iPhone Air Any iPhone Air owners considering a switch to the iPhone 17 PM?

[seattlecard]

I got an Air 512GB model yesterday. First impressions were similar to everyone else - it's amazing and an engineering marvel. The longer I've used the device, the more I'm not certain I made the right choice given the Pro Max (256GB) model can be had for the same price. This is a tough decision because I was sick of the weight of the PM, but now I'm wrestling with if the tradeoffs are simply too big between models. I usually only upgrade every four years, so battery longevity is one item, the other is the single speaker, and of course, camera downgrade.

I may end up keeping the Air, but wanted to see if anyone else is wrestling a bit. For me, this hasn't been as easy a decision.

 

[maka344]

I’m currently deciding between the two. The Air is nice, but when I pick up the Pro Max, I appreciate the size. I find it better for consumption and usability but it’s chunky. The Air feels more premium and like I’m typing on glass.

 

[UnjustifiedBot]

I got an Air 512GB model yesterday. First impressions were similar to everyone else - it's amazing and an engineering marvel. The longer I've used the device, the more I'm not certain I made the right choice given the Pro Max (256GB) model can be had for the same price. This is a tough decision because I was sick of the weight of the PM, but now I'm wrestling with if the tradeoffs are simply too big between models. I usually only upgrade every four years, so battery longevity is one item, the other is the single speaker, and of course, camera downgrade.

I may end up keeping the Air, but wanted to see if anyone else is wrestling a bit. For me, this hasn't been as easy a decision.

Be careful with that single speaker comment. There's a few mono audio warriors on here that don't like those types of comments.

 

[aohus]

i'm tired of the heavy weight of the PM. i'm going into the apple store to exchange the 17PM I purchased for the air. i can deal with the mono speaker, which was my only gripe, as I'll get used to it. the light weight of the phone is what is most important to me as I tend to hold the phone for a sustained period of time, especially when laying in bed. i tend to upgrade every year or 2 depending on how iterative the change is, so using the air for one year isn't an issue for me.

i feel a lot of non-professional consumers buy the Pro to get all the features they can since they don't update for several years at a time.

 

[UnjustifiedBot]

i can deal with the mono speaker, which was my only gripe, as I'll get used to it.

That's the only real issue for me as well. I went ahead and ordered it to give it a spin. I have a 13PM I would like to get rid of while it's still worth trading in to Verizon. If I don't like the Air, I'll just suffer until the 18 series releases.

 

[NotApplicable]

Not considering it in the slightest. Good riddance to my 16PM!

 

[menist]

My wife got an Air but we returned it for a 17 Pro.

 

[adrianlondon]

If you don't need 512GB, swap the Air for the 256GB model and save $200.

 

[a2524]

I'm happy with my Air, I was just so tired of how heavy my 15 pro max was. I can live with compromises (speaker, camera functions, battery) for the light weight. I also got my husband Air too, but we are going to the Apple Store for him to check out Pro lines in person to see if he wants to exchange since I don't think weight of the phone matters much to him.

 

[arc of the universe]

I got an Air 512GB model yesterday. First impressions were similar to everyone else - it's amazing and an engineering marvel. The longer I've used the device, the more I'm not certain I made the right choice given the Pro Max (256GB) model can be had for the same price. This is a tough decision because I was sick of the weight of the PM, but now I'm wrestling with if the tradeoffs are simply too big between models. I usually only upgrade every four years, so battery longevity is one item, the other is the single speaker, and of course, camera downgrade.

I may end up keeping the Air, but wanted to see if anyone else is wrestling a bit. For me, this hasn't been as easy a decision.

we have not seen any data that indicates if the battery in the Air will degrade more quickly or less quickly than batteries found in other recent iPhones.
but the way i am viewing it is: cycle count on the Air will be higher than other iPhones. i am factoring in that about 2.5 years from now i will find the Air's battery health unacceptably low for my usage pattern and at that time i will need to pay for a battery change (apple's replacement charge is low if the phone is under warranty but the battery health needs to be under 80%; i think that at a battery health rating of 85% or so i will feel the charge is not acceptable to me, and therefore i will pay for the battery replacement out of pocket).

 

[Apple_Robert]

I got an Air 512GB model yesterday. First impressions were similar to everyone else - it's amazing and an engineering marvel. The longer I've used the device, the more I'm not certain I made the right choice given the Pro Max (256GB) model can be had for the same price. This is a tough decision because I was sick of the weight of the PM, but now I'm wrestling with if the tradeoffs are simply too big between models. I usually only upgrade every four years, so battery longevity is one item, the other is the single speaker, and of course, camera downgrade.

