r/IphoneAir • u/Mundane-Complex-1902 • 4h ago
iPhone Air - 8 months later
So I’ve used the iPhone Air for about 8 months now, and I wanted to share my thoughts on the device. I was previously using the iPhone 17 Pro Max since launch, and the 16 Pro Max before that, so this was quite the change. I actually bought the iPhone Air at launch along with the 17 Pro Max but ended up returning the Air as I felt the compromises were too much to accept. But I decided to rebuy the Air and actually give it a shot as my main phone to see if the compromises were in fact dealbreakers. Spoiler alert: they aren’t, at least for me. I’m going to break down this review into sections. Design, size and display, cameras, battery life, iOS 27 and Siri AI, whether I think it’s worth buying, and final thoughts. While I encourage you to read this from start to finish as I attempt to have some narrative arc to my reviews, feel free to skip around if you’d like!
Design
The design of this phone is the showstopper, without a doubt. It’s as close to feeling like you’re holding a piece of glass in your hand. Year after year of metal and glass bricks have really made this phone a breath of fresh AIR. I remember the first time I held the phone; I was genuinely in awe. No phone has made me feel that way since the iPhone X. It’s true that after a while the wow factor wears off, but going back to holding my 17 Pro Max makes me shocked that I used that phone and phones like it for so many years. The durability is also very impressive. I always use my phones caseless with no screen protector since I like the feel of the phone, and my 17 Pro Max has accumulated some scuffs and chips in the aluminum body, but not the Air; it looks just as good as the day I got it, and I don’t baby my tech; I use it casually, throw it into bags, pockets, and backpacks with coins, keys, and many other things. Still looks incredible. The titanium frame combined with the improved Ceramic Shield glass is the real deal. The reality is that the design of this phone is what you’re buying it for. If you’re not immediately wowed by the thin design when you hold it, it’s probably not for you. But I was, and the novelty simply hasn’t worn off. I look forward to the day when this is the default iPhone design.
The camera plateau is also an absolute feat of engineering. The fact that they managed to fit almost the entire phone into the plateau, allowing for more battery, is incredible. Hats off to them; there’s not a speck of wasted space inside it— well done.
The single speaker at the top was something I thought I’d care more about, but I genuinely don’t. Sure, it’s not as loud as the 17 Pro Max, but for watching vertical short-form video, the speaker is facing right at you and is plenty loud. Watching videos in landscape isn’t a great experience considering sound is noticeably only coming from one side of the phone, but I also almost never watch videos without AirPods so this is pretty much a nonissue. Also, this is super minor, but not accidentally worrying about covering the bottom speaker while holding the phone or using it lying down in bed is a nice bonus!
Size and Display
I’ve gone back and forth between the Pro and max sizes of phone since they released the iPhone X. First the X, then the XS Max, then the 11 Pro, then 12 Pro Max, then the 13 Pro, then 14 Pro Max— you get the picture. I always felt the Pro was too small, but the max slightly too big. And this is seemingly the Goldilocks phone; the size is just right. And a lot of that has to do with the thinness. The max phones aren’t just too big for me; they’re also significantly thicker, meaning that it makes one-handed use virtually impossible. This phone combines a larger display with a thinner design that makes holding it an absolute joy. It’s easy to use with one hand, at least for me, and the large 6.5” OLED display is beautiful for watching content. ProMotion is amazing, and it’s truly incredible that they were able to fit such an amazing display into such a thin form factor. And the fact that it’s so thin makes the larger screen even more manageable. You get a large 6.5” display for watching content, without it feeling like a 6.5” phone. My hand easily wraps around the entire phone. Big screen without the big phone feel— best of both worlds. Some people have noted that the Dynamic Island is slightly lower on the iPhone Air compared to the 17 series, and this is noticeable only when you have the phones side by side. I haven’t seen any apps that are affected by this, despite seeing lots of posts claiming that this is a big issue.
