Technologies

I Held Apple’s Wildly Thin iPhone Air. I’m Both Impressed and Intrigued

Apple’s thinnest iPhone is just 5.6mm thick and weighs 165 grams. But it scales back on some features to accomplish that sleeker build.

Apple debuted its super-slim iPhone Air on Tuesday, and after getting my hands on the device at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, I can confirm it’s quite striking to hold. At just 5.6mm thick and 165 grams, it’s one of those phones you may just have to feel to understand its appeal. I look forward to finding out if what’s on the inside lives up to that show-stopping design.

With the iPhone Air in one hand and my iPhone 16 Pro Max in the other, the difference between the two devices is striking. The former feels refreshingly airy and slick compared to my heftier current phone, although there are trade-offs in specs like camera and battery (more on that in a moment). Like Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, which I reviewed earlier this year, it’s a phone you’ll hardly feel in a pocket or bag. It feels sturdy enough, and I look forward to doing the Back Pocket Test to see just how well it holds up.

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The highly anticipated iPhone Air starts at $999 (£999, AU$1,799). It has a titanium frame for a durable, lightweight build. The company’s Ceramic Shield 2 covers the front, with Ceramic Shield on the back. An anti-reflective display and 3,000-nit peak brightness should make it easier to see the screen in bright sunlight — which I look forward to testing once I get it outdoors.

For now, though, I can tell you that the iPhone Air may give other thin devices like Samsung’s S25 Edge a run for their money — and potentially help the niche category get more attention by stirring up interest among more consumers.

«The iPhone 17 Air takes center stage today,» Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, said in a statement. «It is also the first step in a strategic design makeover, paving the road to a foldable iPhone possibly next year. While it may not drive mass volume, it is not meant to. It will draw in users who prioritize a lighter and sleeker device over function, expanding Apple’s user appeal and demographic. There are plenty of consumers eagerly waiting for the slim and sexy new iPhone Air.»

The Air has a generous 6.5-inch screen and fits nicely in my hand; it doesn’t feel too small or too big. And like the baseline iPhone 17, it has a ProMotion display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, meaning it supports an always-on display (a feature I personally can’t live without) so you can see your notifications without waking the screen. It’s a welcome change, as previously, only Apple’s Pro model phones had that 120Hz display.

The iPhone Air packs an A19 Pro chip. It also has Apple’s N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, as well as a faster and more efficient version of its in-house 5G modem, the C1X, which is an update to the C1 modem it debuted on the iPhone 16E this year.

Apple on Tuesday called the Air the «most power-efficient iPhone we have ever made,» and says it has all-day battery life — although you can buy a MagSafe battery that Apple is already touting to extend that life. Adaptive Power in iOS 26 can also help conserve battery life by automatically adjusting your iPhone’s performance based on how you’re using it at that moment, according to Apple. I look forward to testing the battery in my day-to-day life, and seeing how it compares to the 3,900-mAh battery on the Galaxy S25 Edge, which is one of that phone’s main drawbacks.

On the back, the iPhone Air has a 48-megapixel fusion camera, which also allows for 2x telephoto pictures. On the front, you’ll find Apple’s new 18-megapixel Center Stage selfie camera that works in a landscape and portrait orientation. I played with this feature in Apple’s demo room and was impressed with how well it adjusted the frame from portrait to landscape as more people came into view. I’m eager to keep using that feature and seeing just how much that solo 48-megapixel fusion lens on the back can accomplish.

Preorders for the iPhone Air and the entire iPhone 17 lineup begin Friday, with the new device hitting stores the following Friday, Sept. 19.

Technologies

Google Rolls Out Latest AI Model, Gemini 3.1 Pro

Starting Thursday, Gemini 3.1 Pro can be accessed via the AI app, NotebookLM and more.

Google took the wraps off its latest AI model, Gemini 3.1 Pro, on Thursday, calling it a «step forward in core reasoning.» The software giant says its latest model is smarter and more capable for complex problem-solving.

Google shared a series of bookmarks and examples of the latest model’s capabilities, and is rolling out Gemini 3.1 to a series of products for consumers, enterprise and developers.

The overall AI model landscape seems to change weekly. Google’s release comes just a few days after Anthropic dropped the latest version of Claude, Sonnet 4.6, which can operate a computer at a human baseline level.

Benchmarks of Gemini 3.1

Google shared some details about AI model benchmarks for Gemini 3.1 Pro.

The announcement blog post highlights that the Gemini 3.1 Pro benchmark for the ARC-AGI-2 test for solving abstract reasoning puzzles sits at 77.1%. This is noticeably higher than Gemini 3 Pro’s 31.1% score for the same test.

The ARC-AGI-2 benchmark is one of multiple improvements coming from Gemini 3.1 Pro, Google says.

3.1 Pro enhancements

With better benchmarks nearly across the board, Google highlighted some of the ways that translate in general use:

Code-based animations: The latest Gemini model can easily create animated SVG images that are scalable without quality loss and ready to be added to websites with a text prompt.

Creative coding: Gemini 3.1 Pro generated an entire website based on a character from Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, if she were a landscape photographer showing off her portfolio.

Interactive design: 3.1 Pro was used to create a 3D interactive starling murmuration that allows the flock to be controlled in an assortment of ways, all while a soundscape is generated that changes with the movement of the birds.

Availability

As of Thursday, Gemini 3.1 Pro is rolling out in the Gemini app for those with the AI Pro or Ultra plans. NotebookLM users subscribed to one of those plans will also be able to take advantage of the new model.

Both developers and enterprises can also access the new model via the Gemini API through a range of products, including AI Studio, Gemini Enterprise, Antigravity and Android Studio.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 20 #719

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 20, No. 719.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a bit tricky. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: True grit

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: You might find this in a wood shop.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

SAND, CART, SCAR, SCAT, PAPER, HAVE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

COARSE, HARSH, SCRATCHY, ROUGH, PRICKLY, ABRASIVE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is SANDPAPER. To find it, start with the S that’s the farthest-left letter on the very top row, and wind down.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 20, #515

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 20, No. 515.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features a category all about my favorite football team. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: We’ll be right back…

Green group hint: Run for the roses.

Blue group hint: Skol!

Purple group hint: