Here Are 5 Smaller iPhone Air Details You Might Have Missed, Including Only a Single Speaker

[Dolmio]

I think despite the compromises the screen size is a sweet spot. The pro max has just got too big especially for shorts ! . On the whole I mainly use the 1 x lens for photos / videos so probably that’s good enough . The speakers isn’t as much of a deal as usually use AirPods but the battery life is probably the biggest question mark if it’s as good as the 16pro then all good let’s see . I’m definately set on trying the air

 

[darthbane2k]

Here you they go:

https://www.apple.com/iphone-16e/

But why not pay 67% more, for a phone that weighs 1% less?

You cannot compare the performance of a 16e to the Air.

Also, Why does this bother you so much?

 

[throAU]

The real question is whether Apple made the right compromises. Which of them will people actually notice right away, aside from the lack of stereo audio playback? I’m curious to see where the journey with the Air goes. And yes, no doubt, the Air will play a key role in paving the way for next year’s foldable. Still, I find this category very exciting.

I honestly don't think audio will be a problem, the type of people who spring for an air are likely going to use airpods with it anyway.

Seriously, who uses their phone speakers for listening to music or gaming, etc.? Even phone calls i use airpods so i can be hands free whilst not annoying everyone else with my phone speaker.

 

[Wahlstrm]

Obviously the Air isn’t going to be the battery king, but saying “poor battery life” is a bit misleading.

For years I’ve heard nothing on this forum but how amazing the battery life has been on all the MAX models. Sure it’s heavy and bulky but going days without charging has been worth it etc..

So how does the Air stack up?

The AIR has 80% better battery life compared to XsM and 35% better compared to 11PM and 12PM, it weighs 31% less than 13PM / 14PM but only lose 3,5% / 7% in terms of battery life.

In real life, you probably need to come from a 16 PM to even notice that the Air has a smaller battery.

= 99% of people will be more than fine with the Air’s battery life.

The comparison to Xs MAX is kinda interesting, since they both have the same 6,5” and very similar design language.

The Air sure is an upgrade

https://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphone-xs-max,iphone-air

 

[Gotword]

For the average non tech female do you think they’ll gravitate more to the air or the pro? Or even a non tech male. The lightness and thinness will be a huge ergonomic benefit in the hand and in the pocket

Women usually take more photos then male users they usually go for the pro max solely for size n camera

 

[Anonymous Freak]

In the iPhone 17 Pro models, the A19 Pro chip has a 6-core GPU. In the iPhone Air, it has a 5-core GPU, so graphics performance will take a slight hit.

I'm curious what the difference is between the Air's "A19 Pro" with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2 and the iPhone 17 non-Pro's, "A19" (non-Pro) with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2…

It really does seem like the Air gets a "Pro" CPU just to make it seem better, even though it's absolutely identical to the non-Pro CPU.

 

[throAU]

I'm curious what the difference is between the Air's "A19 Pro" with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2 and the iPhone 17 non-Pro's, "A19" (non-Pro) with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2…

It really does seem like the Air gets a "Pro" CPU just to make it seem better, even though it's absolutely identical to the non-Pro CPU.

I do wonder myself.

It doesn't get USB3/10gb, and outside of the missing GPU core, what exactly is the difference between the pro and non-pro A19? It doesn't get pro-res recording either.

Maybe clock speed?

 

[ofarlig]

Sounds like a good trade to me, I lose things that I don’t care about and get a thinner and lighter phone. And then I can get the foldable next year, because the higher weight actually makes sense for that big of a screen.

 

[Wahlstrm]

I'm curious what the difference is between the Air's "A19 Pro" with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2 and the iPhone 17 non-Pro's, "A19" (non-Pro) with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2…

It really does seem like the Air gets a "Pro" CPU just to make it seem better, even though it's absolutely identical to the non-Pro CPU.

It might just be the 50% extra RAM but that alone will help a lot with longevity and performance.

Especially when/if “Apple Intelligence” becomes a reality.

 

[MacPolo]

I'm curious what the difference is between the Air's "A19 Pro" with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2 and the iPhone 17 non-Pro's, "A19" (non-Pro) with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2…

It really does seem like the Air gets a "Pro" CPU just to make it seem better, even though it's absolutely identical to the non-Pro CPU.

I thinks it’s to give the Air 12 GB of RAM, as it’s tied to the CPU. This way you have at least one upgrade to the regular 17. Also the Pro chip is said to be more efficient than the non pro.

 

[Wahlstrm]

I do wonder myself.

It doesn't get USB3/10gb, and outside of the missing GPU core, what exactly is the difference between the pro and non-pro A19? It doesn't get pro-res recording either.

Maybe clock speed?

Re pro-res.

The user experience of trying to offload 5-10-20GB video files over USB2 and its real life speed of 25MB/s would be nothing short of horrible.

