iPhone Air iPhone Air goodbye

[Ammar666]

if you have AppleCare it doesn't matter

I love how this is a default answer everybody has to any issues that can come on an iPhone. This is not how AppleCare works. They will only replace the battery under warranty if it falls below 80% under a specific period of time. And the iPhone begins to lose battery life way before it actually reaches 80%.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Just gotta buy the product that best suits your need. Just like how some people wouldn't be able to live with a 2-door car.

 

[JanetTheGreat]

Don't really understand why people attack the OP for making his choice. Its his choice, it doesn't effect anyone else.

 

[grammatica]

The issue for me is the price. Typically, I am willing to pay for a new design or a "pro" feature, but iPhone Air isn't it.

 

[Tsepz]

Don't really understand why people attack the OP for making his choice. Its his choice, it doesn't effect anyone else.

Exactly, he posted his experience and it seems he is being attacked for it.
He gave it a go because he liked it but in actual use found the battery inadequate for him despite some others claiming it should be adequate. He has now experienced all the trade-offs and discovered he couldn’t live with them.

 

[Meedoss]

The issue for me is the price. Typically, I am willing to pay for a new design or a "pro" feature, but iPhone Air isn't it.

To be fair prices have tanked so same as standard 17 now

 

[Abydos]

I'm not sure attacked is the proper word, maybe questioned his judgement and noted the correction. today battery capacity is roughly proportional to mass (think weight), thus a lighter phone will have less battery capacity in general and will have less use time before recharge. getting an air and expecting long battery life under high usage is similar to having one's cake and eating it (expecting the cake to still be there). the useful part is noting that the air is not suited for individuals with high usage profiles contrary to marketing claims

 

[iThinkurBeats]

Exactly, he posted his experience and it seems he is being attacked for it.
He gave it a go because he liked it but in actual use found the battery inadequate for him despite some others claiming it should be adequate. He has now experienced all the trade-offs and discovered he couldn’t live with them.

Right

 

[TheAustrianGuy]

I had been fed up with the bulkiness of my iPhone 15 Pro Max and was delighted when I received the Air.
Display size, performance, haptics, its lightness - it seemed pretty much perfect for me, wanted to use it caseless with Apple Care+.

But the tradeoffs with the single camera, the single speaker (for the few times I want/need it) and the slightly too small battery made me send it back and return to my 15PM.
I feel the OP's notion regarding using it like a 200$ phone.

As the size and weight of the 15PM felt even worse after returning the Air, I decided to try the 17 Pro (not Max), and I've now sold my 15PM.

I love the 17P, but I'm still sorry the Air didn't work for me in its current form, and I wish I still had the Air as my daily phone and the 17P for when the Air.....just isn't up to the job (camera, speaker, heavy days).

The Air FEELS like the perfect phone for me, but it currently isn't. 🙁

Once Apple releases an Air2, which I hope they will, with upgraded cameras, stereo speakers and (slightly) better battery life, it will be my next iPhone for sure.

And it again holds true:
When Apple releases a new product, wait at least until the second generation.

 

[aaronage]

Had my iPhone Air since launch

84 charge cycles over 133 days. Easily getting through a day, same experience as the 16PM it replaced.

How can that be? The internet insists it’s terrible! I must be using it wrong.

 

[Biro]

Once Apple releases an Air2, which I hope they will, with upgraded cameras, stereo speakers and (slightly) better battery life, it will be my next iPhone for sure.

And it again holds true:
When Apple releases a new product, wait at least until the second generation.

Two things:

1) I hope that you’re not expecting an iPhone Air2 to be the same size and weight as the first. Until the laws of physics can be broken, those features will mean a bigger and heavier phone.

2) Given my first point and your stated priorities, I have to wonder why you didn’t give the base iPhone 17 a try - or did you?

 

[Lustral]

I also got an Air on release day, but I have moved to a 17 Pro as I need the cameras. Battery is totally fine on the Air. As I only had 51 cycles on it. Will revisit the Air line again if they do release another one.

 

[code-m]

Had my iPhone Air since launch

84 charge cycles over 133 days. Easily getting through a day, same experience as the 16PM it replaced.

How can that be? The internet insists it’s terrible! I must be using it wrong.

I have had my iPhone 16 Pro since launch Sep 2024 and it has 180 charge cycles. What exactly are you trying to allude?

 

[boswald]

The OP's analogy makes a lot of sense. I suppose some people claim they can use all of their premium phone's functions all day long on a single charge, and that has always sounded amazing to me. The only way for me to get through a day is to use my iPhone 13 mini "like a $200 phone" and use it sparingly throughout the day, along with a midday recharge.

That’s how I have to treat my 14 Pro Max and its full capacity. The battery life is just terrible, and I don’t even have any apps.

 

[Tsepz]

That’s how I have to treat my 14 Pro Max and its full capacity. The battery life is just terrible, and I don’t even have any apps.

Are you on iOS 26?
For the older iPhones especially iPhones ones with less than 8GB RAM, I think iOS 26 does get resource intensive.
My better half has a 13 Pro Max and I have told her to keep it at iOS 18, her battery health is at 81% and she still gets decent battery life as she mostly uses TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp as well as doing phone calls, Notes and Selfie Camera a lot. She keeps a powerbank in her bag.

 

[boswald]

Are you on iOS 26?
For the older iPhones especially iPhones ones with less than 8GB RAM, I think iOS 26 does get resource intensive.
My better half has a 13 Pro Max and I have told her to keep it at iOS 18, her battery health is at 81% and she still gets decent battery life as she mostly uses TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp as well as doing phone calls, Notes and Selfie Camera a lot. She keeps a powerbank in her bag.

Yeah, I'm on 26. I took the bait and fell for Liquid Glass because I like the way it looks. Little did I know it would choke my battery!

