I couldn’t help it: why I bought the iPhone Air and two Watches

By Nirave Gondhia Published September 14, 2025

It’s been exactly 48 hours (at the time of writing) since Apple opened pre-orders for its four new iPhones. While deliveries of some models, storage, and color combinations have been pushed back to October, you can still order all the new iPhones for delivery on the release date. 

The exception is the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is undoubtedly the most popular, at least based on delivery dates. However, aside from one year with a Pro Max, I already know it’s too big for daily use for me; I use many of the best Android phones alongside my iPhone and prefer Apple’s smaller iPhones, given I’m often using one of the best folding phones as well. 

With this in mind, it was inevitable that I would order the new iPhone 17 Pro, and I quickly secured the 512GB variant in Cosmic Orange minutes after pre-orders opened. After this, attention turned to the rest of the lineup. Here’s why I ordered the iPhone Air and Apple Watch 11, and plan to use them.

I love thin phones. I reviewed the Galaxy S25 Edge a few months ago, and it’s one of my favorite phones this year. It’s easy to dismiss a thin phone without holding it, but when you do, you’ll realize why companies are building them. 

Simply put, thin phones are an engineering marvel and a joy to behold. They are built to showcase the cutting edge of what’s possible, and in different ways. Apple’s approach to a thin phone is unique, and therefore, I was always likely to order it. Here’s how it compares to two competitors.

Thin phones are an engineering marvel and a joy to behold.

The iPhone Air packs all the key components, sensors, and electronics inside the new camera plateau, otherwise known as the phone-wide camera bar that’s reminiscent of, but taller than, the one you’ll find on the Google Pixel 10 series. This is an incredible feat because that’s a fairly small part of the phone, and it is a key step towards packing this technology into places like the arms of a pair of glasses.

Then there’s the Tecno Spark Slim, a concept in February that launched earlier this month at IFA 2025 as the Tecno Pova Slim. It measures 5.9mm thick — a slight 0.24mm thicker than the iPhone Air — but solves the key problem with thin phones: the battery. I’m still testing it, but the 5,180 mAh is much larger than the 3,000 mAh battery inside the iPhone Air, and the 3,900 mAh one inside the Galaxy S25 Edge. 

Samsung’s ultra-thin powerhouse was the first to launch this market, and Samsung blended several approaches to build a unique ultra-thin phone. The Galaxy S25 Edge measures 5.8mm thick, but the camera bump is less pronounced, resulting in a more uniform and symmetrical design. 

The 3,900 mAh battery is larger than the iPhone Air, and the Galaxy S25 Edge features an additional ultrawide camera. However, the iPhone Air has the 18MP center stage camera that can capture high-resolution selfies and videos in portrait or horizontal orientation, and I can’t wait to put it through its paces. 

The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro were ultimately easier purchase decisions for different reasons: I’ve outlined five reasons I bought the iPhone 17 Pro, and I wanted the ultra-thin body on the iPhone Air, which could be perfect for things like reading or scrolling through social media.

Normally, I’ll update my Apple Watch every year, and while I did so again this year, it was a much harder decision to make. The Apple Watch 11 is thinner and slightly lighter than the Apple Watch Series 10, but while the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is a larger update, the Apple Watch 11 is somewhat muted in comparison. 

Complicating the decision further is the fact that two key health features — the new Sleep Score and Hypertension alerts — are both available on last year’s Apple Watch 10 via the watchOS 26 update. 

I have fallen in love with the Apple Watch 10 over the past year, and it quickly replaced my Apple Watch Ultra 2. One problem I’ve found is its durability, which Apple says it has solved in the Apple Watch 11. This was a key reason I upgraded, but my happiness will be mostly tied to it living up to these claims.

Bigger, better, and brighter; this was my initial opinion of the Apple Watch 10 upgrade last year, and it’s how I feel about the Apple Watch Ultra 3 this year. Apple has upgraded its ‘Pro’ watch, and it looks better than ever. 

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 offers phenomenal battery life, and I suspect the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will beat this to offer the best battery life on an Apple Watch to date. 

Then there’s 5G. Three days before the Apple Event, I wondered when we’d get 5G on an Apple Watch. The answer quickly became apparent as all three new devices, including the affordable Apple Watch SE 3, feature 5G support.

The biggest appeal of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is its larger display; the Apple Watch 10 had a larger display than the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but the Ultra 3 has reclaimed the top spot. Despite the frame remaining the same size — although it’s now completely 3D printed — Apple has reduced the bezels, resulting in the largest screen yet on an Apple Watch.

It’s also significantly improved over the Ultra 2, with the LTPO3 OLED offering an always-on Retina Display and Apple Watch faces where the seconds hand can continuously update. A bigger battery — with up to six more hours of battery life — and faster charging like the Apple Watch 10 round off a big update in the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Having ordered both watches, it’s unclear which will remain the favorite. I love the smaller, sleeker design of the Apple Watch 11, but the battery life on the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is likely unbeatable. Either way, we’ll find out in five days, and it’s almost certain that one or both of these will make their way onto our best smartwatches list.