I may end up keeping the Air, but wanted to see if anyone else is wrestling a bit. For me, this hasn't been as easy a decision.

I have no interest in returning to the PM size at this point in time.

It is easy to get fixated on price. In my opinion, that is where you are going wrong. Put price aside for a moment and concentrate on the following because price shouldn't be the focal point in this decision, in my opinion.

1) Size - Does the Air feel good in your hand? If so, it is a phone that you can comfortable type on, search, scroll, check email, and all the regular things we do on a daily basis, for more than 15-30 minutes, without it feeling awkward or heavy to use?

2) Does the Air (in its current state) meet your current (and typical) day to day needs?

3) Are you happy using the phone as is? It doesn't matter what anyone on MR thinks, or anyone else in your family.

4) The alleged trade-offs you are struggling with are not really trade-offs for you. If those items were serious, there would be no dilemma happening in your head.

You know the right phone to pick. Your Apple ego and your fixation on price vs (the easy home type feeling of the (Air) has you second guessing yourself when the answer is simple and obvious.

 

[perezr10]

Ha! I’d never switch back to a Pro Max.

I like the Air even BETTER now after a few days. I already knew I loved the beautiful design and lightweight in my pocket. But now I know that battery life is good, the cameras are amazing, and the one speaker is adequate.

I had a 15 Pro Max and it is the size and weight which made me switch to the Air. The Air is the first phone in years from anyone which I lusted after upon seeing it.

 

[joshwithachance]

I honestly don’t think I could. The Pro Max is just too big and bulky to me now.

 

[danpass]

I’m reasonably sure I’ll keep the Air though losing the wide angle, especially in video, will be frequently noticed.

RAW format being gone will also be noticed, though to a lesser degree.

Battery life has been fine and the single speaker is a non-issue.

The Max isn’t an option regardless. I had a 14PM and it was chunky so the only real option to replace my 16Pro is this Air or a 17Pro

-

 

[someone33]

Switching to the regular size 17 Pro tempts me sometimes but no way would I go to the heavy Max over the Air. In the end though it comes down to weight to screen size ratio for me. You get a perfect size 6.5" screen with very little weight and bulk which ultimately puts it over the 6.3" Pro for, me despite it's additional features.

 

[ScottM1988]

I bought the 17 pro max, the air and iPhone 17 base model for the kids. This was with the intention of me keeping the air or the pro max and the wife having the other one.

I love the pro max, it’s a beast of a phone. It is heavy compared to the air but with good reason.
The air attracted me in a way I haven’t felt since the iPhone X. It’s light, it’s lovely to hold and use and looks amazing.

I can live with the worse camera and speaker, I managed fine with my iPhone X camera and I rarely use the phone speaker for anything other than TikTok, cod mobile and YouTube etc.

It’s the battery life that concerns me, I set it up last night and got up for work at 5am with a fully charged phone.
It’s currently at 88% with only 44m screen active time and it’s only 07:44.

I work 12 hour shifts and don’t often have chance to charge at work.

Will see how I get on over the next few days as if I can live with the battery it’s a keeper for me.
Wife also likes it too so again if the battery gets us through the day for what we use a phone for then she will also be changing the 17 pro max for one.

I’m just curious, I understand the air has one less gpu than the 16 pro max I had before but what’s everyone’s experience gaming on it, particularly cod mobile as we play as a family of 4 most nights.

 

[veroguru]

Yeah... Cannot stand walking around with two MagSafe batteries... 17 Pro Max it is!

 

[Gotword]

Be careful with that single speaker comment. There's a few mono audio warriors on here that don't like those types of comments.

People saying it sounds good are coming from old iphones, they dont know how much better the reg/pro 16 and 17 speakers actually sound to their 12-14s

 

[ScottM1988]

I don’t think the speaker is an issue. Sure it’s not as good as the stereo speakers on other iPhones etc but it isn’t bad and certainly wouldn’t put me off the Air

Update - Now 08:12 and battery is at 83%. I’ve been texting, browsing the internet and watched a few TikTok videos.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I bought the 17 pro max, the air and iPhone 17 base model for the kids. This was with the intention of me keeping the air or the pro max and the wife having the other one.

