iPhone Air iPhone Air First Impressions Mega-Thread [MERGED]

[robotphood]

I don’t even game. But feeling the warmth under the camera plateau whereas I feel nothing warm on the 17 Pro is bothering me. I know the pro has the vapor chamber system and the Air doesn’t but still feels weird since I’m just texting not even doing anything intensive. Hoping it’s just the software update from earlier this afternoon causing the warmth right now.

Any apps with unusual battery usage since?

 

[tolili alert]

A couple of examples using x10 digital zoom for fake (but useful) macro photos.

With main camera, if you get closer it becomes blurred:

Inside a car at night with only the ceiling light:

 

[dizmonk]

I decided to give Air a try and while I love everything about it, the speaker is the reason I will be returning it and keeping my 17 Pro. I use my phone for Zoom/Teams a lot and, while the volume was loud enough at max, the treble at higher volume really bothered me. Of course I could use Airpods or headphones, but, I wouldn't want to use them for multiple hours a day. I hope Apple finds a way to integrate a 2nd speaker at the bottom of the phone for future iterations.

The phone is amazing, though! Every time I picked it up to use, it just felt so nice. My 17 Pro feels like a brick.

I agree. The tinniness at higher volumes is kinda painful to hear.

 

[MaxVerstappen]

After 10 days or so with the Air. The biggest problem is the weak mono speaker and low call quality(because of the subpar speaker).

Other than that, it’s a great piece of tech.

 

[thatJohann]

Any apps with unusual battery usage since?

Nothing unusual in the battery usage. All I know is that my Air and 17 Pro ran cooler before the update.

 

[BellaPink112]

I love the Air!

I went from a 16 Pro Max to the base model 17 - that was a great phone, but the Air was always in the back of my mind. It was just beautiful! So I returned the 17 and went to the Sky Blue Air... I am loving it so much.

Battery doesn't seem to be much of a concern for me... I'm a heavy user, but I work from home. I haven't really noticed it to drain as much as the initial reports were saying. Camera is still amazing, even if it doesn't have the .5 lens.

And the speaker is not a deal breaker for me. Most of the time (when watching videos or listening to music/podcasts) I have on AirPods or using my HomePod anyway.

For me, this one is a win and it works perfectly for me. I love the way it feels in my hand, and I can easily pick it up off my nightstand when I first wake up. My 16PM used to feel like a brick when I used to reach over and grab it off the nightstand. This one is seriously a feather.

 

[thatJohann]

The opposite. It was always warm under the camera plateau before, and now it stays cool.

to clarify you mean that on ios 26 it was always warm and after updating to 26.1 beta, it stays cool?

 

[timeconsumer]

The main issue I’m struggling with now is heat management. I keep noticing how warm the air gets under the camera plateau and it’s starting to make me question it.

I’m having a similar issue with my Air. I’m currently traveling and where I’m at it has been about 80°F (approximately 27°C) each day. If I’m just using my phone at all it’s very warm and feels uncomfortable to me. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing on it, it still feels very warm. I worry about how it would be when it’s hotter.

How long have you had the Air? I find it uncomfortable after living with it for a week. It’s actually too thin and too wide for one handed use so it felt like a hard postcard constantly digging into my palm. Grip is pretty sus too because of the thinness.

I have the 17 Pro now and it’s more comfortable, albeit with a smaller screen and heavier.

I added a case to my Air which made it a little better for me. But until I added a case it did feel a little too thin to me sometimes. Unfortunately by adding a case to the Air I think it is part of the reason why I’m experiencing more heat underneath the plateau area. I’m thinking about making the same change from the Air to 17 Pro, even though I really like the lighter weight of the Air.

 

[stanza.richi]

Just configured 256 gb light gold. I can only confirm that it’s stunning!!

 

[KarimLeVallois]

Just configured 256 gb light gold. I can only confirm that it’s stunning!!

Welcome to the club, or as I call it, ‘Slimming World’. The name may need work though.

 

[robotphood]

I’m having a similar issue with my Air. I’m currently traveling and where I’m at it has been about 80°F (approximately 27°C) each day. If I’m just using my phone at all it’s very warm and feels uncomfortable to me. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing on it, it still feels very warm. I worry about how it would be when it’s hotter.


I added a case to my Air which made it a little better for me. But until I added a case it did feel a little too thin to me sometimes. Unfortunately by adding a case to the Air I think it is part of the reason why I’m experiencing more heat underneath the plateau area. I’m thinking about making the same change from the Air to 17 Pro, even though I really like the lighter weight of the Air.

I haven't had a phone (iPhone/android) without active cooling that doesn't get hot to the touch under a heavy load like gaming. It would be abnormal for your Air to get that warm if you're not actively using it though. Otherwise it's just going to get warm under the plateau. Everything is crammed under there and multiple aspects of the design aren't really conducive to optimal cooling.

 

[pnoozi]

Finally got to try these out last weekend.

Nothing about the Air really blew me away. Its thinness and lightness (relative to its size) made a solid impression, but didn’t impress me per se. It was just as thin and light as I expected. Personally I would not accept the poor thermals and single camera. It’s a Gen 1 design that needs some refinement and I can’t wait to see how it evolves. Eventually I think Apple will simply merge the design principles of the Air into the base models.

The 17 felt really good. They nailed it. Just a solid phone.