iPhone Air iPhone Air - 1 Month in - My likes, compromises and concerns

[nepalisherpa]

To be fair it's mostly been Air owners who feel like they have some kind of superiority complex and are trying to belittle Pro owners.

I have no idea how a "console wars" type thing happened here but it feels like there are a bunch of Air owners trying to rationalize spending 1000 on a phone with the feature set of a 500 buck phone all cause its a tiny bit thinner. So their method of doing so is putting down anyone who doesn't have an Air.

It is probably all in your head buddy. I'd love to see one example but that would be too much work for you. Let's all relax and enjoy our choices.

 

[ratspg]

Lol are you new to the internet? It doesn't work like that here (or anywhere on the internet).

I agree with you but this was going to happen. For many people, they may never use the second camera, but if it's not there then they think it's awful.

My only concern is if they discontinue it. I hope, like their other air products, they keep making it and improving it.

Lol check out when I joined this site, am I new?

It's just funny, I'm pretty sure everybody here is a straight up adult. But hey if its what people want to spend their time on, all good I suppose.

I hope they don't discontinue, maybe because it has the "Air" name it will stick around. Sales aren't going well for it from what we've seen but still think people should enjoy whatever they have! Sure beats the phone I had when I joined MacRumors.... lol

 

[jntdroid]

To be fair it's mostly been Air owners who feel like they have some kind of superiority complex and are trying to belittle Pro owners.

That’s actually not fair at all. 😉

It’s definitely been both - yes to Air owners, but plenty of non-Air owners trying to shame Air owners as if their purchase was ridiculous. There things are rarely one-sided. It’s silly on both sides.

 

[vvvvvv]

a bunch of Air owners trying to rationalize spending 1000 on a phone with the feature set of a 500 buck phone all cause its a tiny bit thinner. So their method of doing so is putting down anyone who doesn't have an Air.

You are perpetuating exactly what you’re claiming to have an issue with, but you already knew that.

 

[1rottenapple]

I guess the margins on the pro must be a real winner for apple to push it over the air.

Take my sister who really wants the PRO. She was looking at my air. Why buy the pro? Its because of the camera lol okay. I tried to argue against her points in a friendly manner. Her use cause is DOG PICTURES and aspirationally, pictures of the night sky (which she has never sent me a pic LOL and she has never sent me, and any iPhone can take night pictures provided you change the setting). YOUR AVERAGE CONSUMER. Pro marketing is affective people want the best even when they don't use the capabilities. Its those Jeep Rubicon or Bronco Raptors that have never seen hard off roading, just regular trails and costco parking lot.

I can't even convince her otherwise the the regular 17 is great (high res. screen, AOD display, 6.3 in display). She wants the pro and her current phone is a 12 pro max (it's too big her biggest complaint) and she keeps her phone for years so I am not even going to bother lol convincing her.

Congrats Apple marketing team you did great.

 

[Innovati0n]

The Air clan sure gets defensive real easy. Super defensive like they regret their purchase but it is past the return window so they have to try and rationalize it as much as possible.

Imagine when they find out it is basically just as thick as the iPhone 17 when you factor in the camera bump. (11.32mm for Air, 11.4mm for 17)

I'd be defensive too if I paid 1 grand for an inferior phone feature wise just based on it being "thin"

 

[1rottenapple]

You are perpetuating exactly what you’re claiming to have an issue with, but you already knew that.

Nah I just like to challenge my sisters desire for a pro for the camera to take dog pictures lol.

 

[zenmacx]

You really need to touch grass if you think it's about "admitting defeat" or that these phone choices are actually that deep.

The longer I've had the Air the less I care about the "compromises" from the Pro line. This is the most I've liked a phone since the 13PM. I don't need the larger heavier Pro line at all, nor do I need to defeat people on the internet about their own choice.

It’s apparent that as time goes by and the novelty of a thin iPhone fades, the Air loses its appeal.

The compromises are too significant to offset the $200 premium over the well equipped, superior performing iPhone 17.

Or perhaps the Cupertino company focuses on equipping the second generation model with better camera capabilities along with the newer battery technology currently offered in some Android phones.

It will be interesting to see if Apple decides to keep this model in the lineup.

 

[zenmacx]

The Air clan sure gets defensive real easy. Super defensive like they regret their purchase but it is past the return window so they have to try and rationalize it as much as possible.

Imagine when they find out it is basically just as thick as the iPhone 17 when you factor in the camera bump. (11.32mm for Air, 11.4mm for 17)

I'd be defensive too if I paid 1 grand for an inferior phone feature wise just based on it being "thin"

iPhone Air is beautiful and quite the departure from iPhones over the last few years. As a result it’s easy to imagine that some people would make an impulse purchase without careful consideration.