I love the pro max, it’s a beast of a phone. It is heavy compared to the air but with good reason.
The air attracted me in a way I haven’t felt since the iPhone X. It’s light, it’s lovely to hold and use and looks amazing.

I can live with the worse camera and speaker, I managed fine with my iPhone X camera and I rarely use the phone speaker for anything other than TikTok, cod mobile and YouTube etc.

It’s the battery life that concerns me, I set it up last night and got up for work at 5am with a fully charged phone.
It’s currently at 88% with only 44m screen active time and it’s only 07:44.

I work 12 hour shifts and don’t often have chance to charge at work.

Will see how I get on over the next few days as if I can live with the battery it’s a keeper for me.
Wife also likes it too so again if the battery gets us through the day for what we use a phone for then she will also be changing the 17 pro max for one.

I’m just curious, I understand the air has one less gpu than the 16 pro max I had before but what’s everyone’s experience gaming on it, particularly cod mobile as we play as a family of 4 most nights.

You need to give it a few days since you just set it up last night. I saw the same kind of thing in less than a day. After the indexing etc., I have seen excellent battery for the Air. I work 10-11 shifts and am a light user while at work and home and still end the day at 40-50%.

 

[cardfan]

I see it as a temporary issue. It’s mitigated by two things. (Actually more this isn’t well written. lol )

If you’re an Air buyer then you need to not use a pro phone and stay away. Get that 3 camera stuff out of your head. You’re still taking pics. Most are main camera anyways.

And for me it’s only an issue til the iPhone fold gets released. Which then will be what I get. Probably. Maybe. Then we’ll see pros get updated with new oled tech and I’ll be back to buying that as fold will be first gen.

I’m using pro max. I’m not going for thin and light and don’t care about this. Even the fold will be a sandwich. And having as much power and function in your phone is good. You have this with you everyday.

But an Air is easy to pick too. I could live with camera and battery. It’s hard not to pick this now due to Apple.

Because Apple frankly isn’t giving us much an incentive for all this pro performance. You can’t do anything with it unless you waste your time playing an intense video game on it. I don’t do that. The pros are clearly made with ai in mind. Vapor chamber this. Pro performance that. And nothing to showcase.

Which leads back to Air. Or even the base 17. You don’t need the power right now. Hardware is ahead of apple’s software by miles. It’s not clear when we will. Enjoy the Air. Let future you determine if it’s still viable later.

If you’re buying for several years of use. The Air isn’t a good choice. But the countdown to iPhone 18 is ticking already. Meanwhile it could be a fun form factor for a year or two while Apple is stumbling around with AI.

 

[zkap]

I got an Air 512GB model yesterday. First impressions were similar to everyone else - it's amazing and an engineering marvel. The longer I've used the device, the more I'm not certain I made the right choice given the Pro Max (256GB) model can be had for the same price. This is a tough decision because I was sick of the weight of the PM, but now I'm wrestling with if the tradeoffs are simply too big between models. I usually only upgrade every four years, so battery longevity is one item, the other is the single speaker, and of course, camera downgrade.

I may end up keeping the Air, but wanted to see if anyone else is wrestling a bit. For me, this hasn't been as easy a decision.

I think you answered your own question. If you are already unsure about keeping the Air, four years is a long way to go.

 

[Lowe and Behold]

People saying it sounds good are coming from old iphones, they dont know how much better the reg/pro 16 and 17 speakers actually sound to their 12-14s

That’s a bit of a wild assumption. I’m coming from the 16 Pro Max and the speaker on the Air is good enough. I’m not going to play music or watch Netflix through it because I never have, I have Sonos headphones for that, but for doom scrolling, YouTube commentaries, etc., which is the only thing I use the phone speaker for, it’s more than good enough.

 

[ScottM1988]

You need to give it a few days since you just set it up last night. I saw the same kind of thing in less than a day. After the indexing etc., I have seen excellent battery for the Air. I work 10-11 shifts and am a light user while at work and home and still end the day at 40-50%.

Yes I’m hoping it improves after a few days use and based on other people’s experience on here it should be the case.
I’m coming from an iPhone 16 pro max so knew there would be a drop in battery life but I am hoping it’s still sufficient for my needs

 

[maka344]

Yes I’m hoping it improves after a few days use and based on other people’s experience on here it should be the case.
I’m coming from an iPhone 16 pro max so knew there would be a drop in battery life but I am hoping it’s still sufficient for my needs

Did you setup as new or restore from a backup? Setting up from new makes a positive difference.