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

Facebook Brings Back Local Job Listings: How to Apply

One of Facebook’s most practical features from 2022 is being revived by Meta.

On the hunt for work? A Local Jobs search is being rolled out by Meta to make it easier for people in the US to discover and apply for nearby work directly on Facebook. The feature is inside Facebook Marketplace, Groups and Pages, Meta said last week, letting employers post openings and job seekers filter roles by distance, category or employment type.

You can apply or message employers directly through Facebook Messenger, while employers can publish job listings with just a few taps — similar to how you would post items for sale on Marketplace.

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Facebook offered a Jobs feature before discontinuing it in 2022, pushing business hiring toward its other platforms. Its return suggests Meta is attempting to expand Facebook’s usefulness beyond social networking and to position it once again as a hub for community-driven opportunities.

«We’ve always been about connecting with people, whether through shared interests or key life events,» the press release states. «Now, if you’re looking for entry-level, trade and service industry employment in your community, Facebook can help you connect with local people and small businesses who are hiring.»

How to get started with Local Jobs on Facebook

According to Meta, Local Jobs will appear as a dedicated section in Facebook Marketplace starting this week. If you’re 18 or older, you can:

Tap the Marketplace tab on the Facebook app or website.
Select Jobs to browse available positions nearby.
Use filters for job type, category and distance.
Tap Apply or message the employer directly via Messenger.

Businesses and page admins can post jobs by creating a new listing in Marketplace or from their Facebook Page. Listings can include job details, pay range, and scheduling information and will appear in local searches automatically.

The Local Jobs feature is rolling out across the US now, with Meta saying it plans to expand it in the months ahead.

Technologies

Tesla Has a New Range of Affordable Electric Cars: How Much They Cost

The new, stripped-back versions of the Model Y and Model 3 have a more affordable starting price.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 22 #598

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 22, No. 598.

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 fun one — I definitely have at least two of these in my house. Some of the answers are a bit tough 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: Catch all.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: A mess of items.

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:

BATE, LICE, SLUM, CAPE, HOLE, CARE, BARE, THEN, SLAM, SAMBA, BACK

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:

TAPE, COIN, PENCIL, BATTERY, SHOELACE, THUMBTACK

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is JUNKDRAWER. To find it, look for the J that’s five letters down on the far-left row, and wind down, over and then up.

Quick tips for Strands

#1: To get more clue words, see if you can tweak the words you’ve already found, by adding an «S» or other variants. And if you find a word like WILL, see if other letters are close enough to help you make SILL, or BILL.

#2: Once you get one theme word, look at the puzzle to see if you can spot other related words.

#3: If you’ve been given the letters for a theme word, but can’t figure it out, guess three more clue words, and the puzzle will light up each letter in order, revealing the word.