iPhone Air For those getting the air

[James6s]

Pretty much what I do. I hold off on the case, but buy a super cheap screen protector to see how badly it’s needed based on how it rolls out my pocket in the car or slips out the hand.

Then I switch it out accordingly.

If anything breaks I always do express replacement. 79 for a new phone vs 25 for a fix - I’d rather have it looking new again for a bit more

Although do need to check the prices on the air… brb!

Edit: uk prices and excess is the same for 17/air - £25 and £79

https://www.apple.com/legal/sales-s...ecareplus/2509/250909_applecareplus_uk_pa.pdf

That’s a good price! £7.99 per month 👌🏻

 

[James6s]

Bend test live on air of the iPhone Air. Not sure how much force was being applied but you can it bowing slightly.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1966249215157481565

 

[MCKLMT]

Bend test live on air of the iPhone Air. Not sure how much force was being applied but you can it bowing slightly.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1966249215157481565

Who bend his Air like that, really?

 

[k187]

That’s a good price! £7.99 per month 👌🏻

Well it’s 8.99/month then 79 for express replacement.

So imagine you ding it up and want it swapped once it’ll cost you 8.99x12+79=186.88

Of course you’ll get some of that back in resale value if you don’t remove it from the plastic when they replace it

It’s a little easier for me because I claim VAT etc back for my work phone.

 

[James6s]

Well it’s 8.99/month then 79 for express replacement.

So imagine you ding it up and want it swapped once it’ll cost you 8.99x12+79=186.88

Of course you’ll get some of that back in resale value if you don’t remove it from the plastic when they replace it

It’s a little easier for me because I claim VAT etc back for my work phone.

Sorry! Yes £8.99 per month lol looked at it wrong 😆

 

[James6s]

Who bend his Air like that, really?

I know lol a lot of people were saying it’ll be bendgate again like the 6 plus back in the day. Not the case.

Also see them throwing it and it banging down on the table, they’re obviously confident in its durability 🤣

 

[Jackbequickly]

I have never found any phone to be too heavy. I like a certain amount of “heft”.

It is great that Apple is giving everyone a choice!

 

[James6s]

I have never found any phone to be too heavy. I like a certain amount of “heft”.

It is great that Apple is giving everyone a choice!

I’d love an iPhone Pro Max but I’ve had operations on my hands for nerve pain and other symptoms, so for my case weight is a big factor and the Pro Max is way too big and heavy.

The Air having a reasonably large 6.5” promotion screen and being so thin and light will be perfect for me. Best of both worlds IMO.

Thank you Apple!

 

[Joseph C]

I’d love an iPhone Pro Max but I’ve had operations on my hands for nerve pain and other symptoms, so for my case weight is a big factor and the Pro Max is way too big and heavy.

The Air having a reasonably large 6.5” promotion screen and being so thin and light will be perfect for me. Best of both worlds IMO.

Thank you Apple!

I agree. I am so excited for the iPhone Air with each day that's passed since the event.

I am really really unsure about what colour to go for though. I'm almost split 4 ways on that choice to be honest! I've loved have Natural Titanium for the last view years as it's closest to the silver MacBooks.

I like the rails being silver/light to contrast the black screen and seems to make the bezels seem a bit smaller. But then the iPhone Air black is super nice too, and the polished edges being shiny kind of gives it an iPhone X feel.

Very hard.

 

[James6s]

I agree. I am so excited for the iPhone Air with each day that's passed since the event.

I am really really unsure about what colour to go for though. I'm almost split 4 ways on that choice to be honest! I've loved have Natural Titanium for the last view years as it's closest to the silver MacBooks.

I like the rails being silver/light to contrast the black screen and seems to make the bezels seem a bit smaller. But then the iPhone Air black is super nice too, and the polished edges being shiny kind of gives it an iPhone X feel.

Very hard.

Roll on 1pm! You’ve got just over 3 hours to decide 😄

They all look nice and premium with the polished frame, for me it was an easy decision as I love black iPhones. The Air looks sleek stealth and stunning in Space Black 🤩

 

[k187]

I agree. I am so excited for the iPhone Air with each day that's passed since the event.

