promising 2,000 cycles. Google matches Apple at 1,000 cycles. So while the Air can last longer than some rivals on a single charge, its long-term endurance is not the strongest.

There are also regional differences. In the United States, the iPhone 17 Pro ships with only eSIM and a slightly larger battery. That version runs about two hours longer than the Indian model, which still uses a physical SIM slot.

Drop Tests and Repairability

Durability is not just about bending. In standardized European drop tests, the iPhone 17 Pro Max survived 180 falls before failure, earning a Class B grade. That is twice as strong as last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Competitors went further. Both Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra and Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL survived 270 drops. They earned Class A grades.

Repairability is another measure where Apple did not shine. The iPhone Air and the iPhone 17 Pro Max both received Class C ratings. Samsung scored the same, while Google’s Pixel achieved Class B.

Efficiency Gains

One area where Apple has taken the lead is efficiency. The iPhone 17 Pro Max received a Class A rating under the EU’s energy label system, an improvement from Class B the year before.

The gain came from the use of stacked battery cells and new vapor chamber cooling in the Pro and Pro Max. These changes help the phone stay cooler and hold charge during heavy workloads. The Air does not have all of those features, but the series as a whole benefits from the changes.

Price and Global Affordability

Performance aside, the cost remains high. The average selling price of a smartphone in 2025 is around 370 dollars^[3]. Apple’s iPhone 17 series starts near 799 dollars in the United States, with Pro models at 1,099 dollars or more^[4].

That makes the iPhone far more expensive than the global average. For many consumers, it remains out of reach.

Measured in workdays, the gap is even clearer. In Luxembourg, buyers need about three days of wages for a Pro model^[5]. In the United States, it takes four days. In India, the number is closer to 160 days. Globally, the average is about 26 days, but the spread shows how uneven the affordability really is.

Apple has positioned the iPhone as a premium product. The iPhone Air fits that profile. It is slim, built with titanium, and priced well above the norm.

Lessons From BendGate to Today

Apple’s focus on the Air’s strength highlights how far the company has come since BendGate. In 2014, customers could bend the iPhone 6 with little effort. That episode left a mark on the brand.

The Air tells a different story. It can take more than 200 pounds of direct pressure before breaking. It shrugs off hand bending attempts. Its screen resists scratches better than earlier versions.

Still, not every measure favors Apple. Battery longevity, drop resilience, and repairability continue to trail competitors. And the price keeps the phone out of reach for many.

Outlook

The iPhone Air shows that a slim frame does not always mean weakness. Independent testing proves that titanium allows the phone to flex and recover without lasting damage. The device can survive far more pressure than anyone would apply in daily use.

Yet thinness has limits. Smaller batteries, slower charging, and weaker speakers are the cost of the design. Compared with rivals, Apple delivers efficiency and runtime, but not the strongest durability over years of use.

The high price makes the Air a premium choice rather than a mainstream one. For those who buy it, the device offers strength and refinement. For many others, it represents a product that remains desirable but unattainable.

Image: James A. Molnar / Unsplash

Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools.

Read next: Staying Up Late Linked to Loneliness and Smartphone Problems Among University Students^[6]