Buyers remorse is a real thing.

After the newness wears off, one is left with a phone that suffers from many compromises and shortcomings compared to the mainstream models.

 

[teh_hunterer]

It’s apparent that as time goes by and the novelty of a thin iPhone fades, the Air loses its appeal.

I've found quite the opposite. As time has gone by I've forgotten the worries about what I was giving up coming from the Pro Max phones I've been using for the last 4 years.

The appeal of the larger, heavier Pro phones is completely gone for me now. I'm not going back.

 

[bbates123]

Sadly, people tend to jump on a bandwagon online.
The bandwagon for the Air is that its somehow a compromise too far and not worth it.

However, when people actually use it - youll find that most owners genuinely love it.

I, too, moved from a history of Pro Maxes to the air - my reasons were the unwieldy size, weight, and this year I dont want a pro thats made of aluminium - its one of the reasons I paid more for the pros in the past to avoid aluminium phones....

The big 3. Battery, Speaker, Camera..... these are mentioned over and over again.
They are only downsides if you a) have a social media or YouTube channel you want to promote and jump on the bandwagon of hate for clicks and views or b) you genuinely are a higher end user that uses cameras professionally.

Cameras, to me, are not that relevant. Sure, you have a lot more controls in the pros but ive always been a point and press type of picture taker and it's not really relevant to me to have controls and options I rarely used. I dont care if that means now I 'only' have a single lens.

The dual speaker - UTTERLY irrelevant. Firstly the single speaker sounds a LOT better than many people seem to think it does. Secondly, I would never watch a TV show or movie on my phone - and IF I did then theres no way I would attempt doing so without headphones in - Im one of those rare people nowadays who seems to still have consideration for those around me in public and would never subject anyone to loud audio from my device regardless.

Battery life - genuinely since settling into my usual daily routine and the novelty has worn off - the phone easily gets me to the end of the day with approximately 20% charge remaining. Sure theres been a handful of days when its teetering on 10% or less at 9pm and I feel the need to do a 10 minute top up to make it through the last couple of hours but thats few and far between AND my 16 Pro Max behaved in the same way sometimes not lasting a day too.

An additional bonus is heat - my 16 pro max often ran HOT on the back and thats with its supposed improvements thermally than the 15 had.... the Air has never got even warm for me and thats running the same software and the same games that I did on the 16.

Stories of its 'unpopularity' are im sure just clickbait supporting someones personal agenda who doesnt like the phone due to the perceived big 3 'deficiencies' however its a month in - way too soon to tell and didnt China sell out completely in minutes??? Does that sound like a phone thats failing?

Ive always believed that device is a personal choice and whats right for one person isnt right for another. If you want a pro get a pro. If you want a base 17 get a base 17. Dont tell someone they made the wrong choice just because its not something you personally would have chosen.
Personally speaking, Im 100% happy with my air, I appreciate its size, shape, and weight and it's a huge upgrade for me in those terms.

I literally couldn't have said it better myself...thank you!

 

[teh_hunterer]

The Air clan sure gets defensive real easy. Super defensive like they regret their purchase but it is past the return window so they have to try and rationalize it as much as possible.

The fact you're trying so hard to bait people and you're barely getting a rise out of anyone proves you wrong doesn't it?

 

[1rottenapple]

Literally who cares.

 

[subjonas]

Great comments in this thread, but let me tell you all what's up because I speak for humanity and everyone who disagrees with me is blind or foolish. The best phone is the

 

[James6s]

The Air clan sure gets defensive real easy. Super defensive like they regret their purchase but it is past the return window so they have to try and rationalize it as much as possible.

Imagine when they find out it is basically just as thick as the iPhone 17 when you factor in the camera bump. (11.32mm for Air, 11.4mm for 17)

I'd be defensive too if I paid 1 grand for an inferior phone feature wise just based on it being "thin"

What I did regret was returning my first Air and getting a 17 Pro. After 3 days I returned the 17 Pro and got another Air, so I’m glad I didn’t go past the return window for the 17 Pro.

The thickness of any phone is not measured and listed on a spec sheet at the small portion at the top that houses the camera and the components, it’s the area that you grip and what makes up the majority of the device, so no it’s nowhere near as thick as the regular 17.

Have you used both devices? The in hand feel, design and look of the Air feels way more premium & superior to the 17 & 17 Pro, it must be the downgrade to the weaker aluminium metal casing as the 17 Pro I had just felt cheaper in the hand and like a little heavy brick with a smaller screen.

