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iPhone Air For those getting the air

robotphood said:
Yeah, we’ll see. I don’t expect my phones to stay flawless being naked. My 14p polished steel sides was way grippier than my natural 16p but showed all the smudges. I’m expecting the Air to be similar.
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Me neither. Case in point - I’ve never used a case and have had every iPhone since the 3G. I just suck it up every year.

It does suck though when you get a scratch (or scratches) on a phone’s rails being case-less. It’s enough that you notice, but not damaged enough you can claim for it. So I’m always quite careful with my colour choice.

The best performing for me have been iPhone X/XS and iPhone 15/16 (in Natural titanium). Aesthetically, the iPhone X is closest to what I want.

As said before, if we could have black/dark iPhone on front and back glass, with silver/natural metal edges, that would be the holy grail in terms of aesthetics and case-less scratch resistance.
 
Joseph C said:
Me neither. Case in point - I’ve never used a case and have had every iPhone since the 3G. I just suck it up every year.

It does suck though when you get a scratch (or scratches) on a phone’s rails being case-less. It’s enough that you notice, but not damaged enough you can claim for it. So I’m always quite careful with my colour choice.

The best performing for me have been iPhone X/XS and iPhone 15/16 (in Natural titanium). Aesthetically, the iPhone X is closest to what I want.

As said before, if we could have black/dark iPhone on front and back glass, with silver/natural metal edges, that would be the holy grail in terms of aesthetics and case-less scratch resistance.
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Man we think exactly alike. Natural titanium has held up the best for me. X best aesthetically. But I’ve always wanted to go back to the black iPhone 4 color way. I actually tried throwing a black back skin on my natural 16P but the seams at the bump threw it off for me.
 

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I’ve wondered for years why Apple don’t offer the silver/black contrast of iPhone 4 or the MacBook Pro (if you include its bezels and keyboard contrasting the silver) on the phones.

Imagine a black fronted iPhone, with black back glass, but silver/natural rails. That, to me, is quintessential Apple design, while also being the best for scratchphobes. The silver rails won’t show scratches as easily, but you still get the stealthy black back - and you still get that sexy Apple two-tone design present on the silver MacBook Pros, which represent the pinnacle of Apple design to me.
 
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Caseless is tempting but I would like something I can use at times of higher risk, it’s a shame there’s no apple silicon this year. I have bought a bumper although that won’t protect the ‘plateau’ - nothing important in that bit of the phone though, right? 🧐
 
robotphood said:
Man we think exactly alike. Natural titanium has held up the best for me. X best aesthetically. But I’ve always wanted to go back to the black iPhone 4 color way. I actually tried throwing a black back skin on my natural 16P but the seams at the bump threw it off for me.
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It’s annoying because in recent years Apple have proven they can do the ‘near-black’ back glass, finally - but they refuse to offer us a model which has that AND the silver/natural side metal rails.

If you want black, you have to have anodised/coated black rails, which scratch (and show) easily. It’s annoying as hell. I’m buzzing for my new phone tomorrow but I wish it had black back glass, while keeping the silver rails.
 
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Joseph C said:
It’s annoying because in recent years Apple have proven they can do the ‘near-black’ back glass, finally - but they refuse to offer us a model which has that AND the silver/natural side metal rails.

If you want black, you have to have anodised/coated black rails, which scratch (and show) easily. It’s annoying as hell. I’m buzzing for my new phone tomorrow but I wish it had black back glass, while keeping the silver rails.
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Wanted this combo for ages
 
darkpaw said:
I was going to get the Sky Blue iPhone Air, but then I realised the differences between the Air and the new 17 Pros:

iPhone Air​
iPhone 17 Pro​
iPhone 17 Pro Max​
5-core GPU6-core GPU6-core GPU
27 hours video playback31 hours video playback37 hours video playback
Camera: 48MP Fusion Main48MP Fusion Main, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 48MP Fusion Telephoto48MP Fusion Main, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 48MP Fusion Telephoto
No macro photographyMacro photographyMacro photography
Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fpsDolby Vision up to 4K at 120 fpsDolby Vision up to 4K at 120 fps
No ProRAWProRAWProRAW
Zoom: 1x, 2x0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x
USB-C, supports USB 2 speeds (480Mbps)USB-C, supports USB 3 speeds (10Gbps)USB-C, supports USB 3 speeds (10Gbps)
MagSafe wireless charging up to 20WMagSafe wireless charging up to 25WMagSafe wireless charging up to 25W