I am really really unsure about what colour to go for though. I'm almost split 4 ways on that choice to be honest! I've loved have Natural Titanium for the last view years as it's closest to the silver MacBooks.

I like the rails being silver/light to contrast the black screen and seems to make the bezels seem a bit smaller. But then the iPhone Air black is super nice too, and the polished edges being shiny kind of gives it an iPhone X feel.

Very hard.

Same for me. I like a certain amount of weight, like on a high end watch, you know it's there.

I've had a Pro Max since the very first one and I always had to make the trade off with stretching my fingers more than they feel comfortable or settling for the smaller screen on the pro. I also wasn't overly happy with the weight balance because on the Pro Max you have to hold it a certain way which is lower down and when you reach across it tips backwards.

One of the biggest selling points after the thinest is te 6.5 inch screen. I really hope it's the sweet balance between the pro/max that works. Given how thin it is, it should be easier to hold too.

 

[Joseph C]

Roll on 1pm! You’ve got just over 3 hours to decide 😄

They all look nice and premium with the polished frame, for me it was an easy decision as I love black iPhones. The Air looks sleek stealth and stunning in Space Black 🤩

Do you think the polished titanium in black might be susceptible to scratches which bring up the silver/natural titanium more obviously than say, the white/silver model or other light colour models?

Or do you think it'd be like the iPhone X black stainless steel which (for me) never showed any scratches?

(I've always been case-less)

 

[NvidiaIntelPC]

I will buy some screen protectors for it even though the new Ceramic Shield is supposedly 3x more scratch resistant, it’s still glass.

I may buy a case for the odd occasion I feel I may need one.

I usually pay monthly for AppleCare and should the worst happen the device will be fixed or replaced quickly.

The problem with screen protectors is that they cancel out the benefits of the anti-reflective coating and make the screen glossy. That’s definitely something to consider.

And If you opt for matte, anti-reflective screen protectors, they also won’t be ideal or comparable to the intended degree of anti-reflective coating, since they tend to be too matte.

 

[James6s]

Do you think the polished titanium in black might be susceptible to scratches which bring up the silver/natural titanium more obviously than say, the white/silver model or other light colour models?

Or do you think it'd be like the iPhone X black stainless steel which (for me) never showed any scratches?

(I've always been case-less)

Well I’m hoping the polished black titanium will be scratch resistant, and if it does scratch then it will be the same colour beneath the surface.

Have Apple done a polished titanium finish before? How did it hold up.

 

[k187]

Do you think the polished titanium in black might be susceptible to scratches which bring up the silver/natural titanium more obviously than say, the white/silver model or other light colour models?

Or do you think it'd be like the iPhone X black stainless steel which (for me) never showed any scratches?

(I've always been case-less)

For me I was thinking more about the Apple Watch Ultra in black. There's lots of pictures online:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/1forkm6/ultra_2_black_scratches

The problem isn't so much that it will scratch any more/less than the other materials, it's that the contrast is so extreme when it does scratch that it doesn't look good.

That, and it looking a bit Google Pixel from a distance in black, or a cheap android knock off made me go for the white. The android bit might be right off the mark, hard to say without holding and seeing it. Also a friend made a good point, once people have seen these a few times they know an iphone from a mile away. (Call me vain )

 

[Joseph C]

Well I’m hoping the polished black titanium will be scratch resistant, and if it does scratch then it will be the same colour beneath the surface.

Have Apple done a polished titanium finish before? How did it hold up.

Well I briefly had a black titanium iPhone 16 Pro and I did notice a scratch on the edge, and it was silver/whatever the colour of raw titanium is.

Apple have never done a polished titanium finish on a phone - they might have on Apple Watch but I'm not sure. I'd be really interested to know about this as it could swing me on colour.

EDIT: Investigating now and seems the Apple Watch Series 10 used polished titanium which seems very close to what they're doing on the iPhone Air. Now to search Reddit for user experiences with scratches on those...

 

[Joseph C]

Okay, investigations of scratch-gate continue.

If we use the Series 10 Apple Watch, the model which used polished titanium, it seems the black finish did struggle for some people:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/1g7s4ic/slate_titanium_scratched_after_one_week

"Mine scratched the same day I bought it. Exchanged for natural Ti instead. Anything can scratch. The issue is that with dark colours, it becomes more apparent."


