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iPhone Air Hot take: the pro phone is better than the air for caseless users

BB8

BB8

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 26, 2016
364
1,392
I went to best buy this morning to try out all the phones, expecting to be most interested in the air because 1) no black on the pro phones is a national tragedy and 2) i'm not a super heavy camera user and i like shiny new things (currently a 15 pro). also I have tiny hands, so a lighter phone does appeal to me on the surface.

i was expecting to be blown away with how the air feels in the hands because that is literally the only thing it has going for it, and... it's worse. at least it is if you are expecting to go caseless, which is how i have been using my 15 pro for the last year. i don't know man, there is something really nice about holding the chunky pro phone because it's so much easier to grip. the air has that bar of soap effect that reminds me a lot of the iphone 6 (i know a lot of people liked that design—i hated it). the other thing is it's an even larger screen than the base pro, which just makes it more unwieldy for small hands not less.

so yeah i guess if you have big hands or you are expecting to use a case the air could be for you. if you like going caseless i think the pro model is so, so much better (although the aluminum finish does make it more susceptible to scratches). i would definitely caution anyone going from the iphone mini because i don't think the air satisfies what the mini was about at all.
 
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According to all drop tests so far, you would be correct. The air is less prone to dents and scratches, but has less screen and glass protection since it is thin and the edge stiff. The air screen and overall phone is not as drop protected as the 17 pro, even if the finish and edges are more durable, but its pretty close. Too bad they didn't keep a Ti edge on the 17 pro, it would be super durable.

Same reason the 17 pro max is significantly better at drop tests than the 16 pro max. Go watch the videos on youtube, the evidence is right there.

Not an Air hater. I wouldn't run any phone without a case.
 
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It’s not going to feel the same for everyone. I love the air. The 13 pro I have been using feels so much heavier. I’m using it caseless. I don’t find it any more slippery than the other iPhones.
 
aohus said:
air is less prone to dents due to the titanium frame. look at all the photos of dents and chips floating around for the pro. the air is more durable for this reason alone.
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yes it is, i mention this in my post. however, going caseless to me is not just about durability. albeit important, the most important thing is how it feels in your hand and not feeling like you're ever going to drop it. the air fails in that regard whereas the 17 pro felt even nicer and grippier than my 15 pro.
 
Johnny Steps said:
Holding the iPhone Air yesterday reminded me of holding an iPod Touch from back in 2010.
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This is exactly why I think it’s so cool, it’s the iPhone I have wanted apple to make literally going back to the 5.
An iPhone that truly has the feeling of an iPod touch, but with all of the modern specifications of an iPhone.
 
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aohus said:
air is less prone to dents due to the titanium frame. look at all the photos of dents and chips floating around for the pro. the air is more durable for this reason alone.
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Its less prone to dents on the edge, and rim, by a large margin. It is not more durable to drops on the face and back, not not overall more durable to higher drop tests than the Pro.
 
Lounge vibes 05 said:
This is exactly why I think it’s so cool, it’s the iPhone I have wanted apple to make literally going back to the 5.
An iPhone that truly has the feeling of an iPod touch, but with all of the modern specifications of an iPhone.
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It’s a cool concept for sure but it feels really almost ‘Series 0’ gen tbh. The biggest heartbreak is when Apple inevitably makes an ‘Air 2’ with add’l telephoto lens, mmo wave 5g, stereo speakers … :p:cool:
 
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JPIndustrie said:
It’s a cool concept for sure but it feels really almost ‘Series 0’ gen tbh. The biggest heartbreak is when Apple inevitably makes an ‘Air 2’ with add’l telephoto lens, mmo wave 5g, stereo speakers … :p:cool:
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Well the original MacBook Air gave you the choice of an iPod hard drive or a $1500 64 GB SSD, a severely underpowered Intel chip, no backlight keyboard, no optical Dr and several other trade-offs for a device that was up to 3X the price of that days regular MacBook which had an optical Dr., 250 GB full speed hard drive, and a significantly more powerful chip.
But eventually, one by one by one, the Air improved and improved until 2011 when the regular MacBook was discontinued and the much more powerful, SSD only, backlight keyboard packing MacBook Air could be purchased for $999.

There’s a reason Apple kept around the regular iPhone 17 this year, but I think it’s pretty clear to anyone who pays attention to Apple’s patterns that as soon as the iPhone Air is able to replace the regular, it will.
 
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BB8 said:
yes it is, i mention this in my post. however, going caseless to me is not just about durability. albeit important, the most important thing is how it feels in your hand and not feeling like you're ever going to drop it. the air fails in that regard whereas the 17 pro felt even nicer and grippier than my 15 pro.
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I go caseless, or just edges type case, but my biggest issue with the 17 Pro Max is that it feels worse then the previous Pro's. Probably a combination of the aluminum and the unibody design, but certainly feels less premium then previous Pro iPhones. I have not seen or tried the Air yet.
 
So many air bashing threads and no real pro ones. I wonder why
Image 1.jpeg
 
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Age and what you're used to plays a huge factor.
Being a dinosaur, i never got used to all these ultra slim, ultra large nu-Phones, be they Android, Apple, who cares.
Way too big compared to devices i'm generally used to holding.

In all honesty? The way most folks hold their phones? It drives me nuts. Reminiscent of things i assume i cannot even hint at here, will probably get banned :)

I want to say smaller and thicker is easier on the human hand, sheer physiology, but.. might be what i'm used to.
I get the OP.
 
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James6s said:
I got my Air today and it feels so good in hand! The weight and the thinness, like holding just a screen lol using it naked, can’t put a case on this 😁
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Agreed! I got mines yesterday, and it feels really good in the hand. (From the iPhone 15PM, which keeping as my back up).

Got a thin case from Totalee and glass protection. Oh yeh Apple care too importantly.

No regrets here. Camera is usable for point and shoot.
 
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All that may be true, but no way would I use an aluminum phone without a case. I'm not taking sides as I'm not buying any phone, just saying (did have one on order though)
 
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