thinnest

I WAS one of the first people in the world to have a go with the new iPhone Air.

Details about the ‘thinnest ever’ Apple mobile had leaked before this week’s launch event and I was expecting to think it was a bit pointless. But actually, it’s quite brilliant.

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I had a chance to go hands-on with the ultra-svelte smartphone at Apple Park in California this week.

Apple showed off four new mobiles including the iPhone 17, plus three upgraded Apple Watch models and a fresh pair of AirPods.

But the iPhone Air – with its shockingly skinny 5.6mm side profile – stole the show.

It’s what everyone is talking about. Just trying to get a hold of it at the Apple event felt like entering a warzone.

Once I managed to squeeze past an army of influencers and the world’s tech press, I got a good 10 minutes with the new model.

Here’s what I was worried about.

Firstly, I’m quite used to giant phones. I usually use the Pro Max models, and they fit in my pocket just fine.

Secondly, when you make a phone very thin, you usually have to make some compromises.

It often means sticking a rubbish camera on the back, or slashing battery life, or both.

Apple has managed to produce what is an extremely pocketable mobile with seemingly very few compromises.

The screen is a fairly giant 6.6 inches, making it bigger than the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro.

It’s also very lightweight at 165 grams.

By comparison, my iPhone 16 Pro Max is 227 grams. The difference is night and day.

The iPhone Air felt feathery in my hand, even though it’s built from weighty (and tough) titanium.

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It’s also nice to hold because of the slim frame.

Apple has crammed most of the core components into the camera bump, leaving the rest of the phone’s body free for battery.

It’s impressive engineering and looks great.

On top of that, my early fears about camera and battery life might come to nothing at all.

Apple says you’ll get a very healthy 27 hours of video playback per charge from the iPhone Air.

I think as long as it gets you through a day comfortably, it’s perfectly fine.

Of course I won’t know for sure until I test it out, but Apple has made a promising…promise.

The camera also looks quite clever.

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I had a quick (and successful) demo in the Steve Jobs Theater, but it’s a beautiful and brightly lit room, so that doesn’t tell me much.

But on paper, the camera sounds decent enough.

You’ve got a 48-megapixel Fusion camera system that allows for multiple focal lengths, plus a telephoto-style system that delivers 2x zoom to what Apple calls “optical quality”.

And it can even capture video in 4K Dolby Vision at 60 frames per second.

The phone packs in Apple’s brand new and very powerful A19 Pro.

And at £999/$999, it’s cheaper than both of Apple’s top-end models – the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max – by £100/$100 and £200/$200 respectively.

It’s one of the most striking iPhone models we’ve seen in years, and I’m excited to test it.

Air we go…

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DYSON has invented a mind-bendingly thin vacuum cleaner that’s as svelte as a broom.

DYSON has invented a mind-bendingly thin vacuum cleaner that’s as svelte as a broom.

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Branded the ‘PencilVac’, Dyson‘s new cleaning tool promises to be the “world’s slimmest vacuum”.

And it can even lay almost totally flat to the floor with an operating height of just under 10cm.

The vacuum cleaner ditches the giant bin normally featured on Dyson products for a new system that compacts the dust into the PencilVac’s slender body.

“I have long wanted to make a vacuum of only 38mm diameter,” said Sir James Dyson, the company boss.

He explained that the thickness is important – it’s the same as the Dyson’s Supersonic hair dryer handle.

Dyson continued: “But first we needed to develop our most powerful Hyperdymium motor at only 28mm diameter to achieve such a slender machine.”

HAIR WE GO!

It also uses a bizarre new Fluffycones system that uses four cones split across two brush bars.

This system works to eject long hair as you clean, so you don’t have to pull or cut it out.

“If long hairs get wrapped around the cone, the spinning motion along with the specific angle of the cone causes the hair to tighten,” said Dyson’s Sam Cole, Floorcare Design Manager, speaking to The Sun.