Performance with the Air vs 17 Pro was neck and neck as both use the A19 Pro and have 12GB of RAM. Not sure under what conditions the Airs 5 core GPU would loose out to the 6 GPU of the 17 Pro, maybe heavy gaming?

Battery life was very close despite the 700mAh or so difference in capacity.

The main 1x & 2x camera shots were identical in quality.

The amount of time we spend with our phones in our hands these days makes the Air leaps above for usability and comfort IMO and I guess that’s what I valued the most and I couldn’t love & appreciate the Air anymore than I do now.

Buy the device you want & desire and just enjoy it, the choice is there for a reason and there’s no one size fits all as we’re all different.

 

[Beanoir]

I wondered if I was reading a football forum for a moment, who honestly believes that people are sitting here defending their choice of smartphone purchase like it’s their religion, or a family member. To those resorting to such childish snipes, get a grip, grow up, and get a life. It’s a phone.

I think the Air is a genuinely nice piece of product design. I frankly don’t care if it hasn’t sold in record numbers, or that it has a smaller selection of cameras than the Pro. It’s kind of the whole point. Like buying a Lotus instead of a Porsche, the compromises serve to achieve something else.

I love it, really glad I chose it and that’s all really.

 

[Meedoss]

To be fair it's mostly been Air owners who feel like they have some kind of superiority complex and are trying to belittle Pro owners.

I have no idea how a "console wars" type thing happened here but it feels like there are a bunch of Air owners trying to rationalize spending 1000 on a phone with the feature set of a 500 buck phone all cause its a tiny bit thinner. So their method of doing so is putting down anyone who doesn't have an Air.

It’s the 12/13 mini all over again, they can’t take criticism.

 

[James6s]

It’s the 12/13 mini all over again, they can’t take criticism.

There’s a difference between criticism and jumping on a bandwagon with hate baiting posts aimed at getting a reaction.

 

[super chimp]

iPhone Air is beautiful and quite the departure from iPhones over the last few years. As a result it’s easy to imagine that some people would make an impulse purchase without careful consideration.

Buyers remorse is a real thing.

After the newness wears off, one is left with a phone that suffers from many compromises and shortcomings compared to the mainstream models.

Do you think people buying the Air are so stupid that they won’t have realised the compromises you have to take when buying it then?

Yet you don’t mention all the people who buy the Pro models when in fact they could get by fine with the base 17 for their real world use?

 

[Tripps9000]

I think the air is a good phone but it would not be for me I don’t hate it I just could not go back to one speaker again if I had not gotten the 16 back in April I would definitely just get the base 17 as it offers more then the 16 lol

 

[jsmith1]

For my usage, this has become tied with X or better as favorite iPhone to date….end of story.

 

[ab2c4]

iPhone Air is beautiful and quite the departure from iPhones over the last few years. As a result it’s easy to imagine that some people would make an impulse purchase without careful consideration.

Buyers remorse is a real thing.

After the newness wears off, one is left with a phone that suffers from many compromises and shortcomings compared to the mainstream models.

Have you ever thought that Air owners love their phones and don't have any regrets? What you are doing is trying to bully people to try to justify your own purchase. What is the Iphone Pro defense group going to do when the Air sticks around?

 

[jsmith1]

iPhone Air is beautiful and quite the departure from iPhones over the last few years. As a result it’s easy to imagine that some people would make an impulse purchase without careful consideration.

Buyers remorse is a real thing.

After the newness wears off, one is left with a phone that suffers from many compromises and shortcomings compared to the mainstream models.

Did you get a suitcase to carry around your brick..better you than me, sorry they used all the great materials on the Air and had none left for your brick…talk about shortcomings

 

[Konvictz]

I’m surprised this is a debate. I never knew people would debate like this - although I’ve never really chosen - just went for the pro max each time except for now with the air.

I thought it was basically if you want everything then pro, everything + bigger screen and battery then pro max. If you want most things and ultra thin (me) then air.

I don’t recall people debating this passionately with other products like macbook pro vs macbook or ipad pro vs ipad air. Interesting.

 

[ab2c4]

I’m surprised this is a debate. I never knew people would debate like this - although I’ve never really chosen - just went for the pro max each time except for now with the air.

I thought it was basically if you want everything then pro, everything + bigger screen and battery then pro max. If you want most things and ultra thin (me) then air.

I don’t recall people debating this passionately with other products like macbook pro vs macbook or ipad pro vs ipad air. Interesting.

I wasn't here back then but people are saying it was the same way in like 2008 or whenever it was when the MacBook Air came out.