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iPhone Air Movement from 17 pro to iphone air
- Thread starter drypuri
- Start date
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SRQrws
macrumors 6502
A couple of months ago, I went from the 17 Pro to the Air. From my perspective, the three "issues" with the Air are: 1) battery life; 2) the single speaker; and 3) the single camera. I was able to get through the day on a single battery charge all but the first day of usage (which typically has high battery use). In general, my phone comes off the charger around 6:30AM and goes back around 10:00PM. With the Pro, I usually ended up with about 45-50% remaining with a single charge. With the Air, I'd end up around 30-40%. The speaker was a non-issue for me. Yes, the Pro gets louder and has a wider soundstage, but if I'm listening to anything other than a phone call, I use my Airpods or Airplay to my Sonos speakers, so it really didn't matter to me. Although I don't use the phone for serious photography, the biggest issue for me is the single camera. I definitely missed the telephoto lens on the Pro. On the plus side, the slightly bigger screen and significantly lower weight were definitely advantages. In the end, however, I went back to the Pro. I'm looking forward to the second gen of the Air, though, and will try it again if they add a second camera and improve the battery life.
Macdctr
Suspended
I have both the Air and 17 Pro. The Air’s battery life is not as long as the 17 Pro, does not match the 17 Pro’s camera and speaker setup or USB-C 3.0 port. What the Air brings is a bigger 6.5 inch screen and ultra thin and light profile. For day to day usage I have found my Air more than adequate.
The 17 Pro is a solid iPhone but feels like a brick in comparison. Honestly, it comes down to how you intend to use your iPhone in normal day to day use. For me my 17 Pro spends more time as a display device in my private iPhone collection than it does actually being used.
The 17 Pro is a solid iPhone but feels like a brick in comparison. Honestly, it comes down to how you intend to use your iPhone in normal day to day use. For me my 17 Pro spends more time as a display device in my private iPhone collection than it does actually being used.
I moved from a 16 Pro to an Air and found the battery life to be about the same. I'm not a heavy user and I usually have plenty of battery life left at the end of a 24 hour period.
xxFoxtail
macrumors 65816
My answer is a little bit different. I went from a 14 Pro (with roughly 100% battery capacity, I got the battery replaced a couple months prior) to an Air. First thing I noticed how much longer lasting the Air is in comparison. I love the look and feel of the Air, but my drawbacks are -
-Lack of display out
-Not a big fan of the larger display
-Camera isn't a big deal to me, but it would have been nice to have the telephoto lens still
It's hard to say if I’d want to go back to a Pro or not. I like the Air and plan on keeping it for at least 3-5 years. As much as I like using it without a case, it's just a tad too slippery for me to hold.
-Lack of display out
-Not a big fan of the larger display
-Camera isn't a big deal to me, but it would have been nice to have the telephoto lens still
It's hard to say if I’d want to go back to a Pro or not. I like the Air and plan on keeping it for at least 3-5 years. As much as I like using it without a case, it's just a tad too slippery for me to hold.
I agree with this take, except that I am happy with my Air😆. But I agree the three issues you mentioned are the most common criticisms, with single camera being the hardest to work around. For the battery issue, which isn't as terrible as some people make it out to be, you can charge more often or carry a MagSafe battery. With the single speaker issue, which I also don't think is a big deal but that's me, as you said you can use head/earphones or wireless speakers. But with the single camera, the only workaround is to bring a dedicated camera with more focal range. I've ended up doing this, and while the advantage is I get a lot more range than I would with an iPhone Pro, it's a big investment and it's not practical to bring all the time, so I have to bring it selectively. This has worked out fine for me because I don't need it often, but as with all the different issues, whether these workarounds are worth it or even necessary at all just depends on each person's situation and preferences. For example, if you find the 17 Pro Max battery life barely adequate, then the Air definitely isn't for you. If you often use the phone speaker and need it really loud, then the Air might not be for you. If you use the ultrawide or telephoto lenses often, then the Air probably isn't for you. Also if you care nothing about a phone's weight or thinness, then the Air might not be for you. As is usually the case, it just depends how one uses their phone and what one values.