Given the slim nature of the Air it might also be the case that it would overheat if you try to use it as a “production camera”.

It would probably just be a very bad user experience all together.

 

[JPack]

I'm curious what the difference is between the Air's "A19 Pro" with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2 and the iPhone 17 non-Pro's, "A19" (non-Pro) with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2…

It really does seem like the Air gets a "Pro" CPU just to make it seem better, even though it's absolutely identical to the non-Pro CPU.

Pro chips have 50% more system cache. This was in the keynote.

 

[Dolmio]

All very minor things. Absolutely nothing significant lost for the gain in design and weight, in my opinion.

I actually think a bigger loss is the lack of RAW photos (assuming I have read that right on Apple’s website).

USB2 sounds bad on paper but how many folk really transfer masses of data to their iPhone via the cable? I know I haven’t done so in years.

I agree with an iCloud subscription I’ve never plugged the phone into the computer but I’m not a pro photographer I think for that use case I get the usb 3.0 but for everyone else I’m not sure it’s that big a deal

 

[grovertdog]

The extra camera height of the iPad Pro is only 2.2 mm however, while the Air's is 5.68 mm (and 3.03 mm just for the "plateau"). In a jeans pocket you'll notice that camera. Total thickness of the Air is 11.32 mm, while for example the 16e is only 9.48 mm.

I doubt you'll notice the bump nearly as much as you fear, and likely not at all if it faces out. Plenty of folks at the Cupertino rollout said the pocket feel was vastly different. I refuse to carry my 15PM in my back pocket for several reasons, but I hate the feeling of that brick in my front pocket. I believe this will be different with the Air, and thankfully all of this will be answered in five days...

 

[throAU]

Re pro-res.

The user experience of trying to offload 5-10-20GB video files over USB2 and its real life speed of 25MB/s would be nothing short of horrible.

Given the slim nature of the Air it might also be the case that it would overheat if you try to use it as a “production camera”.

It would probably just be a very bad user experience all together.

Why would you use USB when wireless network at 2-3x the speed exists? But yes.

But in any case, wasn't really looking at it from a user experience perspective. Just "what makes the pro SOC Pro". Must be the RAM.

 

[Donkey Man]

All of those are NON issues - iPhone Air all the way!

 

[one more]

Why did Apple choose titanium vs alumninium for Air’s body and rim, considering it is heavier and has worse thermals? 🤔

 

[DMG35]

There is zero reason to get this phone except as a collectors item. It's basically Apple just showing us they can make a super thin phone that at the end of the day does nothing for the end user.

With that being said I sitll bought one because I think its cool Lol.

 

[DMG35]

Why did Apple choose titanium vs alumninium for Air’s body and rim, considering it is heavier and has worse thermals? 🤔

Makes it less likely to bend.

 

[Mindfighter]

Why did Apple choose titanium vs alumninium for Air’s body and rim, considering it is heavier and has worse thermals? 🤔

It's a small frame, heat doesn't go out the sides/frame. All Airs electronics is in the plateau, i.e. heat will be going out of glass/ceramic shield.

 

[Yuuuki]

The more I read about the air the more I wanna try it. lol but as someone who really cares about battery life and Pro Max being to big for me.. I doubt that the Air is a good choice. That's why I choosed the base 17 hopefully with decent battery life. But I can see why someone would choose the Air.

 

[Mindfighter]

I'm curious what the difference is between the Air's "A19 Pro" with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2 and the iPhone 17 non-Pro's, "A19" (non-Pro) with 6 CPU/5 GPU, USB2…

It really does seem like the Air gets a "Pro" CPU just to make it seem better, even though it's absolutely identical to the non-Pro CPU.

Cache is larger on the Pro chip and assume there is a clock-speed difference (i.e. binned chips). But we'll probably get more details next week when people really start to dig into the phones.

 

[NateDMB]

I’m going with the Air because the form factor is the most interesting thing to me. I’ve been a Mac nerd since the early 90’s and had the top level phone almost every release. The biggest clincher for me was when I looked in Photos app, 90% of my photos were off the 1x. I’m very excited to try the Air.

 

[mikethebigo]

I’d reckon any charger for MacBook would work just fine. I’m using one to charge my iPhone and don’t see any negative impact on battery or thermals. I have some just for recharging purposes, given I have 3 devices and 2 power banks all USB-C.

Any charger for MacBook will definitely work to charge the phone. But, if you want the brand new "50% in 20 minutes" 40W wired charging, it will only come from a brick with the new PD spec. Even a 100W laptop power brick won't do it, because it doesn't have the right protocol. From other posters on the forums, it's a brand new PD spec that so far only the "40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max" from Apple can do.

 

[one more]

It's a small frame, heat doesn't go out the sides/frame. All Airs electronics is in the plateau, i.e. heat will be going out of glass/ceramic shield.

It still has the metal plate inside, so if it’s made of titanium, it might still heat up? 🤔