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Other FYI: The “iPhone Air” only has one speaker. That’s something to considering when choosing your phone.
- Thread starter BrightCanon
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Surprised they didn't make it "require AirPods Pro 3"
That has been known since November: https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/25/iphone-17-air-features-reported/
We should start a thread for every tech spec line item that differs between the 17, Air, and 17 Pro (Max)!
Personally, I didn't think Apple would actually settle for that. We've not had mono speakers since, what, iPhone 6?
Mono if fine with me, but it will be nice if someone will test the volume.
iPhone 6s! The iPhone 7 brought the stereo speakers for the first time. Massive difference with the 6s, I recall. I had the 7 Plus.
You're right - I had a 7 and I remember how nice it was to enjoy videos with stereo sound. 😄
Same thing with the $329 iPad back in 2017. Thought I could live with mono, but I updated to the iPad Air as soon as I could.
Can you explain your use case where the speaker is that big of a deal to you?
Watching video content or listening to audio.
C'mon .. are we really defending a crummy speaker situation?
In 2025?
Any situation watching a video with more than one actor in a scene?
It's the same reason why Apple sells AirPods in pairs. LOL.
No...I'm asking because my phone speaker only plays alarms and ringtones. I use my AirPods for movies, music, videos.
Watch out, I asked this about USB2 transfers in another thread and people got big mad.
Sometimes we don't want to or need to wear AirPods. Sometimes, we want to show friends or colleagues a video. Or maybe, we're even watching it together.
If you frequently consume audio/AV media via smartphone speakers instead of using headphones or via a home entertainment system, the iPhone Air may not be for you! Add it to your own personal Pros/Cons list when you're deciding which iPhone to buy. Luckily for you, if you fall into this bucket, there are 3 other iPhones to choose from.
We've known since the earliest days of Air rumors that it would involve tradeoffs. I trust your ability to make decisions regarding those tradeoffs for yourself. I'm personally not surprised, nor disappointed, that they apparently chose microphone effectiveness over speaker effectiveness when forced to make the decision. For me, if I'm consuming media in a context in which audio fidelity is at all important, I'm certainly not consuming it via smartphone speaker. For you, this may be different. This is actually fine, and is the beauty of a product family. If you're upset because you like the Air except for this one thing, otherwise you'd really want it, my heart breaks for you. Maybe there will be stereo speakers next year.
We've known since the earliest days of Air rumors that it would involve tradeoffs. I trust your ability to make decisions regarding those tradeoffs for yourself. I'm personally not surprised, nor disappointed, that they apparently chose microphone effectiveness over speaker effectiveness when forced to make the decision. For me, if I'm consuming media in a context in which audio fidelity is at all important, I'm certainly not consuming it via smartphone speaker. For you, this may be different. This is actually fine, and is the beauty of a product family. If you're upset because you like the Air except for this one thing, otherwise you'd really want it, my heart breaks for you. Maybe there will be stereo speakers next year.
Valid question you asked. I haven't connected my iPhone to a computer since I needed iTunes to move MP3s.
At least one person responded, did you see that?
I pointed it out to you by post #
Some of us still do exactly that -- as one example (a good one!)
assuming battery life is ok, this is the biggest disappointment of the air for me
The Samsung S25 Edge has stereo speakers. I truly can't believe Apple went mono in 2025. 😂
Slightly disappointed but I think the Air really is targeting people who aren't using their phone much for photos or media playback. I don't think people who use their phone a lot should go for the Air, even though it's pretty and lightweight which makes it very tempting.
Both hubby and myself are trying to get away from the internet and Youtube, forums etc and having a lightweight device seems like perfect timing. Time to say goodbye to internet addiction (ironically typed on the internet). Would have liked an even smaller size but it's nice for travel. Camera on phones made me lazy in taking my DSLR out and my skill has not improved over the years as a result. Time to change that too - really bought into the whole, 'the best camera is the one you have with you' marketing. In retrospect, that's very far from the full story.
To be honest, aside from the speakers, the Air seems better featured than I was expecting. Thought the chip would be lower level, refresh rate etc.
Both hubby and myself are trying to get away from the internet and Youtube, forums etc and having a lightweight device seems like perfect timing. Time to say goodbye to internet addiction (ironically typed on the internet). Would have liked an even smaller size but it's nice for travel. Camera on phones made me lazy in taking my DSLR out and my skill has not improved over the years as a result. Time to change that too - really bought into the whole, 'the best camera is the one you have with you' marketing. In retrospect, that's very far from the full story.
To be honest, aside from the speakers, the Air seems better featured than I was expecting. Thought the chip would be lower level, refresh rate etc.
Again having dual speakers helps even when your phone rings in your pocket. You hear it more easily. At least they put the one speaker in the best place and not in the bottom grill
Eh, I think it’s a stretch to go that far lol. Some of us use our phones plenty but don’t rely on phone speakers for audio (instead opting for AirPods, CarPlay in our cars, or entertainment systems at home). Or need a zillion photo options when we want to snap pics of our family or dogs.
The Air has 12gb ram, a pro processor, a great screen, a large screen… doesn’t look like it’s not meant to be used to me…