I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable using my naked Air without my phone grip (I use an OhSnap grip). But then again, I definitely don't feel comfortable using any iPhone bigger than the Mini without a phone grip, naked or not.
xxFoxtail
macrumors 65816
I have a Moft Wallet that also doubles as a grip. It works well.
Moved from 14 pro to air, great experience. Battery is non issue, actually as air is new and pro had sthing like 90% battery caoacity, it is now longer lasting device than 14 pro was for me. Speaker is non issue. Camera - sometimes i miss ultra wide as expected.. but biiger screen, light form factor and great price (got it for much less than regular 17 costs) makes it great buy… will serve few years
If she can't make it through a day, then I'm sure she either at least leans toward being a heavy user or she has a faulty Air. I'm a moderate to light user and I regularly go 1.5 - 2 days on my Air.
I’ve been thinking about moving from an iPhone 16 Plus to the iPhone Air. After owning iPhones since the 4s, I now use my device for phone calls, texting, in-vehicle navigation and CarPlay. With those last two items, the phone is invariably connected to a power source. And the only time I listen to music with the phone is when I am using CarPlay. There’s very little web browsing (I use my Macs and iPads for that). Camera? Occasional happy snaps with friends and family if I don’t have one of my “real” cameras with me. As long as phone calls are loud enough when I occasionally use speaker phone, then I suspect the Air would be fine for me. If I find battery life cuts it too close, then I’ll just charge the battery to 100 percent instead of 80 percent.
AnthroMatt
macrumors 6502a
Using the basics...does that mean she is interacting with her phone 8-12 hours per day, even if it is just email/browsing/social media/shopping? My air only needs to be topped off when I am traveling on a plane (screen on much of flight) or when I am working out in remote areas with poor service.
James6s
macrumors 68020
I’ve had both the 17 Pro and the Air since they launched last year, I’ve now got the Air and plan to keep this a while until later next year when I’ll pick up the Air 2.
For my use the battery life wasn’t miles apart, sure the 17 Pro had better battery life but the difference wasn’t night & day with the Air Punching above it’s weight here. Every iPhone I’ve owned has had a top up by the end of a busy day to avoid going into the red under 20%.
I guess what matters to me the most was the user experience. Large screen, slim & light form factor which feels great when holding the device for longer periods. The 17 Pro felt like a thick brick in comparison as wasn’t comfortable for me and it was also a lot more slippery. The Air also looks and feels more premium (if that matters) with the glass and polished titanium build.
They both share the same A19 Pro chip (one less GPU core on the Air) and the same 12GB of RAM, performance was the same for me and both are excellent and fast.
If you use the telephoto And UW cameras a lot then the 17 Pro is a no brainer, however the single camera on the Air is great and capable of taking some brilliant photos. It has four focal lengths to choose from with 26mm, 28mm & 35mm by tapping the 1x and the 2x zoom option that goes up to max 10x digital, it’s ok up to about 5x before the quality really takes a hit well into digital zoom.
The single speaker is a none issue as it gets loud and clear enough for calls and watching YouTube videos etc.
All in all I love my Air and enjoy picking it up every time.
For my use the battery life wasn’t miles apart, sure the 17 Pro had better battery life but the difference wasn’t night & day with the Air Punching above it’s weight here. Every iPhone I’ve owned has had a top up by the end of a busy day to avoid going into the red under 20%.
I guess what matters to me the most was the user experience. Large screen, slim & light form factor which feels great when holding the device for longer periods. The 17 Pro felt like a thick brick in comparison as wasn’t comfortable for me and it was also a lot more slippery. The Air also looks and feels more premium (if that matters) with the glass and polished titanium build.
They both share the same A19 Pro chip (one less GPU core on the Air) and the same 12GB of RAM, performance was the same for me and both are excellent and fast.