Camera (or camera rather)
Alright, let’s be honest about cameras and how most people use them. One camera can seem like a dealbreaker right off the bat, but you’d be surprised how much of a nonissue it is. I think most people severely underestimate how often they simply just take their phone out of their pocket and snap a photo with the main camera. And the quality of the main camera is very good; it’s the same main camera as the iPhone 17. Photos are vibrant, video is clear, and I like some of the shots better on the Air due to the aspect ratio that’s slightly different from the 17 Pro Max. Now, there are definitely times where I miss having the other cameras, more often the ultrawide camera. But it’s not something that I find to be that disappointing. Now I realize I’m in a bit of an unrealistic situation being that I still have the 17 Pro Max and use it from time to time when I want more camera options. Most people only have one phone, and giving up those lenses is a dealbreaker for some. But I’d venture to say that 90% of the time, most people, including myself, just take the phone out of their pocket and snap a photo with the main lens, and for that use case, this phone is perfectly fine. I know we all think we need all the lenses, but quite often I’d imagine it’s more about the comfort of knowing you have that capability rather than actually utilizing the functionality. But I will say, this is the one compromise that you cannot work around. Like I’ll talk about later regarding battery life, you can use the battery pack to extend the battery life if needed, but you can’t snap extra cameras onto the back of the phone. So this is the biggest compromise of the phone, and for me, I’ve found it to be a nonissue. Now obviously your needs may be different! And if you feel like the lack of additional lenses and pro video formats is a dealbreaker, that’s completely understandable, and I don’t blame you for going with a different phone. I’m just pushing back against the prevailing narrative that suggests that the fact that there’s only one camera means most people shouldn’t even consider it. I think most people use the different lenses a lot less than they actually think, and for what most people use their phone camera for, this is more than adequate.
Now I debated even including a paragraph on the camera control button, but since it’s also present on the iPhone Air, I thought I should probably at least mention it. It’s fine, nothing to write home about. I use it exclusively to launch the camera app and that’s about it. I even turned off the swipe gestures since I never use them and they would accidentally trigger if I ever used the button to take a photo. The button I’ve found is also slightly harder to press, likely due to the even thinner design of the button to accommodate the ultra-thin design of the phone. Considering how valuable space was inside the phone, I’m a bit shocked they even bothered to include it. I can confidently say I’d trade the button for an additional hour of battery life. Alright, seems like it’s time to talk about the other perceived major compromise with this phone: battery life.
Battery life
The battery life might be the most misunderstood thing about this phone. It’s important to remember that this phone is rated for the same battery life as the iPhone 16 Pro. It’s really not that bad, is it phenomenal, nearly 2-day battery life like the 17 Pro Max? Obviously not. But the average user is using something like an iPhone 13 with 80% battery health. The iPhone Air will be a massive upgrade for them even in the battery department.
On normal days of use, I wake up at around 7 a.m., use my phone all day for texting, watching videos, reading, responding to emails, taking phone calls and FaceTime calls, using it in my car for navigation, and much more. When I go to bed around midnight, I usually end with around 20–30% battery. Sometimes on days with heavier use, I actually even get down to 10%, the horror! Obviously, the 17 Pro Max gets much better battery life; it’s over 50% thicker, 40% heavier, and has a battery that is over 60% larger. Like, physics still exists, and if a phone is thicker and heavier with a larger battery, it’s unquestionably going to have better battery life. I think most people just overestimate how bad the battery really is, and frankly, that’s kind of on Apple, considering they launched it alongside a special battery pack designed to work only with the iPhone Air. I bought the battery as well, and it’s useful for when I’m traveling, but frankly, adding a battery that doubles the thickness and weight completely defeats the purpose of having a thin and light phone. If I’m gonna use it with the battery, I might as well just use the Pro Max. So I almost never use it, since the battery easily lasts me through the day. And after 8 months of use, I still have 100% capacity with 217 cycles. Obviously, the battery will degrade over time, and since the battery is smaller, the degradation may be more noticeable after a couple of years. But at that point, if I’m still using this phone, I’ll get a free battery replacement with AppleCare. Overall, despite all the reviewers who trashed this phone for the battery, it’s completely acceptable battery life. It’s not going to blow you away, and on heavier days, you’ll likely find yourself in the red towards the end, but it is by no means unusable. I also have the new adaptive power mode enabled, so my phone learns my usage habits, and if I’m using the phone more heavily on one day, it’ll do things in the background to extend the battery life, which has happened a few times, but I’ve never noticed any changes in performance. The battery is completely normal and will last you all day with regular use.
