New Delhi, Sept. 10 -- Apple Inc. on Tuesday showcased its first new smartphone design in five years with the iPhone Air. Priced at Rs.1.2 lakh in India, the smartphone is the third iteration of Apple's experiments with iPhone formats-including a 'mini' iPhone that was built last in 2013, and a 'Plus' version that never really sold in big numbers.

The iPhone Air, however, is different-apart from its ultrathin design the smartphone also boasts a more powerful processor. Are super-slim phones back in vogue?

Apple has been experimenting with different formats and variants of the iPhone, its primary revenue driver, since the iPhone 12 mini of 2020. It discontinued the small-screen, compact iPhone due to low demand, with analyst calls citing...