I was going to upgrade my XS max this year but dislike the design of the 17 pro and air. My XS is still on it original battery (78% health) still lets me make phone calls, send messages and browse the net, still feels snappy. I wont get liquid glass but that seems like a good thing. The back/sides of my XS are still mint.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 17 Pro Can’t believe Apple released an iPhone Pro that feels this cheap.
- Thread starter Ravox
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Perception isn’t reality. And the reality is the Air isn’t more premium than the Pro. Do you buy an iPhone to have something that ‘feels’ premium or is premium?
What isn’t premium about the iPhone Air? Apple inserted the same A19 Pro chip that the iPhone Pro has. I bet you’d have different opinion about it if it had an ultra wide camera lens and speakers on the bottom.
Aesthetically, it’s the best looking iPhone we’ve had in years. And it’s more durable than the Pro aluminum brick. And that does matter to me.
I’ve had the Pro model every single year. And the Pro this year is probably the ugliest design they’ve ever released.
My pov is this: I rather have an iphone thats absolutely beautiful in 100% of times but gives me battery struggle in 10% of time then having an iPhone that looks like a brick with cheap aluminum in 100% of times and helps me in battery struggle in 10% of times.
Does this make sense?
Does this make sense?
Max. battery capacity is 103,2 % whereas my 16 PM had 104,2. Also, German phones appear to have only about ~100 more mAh than the previous generation. Coconut battery shows full charge capacity as 4921 and design capacity of only 4768. That’s a bummer. 😐
And if you just go by feel of every iphone in the hand the X has the most premium feel even to this day over the air, if you showed someone who never saw an iphone before they would say the x is the newer one compared to 17pro lol ofc until the screen turns on
It was absolutely perfect. The big camera sensors ruined the svelte
After reading the criticism right after the announcement of the iPhone 17 Pro series I was a little afraid it would be a turn-off for me getting one. But I must say that my iPhone 17 Pro Max doesn’t feel any cheap to me. It might be the weight of the device and how ‘bulky’ it feels, but still.. the only complaint I’d say I have is the color; silver looks definitely cheap on this one. But since I’m using a case on it anyway it’s not even that much of an annoyance.
And adding to this: I honestly believe design should be functional rather than aesthetic. Yes, of course it’s nice to have a phone that looks beautiful. But I don’t buy a €1500 smartphone for its design, I buy it to serve several pratical purposes. So I couldn’t care less about how my phone looks, I guess.
And even if I did care, I’m gonna lay out my unpopular opinion here: I don’t even think the iPhone Air looks that good. Yes, it’s incredibly thin. But just like the Pro models, it’s got that huge protruding ‘plateau’. Maybe not as big as on the iPhone 17 Pro (Max), but it’s still there. If they were able to design the device so that it got rid of the plateau, it’d be a whole other story. It does have some more premium material, but other than that… it lacks decent battery life, it lacks the space to unlock the true power of the A19 Pro etc. So while many might see it as an aesthetically much more beautiful phone, it comes with too many trade-offs to make up for the design choice they’ve made.
But that’s my two cents.
And adding to this: I honestly believe design should be functional rather than aesthetic. Yes, of course it’s nice to have a phone that looks beautiful. But I don’t buy a €1500 smartphone for its design, I buy it to serve several pratical purposes. So I couldn’t care less about how my phone looks, I guess.
And even if I did care, I’m gonna lay out my unpopular opinion here: I don’t even think the iPhone Air looks that good. Yes, it’s incredibly thin. But just like the Pro models, it’s got that huge protruding ‘plateau’. Maybe not as big as on the iPhone 17 Pro (Max), but it’s still there. If they were able to design the device so that it got rid of the plateau, it’d be a whole other story. It does have some more premium material, but other than that… it lacks decent battery life, it lacks the space to unlock the true power of the A19 Pro etc. So while many might see it as an aesthetically much more beautiful phone, it comes with too many trade-offs to make up for the design choice they’ve made.
But that’s my two cents.
100% at your side... But really really don't drop the 17Pro - even with a case on it. It simply is not resistant enough.
The iPhone Air does feel premium, and for me, it’s the Goldilocks size. Unfortunately, the PWM and LG display quickly irritated my eyes, so I ended up returning it today. The 17 Pro in Deep Blue seems fine for my vision so far, but I have real concerns about the anodised finish since I prefer to use my phone caseless.
The unibody design is a welcome change — it feels smooth in the hand, whereas previous iPhones usually had at least one corner where the rear glass edge or gasket was noticeable. That said, the softer metal and finish worry me. They may not only push me into using a case, but also force me to buy a new wireless charger, as the oversized camera island doesn’t sit on my upright Belkin stand.
So, in the end, Apple have at least succeeded in extracting more money from me.
The unibody design is a welcome change — it feels smooth in the hand, whereas previous iPhones usually had at least one corner where the rear glass edge or gasket was noticeable. That said, the softer metal and finish worry me. They may not only push me into using a case, but also force me to buy a new wireless charger, as the oversized camera island doesn’t sit on my upright Belkin stand.
So, in the end, Apple have at least succeeded in extracting more money from me.
Intellectually dishonest post, you know what he meant.
Anything later than 14 Pro is a downgrade in build quality. I hope the 20th anniversary phone comes in stainless steel.
I don't buy a phone because of the material used.
Don't care if it's plastic, aluminum, steel, etc...
All I care about are the features I want - not what others want.
Being a Boomer gen - I'd have to say I am quite pleased with the Air mainly because the 16 Pro was just too heavy and I never used the Pro features.
Weight and manipulation with my arthritic fingers is the most important criteria.
Battery life is my #2 criteria, all other features are a non starter.
Matter of fact, I have not used the camera feature at all since getting the Air....
I seem to be the perfect Air customer ?
THIS RIGHT HERE. Everyone is forgetting the 15pro/16pro were just “skinned” with titanium. Literally the entire midframe was aluminum. If you worked on those devices as i have you can actually see where the titanium is fused to the aluminum.
Is that a T18d I spot? That little green guy is still one of my favourite phones. I only very reluctantly gave it up as in NZ it didn’t support SMS (or it might have been able to receive but not send?).Agree and well summarized - there's a phone model for just about everyone - well done Apple.
I just don't understand why humans are so resistant to changes - like the new Air.
Nor do I not understand why people would bash on other models making their model / color / capacity a better choice.
Is the Air too new of a technology or change in form factor so threatening to their rigid mentality ?
For someone like me, the Air is perfect - no tradeoffs, no compromises, no loss of features because I don't use the iPhone like everyone else.
5 days and loving the Air - no complaints at all after 3 decades of cell phone use from the old Motorola brick cellular until now...
Look and feel in the hand, a personal preference. For me stainless steel gives the iPhone the most premium appearance, no design so far has beaten the beauty of that shine.
Yeah the 14 Pro did look awesome. But my fresh iPhone Air beats it looks wise and design wise.
My 17 Pro certainly doesn’t feel like ‘cheap junk’, but of course YMMV. I suspect you’re just trying to justify keeping your old iPhone. 😉
Nah, the Air’s uglier than the 14 Pro 🤣 it’s got that ugly skinny camera ‘plateau’
But that’s YOUR opinion. In my opinion the Pros look better than the Air. Doesn’t feel cheap at all!
That’s an opinion that is not shared by many people who have hold both. Over 90% would say the Air looks and feels better.
While I do agree that the Air is a premium device and love its designed, the design is brilliant. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is more durable than the 17 Pro models. The frame perhaps, but even the Air models are showing up online with superficial scratches to the Ceramic Shield on the back. And the 17 Pro models have performed very will in drop tests. I would say either one is very durable.