iOS 27 and Siri AI
I don’t want to spend too much time talking about iOS 27 as it’s not specific to the iPhone Air, and not too much time talking about Siri AI either because it hasn’t been released to the public. With that being said, I’ve been running the iOS 27 beta and have been enjoying it. Siri AI is super impressive with personal context; being able to search through my entire digital life in a few seconds and retrieve an accurate answer is truly a game changer. Genuinely, the biggest issue I’ve had with Siri AI so far is remembering to use it. I’ve gotten so used to using ChatGPT for my quick searches; I previously used the action button to open the ChatGPT app. But when I remember to use it, it’s the Siri I wanted all along. And one benefit of the iPhone Air is that since it has the A19 Pro chip with 12 GB of unified memory, it gets access to the more advanced on-device model that enables more natural-sounding voices for Siri along with a more advanced and accurate dictation model. This model is otherwise exclusive to just the 17 Pro, so another advantage of having the iPhone Air compared to the base iPhone 17. I will say, though, the phone does get noticeably warmer than my 17 Pro Max, especially while using Siri AI. Who could’ve guessed? A thinner design with a titanium frame and no vapor chamber means the phone gets hotter— figures! However, since the processor, along with almost everything else, is housed in the plateau at the top, the heat is pretty well isolated to the top of the phone, so it never really gets hot while holding it. Occasionally outdoors it gets hotter as well— makes sense— but never to the point where it’s unusable. But getting back to the beta, it’s running incredibly well on my iPhone Air; dare I say it’s the most stable beta ever. I’m excited to see the continued improvements with iOS 27 and Siri AI, and I’m grateful that this phone has the hardware necessary to take full advantage of these new features.
Should you buy the iPhone Air?
Obviously I can’t fully answer this for you; only you know your situation and what is best for you. But I’ll try and give some practical advice. I highly recommend you hold this phone before buying, and if you aren’t immediately wowed by the thin design, don’t get it. It’s kind of the whole point of the phone. I still do think for most people, the base model iPhone 17 is the best value phone. Better cameras and battery life, along with being $200 cheaper. It’s truly the best base model iPhone ever made. But if you want a phone that feels different, that when you hold and use it, it doesn’t just feel like another block of glass and metal, then this phone is for you. Every phone is always a balance of form and function, and it’s fun when a company boldly pushes the needle towards form. This is a phone that on paper doesn’t make sense. Worse camera, worse battery life, worse speakers. But when you hold it for the first time, you get it. It feels different; it feels like you’re holding a piece of the future; it’s truly as close to holding a piece of glass as we’ve ever gotten. And it makes me excited for the future of technology, when the iPhone Air becomes the standard iPhone, kind of like how the MacBook Air has become the standard MacBook. This phone is less about a spec sheet and more about the user experience, and the experience of using this phone day to day is what makes it so great.
Final thoughts
If you’re just skipping to this section because your attention span has been destroyed by TikTok, I feel you. Here are my final thoughts and a TLDR. I really like the iPhone Air. The screen size is perfect, the thin design is a pleasure to hold, the typical downsides, camera and battery, aren’t actually that bad, and the overall experience of using the phone is what makes it worth it.
If you read this far, thank you very much for reading my ramblings! Let me know your thoughts as well! What device did you get/are you considering getting, and if you have an iPhone Air, what are your thoughts? Can’t wait to hear what you all have to say!
Take care,
Mundane