I think I'm going to go with one of the lighter models on this basis. As sexy and stealthy as the black looks, as someone who doesn't and won't ever use a case, I'd be annoyed if the black rails had visible scratches.

 

[k187]

Okay, investigations of scratch-gate continue.

If we use the Series 10 Apple Watch, the model which used polished titanium, it seems the black finish did struggle for some people:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/1g7s4ic/slate_titanium_scratched_after_one_week

"Mine scratched the same day I bought it. Exchanged for natural Ti instead. Anything can scratch. The issue is that with dark colours, it becomes more apparent."


I think I'm going to go with one of the lighter models on this basis. As sexy and stealthy as the black looks, as someone who doesn't and won't ever use a case, I'd be annoyed if the black rails had visible scratches.

I totally agree. It's definitely a coating, like the Apple watch S5 SS Space black etc. The black tintaium on the watches is more like a misty grey, while on the Air it looks more like paint on a car:

 

[one more]

It remains to be seen if the Air truly can deliver the *same* battery life as iPhone 16 Pro as stated in the comparison sheet. That would be amazing, but I can't imagine it.

The battery could pull it, purely due to the new A19Pro chip and less energywore C1X and N1 modules.

However, it is the performance of the latter two which is very important and it remains to be seen how well they will handle both their cellular and networking jobs. And there is no way to know before putting them to a real world test alongside iPhone 17 and 17 Pro.

 

[Ctrlos]

Scratch marks are nearly always seen without context.

"My new Apple Watch is scratched to hell."

"Where do you work?"

"On a construction site....."

Overheating on the Air would be a concern but honestly its not the phone for high-end gaming or making 4K videos. Thats why the Pro exists. Much like the original Macbook Air the selling point is the lightness.

 

[Joseph C]

Scratch marks are nearly always seen without context.

"My new Apple Watch is scratched to hell."

"Where do you work?"

"On a construction site....."

Overheating on the Air would be a concern but honestly its not the phone for high-end gaming or making 4K videos. Thats why the Pro exists. Much like the original Macbook Air the selling point is the lightness.

I agree but I still want to choose the finish on which the inevitable odd scratches are least visible.

 

[Joseph C]

For me I was thinking more about the Apple Watch Ultra in black. There's lots of pictures online:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/1forkm6/ultra_2_black_scratches

The problem isn't so much that it will scratch any more/less than the other materials, it's that the contrast is so extreme when it does scratch that it doesn't look good.

That, and it looking a bit Google Pixel from a distance in black, or a cheap android knock off made me go for the white. The android bit might be right off the mark, hard to say without holding and seeing it. Also a friend made a good point, once people have seen these a few times they know an iphone from a mile away. (Call me vain )

Okay I think you've helped me decide for certain on the white.

I just wish we had a few more details on the polished titanium coating/process. But I think the white the best bet in terms of minimising visibility of inevitable scratches.

 

[alongdingdong]

I still have a year contract on my 15 pro, so i will be switching next year to a Iphone Air 2 BUT more realistically the air 3/4 by that time.

My reason?
I use my AW 10 LTE all day in standalone, so i always leave my phone at home.

BUT

when i travel, or go somewhere i need navigation (driving car) i take my iphone with me.

I only have a few bank apps on my phone, nothing else, no socialmedia apps nothing. I barely use my iphone other then whatsapp, gmail and google maps.

For my use case i dont need to change my phone at all, the weight not really bother me cuz i never really wear it on me in most cases, its just because apple does not make the AW fully standalone....

 

[geta]

@James6s, what happened to your 16e? did you get rid of it in favor of the new Air?

 

[Zensō]

The Air colors are absolute trash. Truly awful just like the old pastels on the regular iPhone. We got to have one effing season of vibrant colors on the non-Pro lineup and we’re back to this Lacroix “a little gentle brush of flavor” color mix. Unreal that the Pros finally get strong colors but at the cost of literally all the other phones.

Having said that… Air in black *like my mooooood*

I believe this is because the Air frame is made of titanium with a PVD coating, which can’t take the bright colors that are possible with the anodized aluminum of the Pros.