 

[cawinter]

iPhone Air: Thinner, but also larger, so it won't fit in most pockets. Does Apple wants us to buy new jeans with huge pockets?

 

[Sami13496]

If you buy an Air, you know you'll have to use it for trivial things and use it sparingly, just like you said when you said "like a $200 phone."
You have a Ferrari that's meant to be used like a Yaris; you need it to show off, but you're getting less bang for your buck than a cheap phone.
People who look at you and see you with the Air don't say, "Wow," but, "Poor guy, that guy can't do that, and that guy has to be careful, otherwise he'll overheat and run out of battery."

That’s a pretty poorly thought-out analogy.

In reality it’s more like this: the Air is a Mercedes coupe. Beautiful and sleek, and very enjoyable to drive. But it doesn’t have much cargo space, so if you constantly need to haul large boxes, you’ll run out of room very quickly.

What’s happened here is that the OP actually needed a big, powerful pickup truck, but instead bought a Mercedes coupe and is now complaining that it doesn’t meet their needs.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

The OP's analogy makes a lot of sense. I suppose some people claim they can use all of their premium phone's functions all day long on a single charge, and that has always sounded amazing to me. The only way for me to get through a day is to use my iPhone 13 mini "like a $200 phone" and use it sparingly throughout the day, along with a midday recharge.

Many users (IMO probably most users) can adjust their usage to maintain charge with little effort. MagSafe charging works well, so putting MagSafe charging locations at key places like vehicle, workstation, nightstand, etc. can often effortlessly obviate battery issues.

 

[uacd]

I knew Air has 💩 battery life right from the start: whenever Apple releases an iPhone battery pack it means that what you get is a phone with very weak battery.

Also indeed, it is not a 1000$ phone in essence. Single camera, weird design, too large, uselessly thin, useless titanium that doesn't feel any more premium than regular aluminum. And when you put it in a case it doesn't even matter anymore. Good that you've decided to swap it, enjoy your PM!

 

[Macdctr]

The Air is not for everyone. It is also not the "perfect" iPhone. We all know this already . . .

What the Air is . . . a very thin and light iPhone that comes with the A19 Pro processor (although one less GPU core) and 12GB memory. For some this iPhone is perfect for their use case, for most probably not.

It seems . . . the Air is more a niche product geared for the specific iPhone user who is more after form that has the premium vibe to it in both feel and looks.

For the minimalist, this is not the best because of it's big 6.5 inch screen size as some are used to the 5.4 or 6.1 inch screen size that the mini and previous models are well known for. I for one like the smaller sized iPhones much more than the phablet sized phones of today.

The bottom line . . . it comes down to the user's preference. The original poster did not like his iPhone Air experience as the device did not fully meet his expectation/demands so he got a device that was much better suited for his use case. Nothing wrong with that. He now has an iPhone he enjoys using. In the end that's what matters, not whether someone else agrees on what you chose for the device you're using but rather, the individual using that device is pleased with it.

I have the iPhone Air and enjoy using it. This week I placed my Air back into my iPhone collection and I'm using my 15 Pro as my main device along with my Product Red 256GB 13 mini as my backup iPhone. I enjoy cycling around with my iPhones. Part of the fun of having a nice iPhone collection

 

[uacd]

And how exactly does one use a device “like a $1000 dollar phone”?!

You do realise that 90% of people with a Pro device are using it for social media, the odd photo etc… which the Air does with ease.

Just curious what extra you need? Other than extended battery life.

It means that you need to limit your uses and think about this or that scenario that will heat the battery.

There are lots of 200$ phones. Have you ever used one? I did, and it is an awful experience. They have inefficient processors, either slow and would open something too long or fast but will drain battery in seconds. So you naturally won't be opening games, emulating older consoles on it or trying to edit 4K video because your battery will go away in minutes.

800-1000$ phones are flagships. It means they are to be pushed to their limits: gaming, work, editing, without a single hiccup for the first 2-3 years at least

 

[rui no onna]

It means that you need to limit your uses and think about this or that scenario that will heat the battery.

Honestly, I didn’t have those issues back when I had the Air. Granted, I’m naturally a light phone user (heavy iPad user). Even on slightly heavier usage days, the Air’s battery has been fine.

The Air’s form factor was the big draw for me after seeing some iPhone mini users making the switch. Alas, I found it too big for one-handed use so I ended up swapping for the regular 17 (still too big).

There are lots of 200$ phones. Have you ever used one? I did, and it is an awful experience. They have inefficient processors, either slow and would open something too long or fast but will drain battery in seconds. So you naturally won't be opening games, emulating older consoles on it or trying to edit 4K video because your battery will go away in minutes.

Frankly, I find emulating old consoles on $200 Androids (Snapdragon 6 Gen 1) to be a better experience due to Android emulators being more mature and Apple’s app restrictions (JIT) limiting emulator performance.

My $200 Androids have also had better battery life than my iPhones thanks to their 5000mAh battery. It probably helps that they’re not performing frequent iCloud syncing like my iOS devices do.

 

[1rottenapple]

I love how this is a default answer everybody has to any issues that can come on an iPhone. This is not how AppleCare works. They will only replace the battery under warranty if it falls below 80% under a specific period of time. And the iPhone begins to lose battery life way before it actually reaches 80%.

Or you can ughhhhh…. have an “accident “ and use Apple care and get a “new” phone with a fresh battery. Dont ask me how I know.

 

[jerry78]

That matches what a lot of people are seeing.The Air is optimized for efficiency at lighter loads, but once you start pushing sustained performance, thermals and battery become the limiting factors.
It’s less about the chip being “bad” and more about the form factor not being designed for heavy, continuous workloads.