TMTPOST --   Apple   Inc.   CEO   Tim   Cook   is visiting China   as his company   is gearing   up launch of   the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever made   in   the world ’ s largest smartphone   market.

Credit：Apple

Cook on Monday   surprisingly   appeared during   an Apple Store   livestream on   Douyin, announcing iPhone   Air   would be   available in   mainland   China on   October   22,   and pre-orders start this Friday, October 17.   That was   Cook ’ s debut   livestream   on   the TikTok ’ s Chinese sister platform   since Apple ’ s   flagship store on-boarded   Douyin Mall in August.

Cook   also posted the rollout   date   of iPhone Air   on   China ’ s   social   media   website   Weibo.   The chief executive   visited an   Apple store   in Shanghai, and   in another post disclosed his   meeting with Labubu-creator Kasing   Lung.   "Wonderful to meet the incredible Kasing Lung, whose imagination and artistry have brought joy to so many. Loved seeing how he designs these characters on iPad Pro — including Labubu, who now has her own new iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange!"   he wrote.

Apple at its annual event on   September 8 introduced iPhone 17 lineup and iPhone Air.   IPhone Air features an eSIM-only design that saves space internally, helping enable the unbelievably light and thin form factor.

Customers in more than 30   countries and regions including the U.S., Japan   and   India were   allowed to pre-order beginning at September 12, with all availability beginning a week later, or September 19.   Apple   has to sell iPhone Air in China more than   a   month   later   until   the country ’ s major   wireless carriers   obtained   regulatory   approval   for   eSIM service.

China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unico, the top three telecom   companies, announced on Monday the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ( MIIT ) has approved their commercial service trials of eSIM,   a digital SIM that allows users   to activate a cellular plan from   the   network provider without having to use a physical nano-SIM.   iPhone   Air, starting   at RMB7,999 ( $1,121 )   became the first model in China to have   these providers ’   eSIM service   support.  

With a strong   grade 5 titanium frame, iPhone Air packs at a 6.5-inch display. It has a   high-gloss mirror finish   and a new plateau on the back that is precision-milled on both sides to house the cameras, speaker, and Apple silicon. This maximizes space for the battery to deliver remarkable all-day battery life. The thin design also features the Action button, so users can easily access a variety of functions with just a press, and Camera Control, to quickly launch the camera or enable visual intelligence.

Apple uses its Ceramic Shield   protection around iPhone Air. On the front, the device   introduces the Ceramic Shield 2 cover, which is tougher than previous iPhone   glass or glass-ceramic with a new Apple-designed coating, providing 3   times   better scratch resistance and improved anti-reflection to reduce glare.   On the iPhone Air,   Ceramic Shield   for the first time protects the back of iPhone, including the plateau, delivering 4x better resistance to cracks than the back glass on previous models.

Just as the   iPhone 17 series, iPhone Air also introduces an all-new Center Stage front camera that advances the photo and video experience. The Center Stage front camera features the first square front camera sensor on iPhone, offering a wide field of view and capturing photos up to 18 megapixel ( MP ) . Center Stage allows users to capture landscape and portrait photos without rotating their camera. The Center Stage front camera enables ultra-stabilized video in 4K HDR, and users can record on the front and rear cameras simultaneously with Dual Capture.

Apple said the new 48MP Fusion camera system offers iPhone Air users the equivalent of four lenses in their pocket.Center Stage front camera. The custom main lens enables the popular 28mm and 35mm focal lengths, so users have more options to frame their shot, and the large 2.0 µ m quad-pixel sensor with sensor-shift OlS excels in low light. Users can also get closer to their subject with the optical-quality 2 times Telephoto, which features an updated Photonic Engine that captures more lifelike details and color.  

Inside, the iPhone Air boasts the design that is only possible with Apple silicon. It is powered by A19 Pro, just like the premium iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, as well as N1 and C1X chips, making it the most power-efficient iPhone ever.

A19 Pro,   the most powerful chip for iPhone yet, features a new 6-core CPU that improves performance and efficiency for the tasks users do every day, delivering the fastest CPU in any smartphone. The 5-core GPU has an upgraded architecture, delivering next-level mobile gaming, including AAA titles. Neural Accelerators are built into each GPU core, bringing up to 3-time   the peak GPU compute over the previous generation, excellent for powering generative AI models running on device.

N1, a new Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. C1X, a new cellular modem designed by Apple,is up to 2 times faster than C1, and for the same cellular technologies, it is even faster than the modem in iPhone 16 Pro, while using 30 percent less energy overall.

Apple said iPhone Air delivers "remarkable   all-day battery life",   thanks to advanced Apple silicon, an internal architecture that maximizes space for the battery, and software optimizations. The new Adaptive Power Mode in iOS 26 also gets to know a user ’ s typical battery consumption and anticipates when they might run low, intelligently conserving power to help get them through the day.