If you use the telephoto And UW cameras a lot then the 17 Pro is a no brainer, however the single camera on the Air is great and capable of taking some brilliant photos. It has four focal lengths to choose from with 26mm, 28mm & 35mm by tapping the 1x and the 2x zoom option that goes up to max 10x digital, it’s ok up to about 5x before the quality really takes a hit well into digital zoom.
The single speaker is a none issue as it gets loud and clear enough for calls and watching YouTube videos etc.
All in all I love my Air and enjoy picking it up every time.
I’ll address the 3 biggest issues people have with the Air. I went from 16 Pro to Air.
Battery: if you are glued to your phone you won’t make it through the day. If you have lots of wired and wireless chargers scattered throughout your workplace, car, home, you’ll be fine. I do plug in sometimes for 5-10 minutes in between activities whereas I didn’t use to do this at all before. Think of it like having an EV with a reasonable range versus a super big and heavy one with 500mi range. You adapt to the smaller battery and it hasn’t been problematic for me whatsoever. I prefer the weight and thickness savings, but that’s why I bought the device. If you need big battery life then the air isn’t for you anyway.
Single speaker: when I first heard it after buying I was pleasantly surprised and thought it was better than I expected. Sure it takes a quality hit compared to the Pro but in my professional opinion it is completely livable and not a dealbreaker.
Single camera: biggest pain point for me but the trade off was worth it. The selfie camera is fantastic. I do find myself in some situations where I wish I had the ultrawide telephoto but it’s just a compromise I live with and can live with easily. The photo and video quality of this phone is good, but not great. It’s that simple. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for me and I’m very happy with my purchase.
Battery: if you are glued to your phone you won’t make it through the day. If you have lots of wired and wireless chargers scattered throughout your workplace, car, home, you’ll be fine. I do plug in sometimes for 5-10 minutes in between activities whereas I didn’t use to do this at all before. Think of it like having an EV with a reasonable range versus a super big and heavy one with 500mi range. You adapt to the smaller battery and it hasn’t been problematic for me whatsoever. I prefer the weight and thickness savings, but that’s why I bought the device. If you need big battery life then the air isn’t for you anyway.
Single speaker: when I first heard it after buying I was pleasantly surprised and thought it was better than I expected. Sure it takes a quality hit compared to the Pro but in my professional opinion it is completely livable and not a dealbreaker.
Single camera: biggest pain point for me but the trade off was worth it. The selfie camera is fantastic. I do find myself in some situations where I wish I had the ultrawide telephoto but it’s just a compromise I live with and can live with easily. The photo and video quality of this phone is good, but not great. It’s that simple. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for me and I’m very happy with my purchase.
many thanks for all your feedback, i ended up trying iphone air but for me ( and my small hands) I think 17 pro is just the right size, and I agree battery life is quite good, camera is okay as well. But for me even I have chargers. magsafe everywhere I value cameras and a mental welbeing that if I need camera/ battery to the best I have it with 17 pro matters to me more. So Air is not for me. lets see what they bring in V2
I had the Air for 3 months. I enjoyed it. I missed the 3 camera system a lot though, so I sold the Air and went to the pro.
I have the air but I've been thinking of downgrading to a 16 plus for the width and just a more of a feel of a real phone. It's only 200 grams which is a little lighter than my OnePlus 13 that I use now permantely.
My issue is Apple is just better for me on the go, less steps to do things, every pops up on the lockscreen.
But apple has drawbacks but this isn't the time for that.
The air is neat and very cool and well built but sometimes it's so thin it doesn't feel like a phone.
Pefect phone for a rich guy who just answers text, calls and sends pictures though.
But if you sit down for 20 minutes and browse the net or whatever thats what frustrates me to no end. Too slim
I'm just a incel I guess lol, I am used to X for politics and reddit for discussions when I'm bored, I need more things to do, the air is a great phone for a normal happy person. I'm getting there through hard work and will get it together 100%, trying to ditch social media nonsense and make more money.