For me, the camera is a downgrade (from my iPhone 15 Pro Max). I need the zoom options, and I love the macro photography. I cancelled my pre-order, and I'm not getting the 17 Pro Max either. I'll likely just replace the battery and live with this for another year.
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I'm with you. I want the Air but the camera, dual speaker, mmWave have me leaning towards Pro after leaning towards Air. I have the 15 Pro and love it but want a bigger screen and not the bulk of the PM, which has me wanting thinking Air. While I could live with the single speaker and maybe no mmWave but not having Zoom, Spatial Photos/Videos, Macro is something I know I would miss even if I tell myself otherwise. My S.O. went from 13 Pro to 15 and wants the air too but is getting the pro since she missed having pro camera features, like me. Even more so when you have kids nowadays.
 
naked at home, case when I’m using public transport/apple pay tapping, will try and go caseless when just out and about in less of a hurry. have applecare so will lean into that for a little while at least, see how I go
 
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Joseph C said:
It’s annoying because in recent years Apple have proven they can do the ‘near-black’ back glass, finally - but they refuse to offer us a model which has that AND the silver/natural side metal rails.

If you want black, you have to have anodised/coated black rails, which scratch (and show) easily. It’s annoying as hell. I’m buzzing for my new phone tomorrow but I wish it had black back glass, while keeping the silver rails.
Click to expand...
Yep, the black rails look super stealthy but scratches and dings show so easily.
 
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robotphood said:
Yep, the black rails look super stealthy but scratches and dings show so easily.
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Honestly if I could ask Apple for anything it would be that they let us have the dark glass and light/natural rails.

Not only is it beautiful (iPhone 4 / MacBook Pro) and classic Apple, but it’s most scratch resistant.
 
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the qi2 battery seems legit. It’s slightly thicker (about 7.1mm) than the other one (6.9mm) and not as pretty but it does seem to charge faster.

I’m charging it to full and will do more tests later and post a picture.
 
James6s said:
Seems a lot of people are getting cases for their Air’s.

Is anybody planning to use it naked?

What about screen protectors?
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I’ve got a beats case on order from Amazon as on offer in the UK for £30

And I might be tempted to grab the bumper case from apple

However think I’m going to go without a case for 90% of the time. The case is purely for times when I might drop it such as going to the football where I might get bumped into or going out for a few beers

Haven’t had a screen protector on a phone since well before the iPhone X though
 
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wba1990 said:
I’ve got a beats case on order from Amazon as on offer in the UK for £30

And I might be tempted to grab the bumper case from apple

However think I’m going to go without a case for 90% of the time. The case is purely for times when I might drop it such as going to the football where I might get bumped into or going out for a few beers

Haven’t had a screen protector on a phone since well before the iPhone X though
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The beats case looks good, cheaper than Apple that!

It’s good to have a case for certain situations, same with me to use in high risk activities lol

Apple bumper case on offer on Amazon too!

IMG_0819.jpeg
 
Joseph C said:
Honestly if I could ask Apple for anything it would be that they let us have the dark glass and light/natural rails.

Not only is it beautiful (iPhone 4 / MacBook Pro) and classic Apple, but it’s most scratch resistant.
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There's always the sand paper option. I've seen where people sanded the AW ultra to a mirror finish so its possible on the titanium.
 
My air is with courier. I think my son is more excited about getting my 16 plus. The 16 plus was a great phone, a silent hero. A way of getting the biggest screen size at the lowest cost. Everything worked well and for most people it had more functionality then ever required.

It was heavy though at 199g. When I saw that the 17 pro was also 199g with a smaller screen that killed that model for me, and the pro max is a tank.

The 17 air came just at the right time. Super light at 165g super slim and everything I need with a screen size between the 16 pro and the plus. This is a new era of phones. Just to spoil the party I recently look at the the Samsung s25 slim and it’s beautiful. If I was an android person that would be the natural choice.
 
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