I frankly can’t believe the iPhone Air is already 33% off – 4 months from launch, Apple's super-thin handset is down to just AU$1,199

Apple iPhone Air in blue background
(Image credit: Future)

Apple’s newest addition to its iPhone line, the svelte and sturdy iPhone Air, has just hit its lowest ever price in Australia, with Vodafone slashing AU$600 off its RRP.

A 33% discount for an iPhone that just launched four months ago is almost unheard of, with Apple devices generally getting discounts of around 10-15% — even during major sale events like Black Friday.

While I do agree that the AU$1,799 RRP is quite steep for a device that doesn’t have the best battery life and has only one camera, with AU$600 off, it's definitely worth considering if you're keen on Apple's thinnest handset.

Apple iPhone Air (256GB)
Save 33% (AU$600.20)
Apple iPhone Air (256GB): was AU$1,799 now AU$1,198.80 at Vodafone Australia

With this price, the iPhone Air is currently the cheapest iPhone model from the new lineup, a full AU$200 less than the base iPhone 17 (AU$1,398.96). When paired with Vodafone’s 24-month Small phone plan, the total cost per month is AU$88.95p/m, compared to the iPhone 17’s AU$97.29 per month. While it has its limitations, we crowned it the Phone of the Year for its slim design, ultra-durable titanium body and the powerful A19 Pro chip.

I've singled out the 256GB model above, as I believe it offers enough storage for most people's needs, but if you need more storage – 512GB or 1TB – both of those also get the same AU$600 discount. Plus, you can elect to pay for the device and your chosen SIM plan over 12 or 36 month instalments. This will affect the total monthly cost, of course, but whichever you opt for, you'll be saving a considerable amount.

The iPhone Air is 5.64mm thin for most of its body (with a small camera bump at the top), and uses titanium and Ceramic Shield glass to make it a very sturdy handset. Inside is the A19 Pro chip, which is the same processor used in the 17 Pro and Pro Max models, making it a speedy performer and reasonably future-proof.

With just a single 48MP camera, however, you’ll be limited in your photography needs. Our tests, though, found it was a capable enough camera to take good photos, particularly portraits.

The battery does have a much smaller capacity than other current iPhones, but even our reviewer found it could last a whole day without charging. You can pick up the dedicated Magsafe power bank from Apple for AU$159 if you're worried about running out of juice with the iPhone Air, but there are plenty of affordable options in our best power banks list worth a mention, too.

Nico Arboleda
Staff Writer

Nico is an experienced writer and journalist, having previously written for business titles like techpartner.news and Mumbrella. He also spent time working as a content writer and copywriter before joining TechRadar. While mainly focusing on phones at TechRadar Australia, he is also a keen cyclist and occasional hiker, so he also loves related tech like smartwatches and bike computers. Outside of tech, Nico is also a politics, basketball and movie obsessive.

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