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iPhone Air For those getting the air
- Thread starter colonelbutt
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Another concern was the single speaker. Now I’ve been using the Air today it’s loud, crisp and clear with a nice sound.
Yes a dual speaker will have a richer sound but the Air’s is more than good enough.
Yes a dual speaker will have a richer sound but the Air’s is more than good enough.
Mine all arrived today right before I had people over so didn’t have time to install them and check them out properly. First impressions:
Air - woah it feels like I’m holding a toy or just a thin battery - it’s very hard to get your head around this is a phone! It feels like magic, that bright a screen on something so thin. Need to check the cameras and speaker etc still.
Pro Max - honestly not as brick ish as I thought, Compared to my 16 pro max (no case either) it feels much nicer to hold. It doesn’t feel that heavy in the hand and balance is better than the 16 pro max. Overall im impressed too. Screen size to phone size ratio trade off feels worth it. The scratchgate stuff is scary tho and it looks like using it without a case may not work.
Pro - neither of the above. Screen too small, too much bulk for its size.
So now need to decide between air and pro max. I’m 60/40 to the air after the 5 mins of looking at them. Maybe 70/30 because of the scratch issue on the pros.
Air - woah it feels like I’m holding a toy or just a thin battery - it’s very hard to get your head around this is a phone! It feels like magic, that bright a screen on something so thin. Need to check the cameras and speaker etc still.
Pro Max - honestly not as brick ish as I thought, Compared to my 16 pro max (no case either) it feels much nicer to hold. It doesn’t feel that heavy in the hand and balance is better than the 16 pro max. Overall im impressed too. Screen size to phone size ratio trade off feels worth it. The scratchgate stuff is scary tho and it looks like using it without a case may not work.
Pro - neither of the above. Screen too small, too much bulk for its size.
So now need to decide between air and pro max. I’m 60/40 to the air after the 5 mins of looking at them. Maybe 70/30 because of the scratch issue on the pros.
I got the 17 Pro because I wanted to downsize from my 15PM. After working with the 17 Pro I decided to order an Air to try it out. The battery was workable. I could live with the one speaker and everything else was fine, except one thing. The camera was the dealbreaker. Back to the 17 Pro. Can't work with one lens and 2x.
I felt the exact opposite. The Max feels and looks cheap and the Air actually felt and looked premium when I handled both in the store.
Battery was last fully charged at 11:48pm last night. It is now 9:32pm and my battery is at 55%.
I have a dual SIM setup. When at work, I use the private Wifi. My on screen time for the day is less than an hour.
I did not connect to wired CarPlay today like I normally would, as I wanted to see how the battery did idling on its own after the initial setup last night.
Calls or texts - 1 spam text.
When at work, I use use my work phone more than my personal phone.
I have a dual SIM setup. When at work, I use the private Wifi. My on screen time for the day is less than an hour.
I did not connect to wired CarPlay today like I normally would, as I wanted to see how the battery did idling on its own after the initial setup last night.
Calls or texts - 1 spam text.
When at work, I use use my work phone more than my personal phone.
Not sure on its max power draw, I used my Apple 30w charge plug for its first charge. I don’t think it has the 40w like the 17 series.
I got up at 5:30 this morning and am about to go to bed at 11pm. My air is at 60% exactly, with no charging done throughout the day. It was a lighter usage day for me, but I can confidently say I have no “range anxiety!” And, if I’m at all concerned (going on a trip of the grid or something), I’ll bring back up power, as I always have with every precious phone I’ve owned.
The battery takes a few cycles to get to normal power. Just reading a thread on the max pro which said exactly the same. In fact on the “iPhone air first impressions thread” there is someone who bought both, and they both drained at the same rate.
For me the key is a walk about. At home, at work, when driving makes no difference as I have charging available.
So far the comments seem to be the same battery length as the iPhone 16, which is a major win.
I have to say, after using the air for a day, I couldn’t go back to the bricks……
This is key… Once you've started using a phone like the Air, thinking about going back to a Pro Max (especially this year's) just isn't an option anymore.
For me, having the shape and weight of a brick is the real compromise…
Another battery test, gaming drain.
The Air came out on top! Beat the 17 Pro by a hair, and the other devices in the test🤯
Different reviewers are getting different results depending on the actual test conditions.
The Air came out on top! Beat the 17 Pro by a hair, and the other devices in the test🤯
Different reviewers are getting different results depending on the actual test conditions.
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I guess it could happen if the Air throttles a lot so the CPU/GPU have to clock down enough (or if you limit the Airs performance in game settings), but that would result in lower performance. If that lower performance is noticeable or not is another question.
Depends which reviewer and tests are done. I suppose it may have throttled but it also wasn’t the hottest according to that test. I never game anyway so I won’t be trying to reproduce that battery test 😁
So far the Air is dismissing much of the hate and worries that it had ahead of launch.
So it’s a strange feeling. The air looks uber premium and the shiny edges and bright uber thin screen makes it feel like something from the future. But on the other hand the thinness makes it feel flimsy and cheap/plastic psychologically.
It’s a weird thing, a bit like watch straps a hefty metal strap feels premium because of that weight. It’s all psychology I think.
The pro and pro max feel much nicer ergonomically in the had because you have enough to wrap your hand around, the edges are curved.
From a distance the air looks like a budget phone from the back - single camera that tiny bar - but as someone pointed out as the psychology of an iPhone air image gets into our brains it’s an instantly recognisable thing and we override it with premium.
The blue and orange for the pros are actually quite nice colours actually. But, there’s a serious scratch issue. I put my wife’s pro in a case and psychologically the weight went up 1.5x.
So now I’m debating between:
iPhone air - white
17 pro - silver (because of scratches)
The pro max is out because 1) it’s out of stock and 2) it feels like a brick the more you use it eg in pocket. I also don’t need the large screen to open api and stats pages I use to use often.
Dilemmas!
It’s temperature and background syncing. When you charge the first time it can stop a little short. Much like filling gas in your car. A few recharges and it sets the real 100% level.
And second the iPhone is doing housekeeping in the background for the first few days. Spotlight indexing, photo analysis etc.
You should leave it on charge all day if you want to speed this up, or wait 3 days before comparisons.
Measuring the outside doesn’t say anything about how hot the chip is, the Air not getting as hot on the outside is exactly why you’d expect it to throttle more than the Pros. I would expect the 17 Pros to have higher outside temperature than the Air since they have the vapour chamber as well as the aluminium for better thermal conductivity.
I bought a bumper, but it doesn’t help with grip. I guess that’s not what it’s intended for. I’m using phone naked since Friday. Think I’m going to keep it that way.
I do have a screen protector, that way I can always put it face down, and not scratch back camera.
I do have a screen protector, that way I can always put it face down, and not scratch back camera.
For me the AIR is perfect 🤩 slips into my jacket or pants and I forget it’s there 
The photos are great (pretty much just take photos of my dog) and battery life is about what my 16 Pro was. I did return the AIR battery pack, for me it’s not needed. Best part is I don’t worry about bending it.
The photos are great (pretty much just take photos of my dog) and battery life is about what my 16 Pro was. I did return the AIR battery pack, for me it’s not needed. Best part is I don’t worry about bending it.