“Which results in the hair travelling down to the smaller end of the cone, before it is released as a small hairball.”

There’s also a new two-stage dust separation system, which Dyson engineers say will capture 99.99% of particles (down to 0.3 microns).

That means cleaner air is pumped back into your home – and should mean suction stays strong.

The dust inside is compressed in real-time to get as much usage possible out of the small bin, and should mean you have to empty it less often.

According to gadget-maker Dyson, the bin holds five times more dust and debris than its 0.08-litre capacity.

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This works using a syringe “bin ejection” system that “plunges” the dirt deep into the bin – while also wiping the shroud clean at the same time.

MOTOR RUNNING

It’s all powered by a new motor that’s Dyson’s smallest to date – as well as its fastest, spinning at 140,000rpm.

This, Dyson says, makes it 35% more “power dense” than its predecessor, despite the shrunken size.

“Engineering our smallest and fastest vacuum motor is no simple feat. It was more than miniaturising every piece of technology,” said Dyson tech chief John Churchill.

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“It is a precise integration of motor design, electronics, software, and hardware, all working together seamlessly.”

IN CHARGE

Dyson says it’ll take about four hours to get a full charge.

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DYSON PENCILVAC – THE TECH SPECS

Here’s what you need to know…

Size: 38mm x 226mm x 1,160mm (W x L x H)

Weight: 1.8 kilos

Motor: Dyson Hyperdymium 140k motor

Motor RPM: 140,000

Filtration: Up to 99.99% (dow to 0.l3 microns)

Runtime: Up to 30 minutes

Charge time: Four hours

Cleaner Head: Fluffycones cleaner head (for detangling long hair and to-edge cleaning)

Accessories: Rotating combi-crevice tool / conical hair screw for mattresses and stairs / magnetic floor-charging dock

Picture Credit: Dyson

And it’ll run for 30 minutes – with a hot swappable battery pack to double that.

You’ll be able to see the remaining run-time on an LCD screen built into the device (as well as the power mode).

Sadly there’s no price yet, or an exact UK release date.

But Dyson did say Brits would be able to get the PencilVac in 2026.

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SAMSUNG’s latest release is the thinnest smartphone on the market.

If you pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge now, you’ll get a free pair of Galaxy Buds3 Pro, worth £219, included with your purchase.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, £52 per month on Sky Mobile

For anyone shopping around for a new handset, deals like this are a fantastic way to get more for your money.  

Sky Mobile is well-known for offering affordable deals, often sweetened by boosted data plans at no extra cost.

The standout pre-order deal here is the 10GB data plan, which is boosted to 40GB for just £12 per month.

There’s nothing to pay upfront either, and with the free Buds3 Pro thrown in, this deal delivers on all fronts.

If storage is important to you, Sky Mobile is also offering a double storage deal on the Galaxy S25 Edge.  

You can get 512GB worth of storage for the price of the 256GB model, just £40 a month, saving you a tidy £4.

This double storage offer ends on May 29th, so act quickly to enjoy more space for less.  

The Galaxy S25 Edge itself is a standout device in the S25 series, offering a thinner, lighter design compared to the other models.  

While I haven’t tested it myself, our Assistant Tech and Science Editor, Jamie Harris, has had a first-hand look at the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

He praised the handset for being “lighter than any iPhone 16 model around.”

There are trade-offs to achieve that smaller frame, though.

The Samsung Edge is so much lighter because it comes with a noticeably smaller battery compared to the rest of the S25 lineup.

It sports a 3,900mAh battery, compared to 4,000mAh on the Galaxy S25, but that still gets you around 24 hours of video playback with moderate use.

But for shoppers looking for one of the latest Android models without the bulk and weight of modern handsets, the Edge strikes the right balance.  

The deal is only available for purchases made between May 13th 2025, and May 29th, with the headphones dispatched with your device.  

We regularly round up the top data plans from all major providers, so check out our best SIM-only deals page for more savings.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, £52 per month on Sky Mobile