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

The lower positioned Dynamic Island and how it'll cut into content even more has been talked about for months now, I don't get it how out of a sudden some "techfluencers" and tech sites are shocked and surprised about that...

These phones are still available to get on release day in Europe and that's not surprising at all... not everyone wants to pay $999 (or actually even more in Europe) for a phone that is inferior to previous Pro iPhone that cost the same.
1 camera, 1 speaker and mediocre battery life are dealbreaker "features" for most people.
 
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code-m said:
Until their realize that the rear camera is limited and no stereo speakers for speakerphone calls.
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I suspect most Air buyers won’t care or notice. They’ll use it like a P&S camera, posting pictures and viewing them on the phone.

I never really understood why stereo on phone was needed. It’s not like the sound is great, and if you use it as a speaker phone an external speaker phone device is always an option. I have one that I use and is small enough to carry on trips and sound is far better than on my iPhone Pro.
 
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one more said:
Why did Apple choose titanium vs alumninium for Air’s body and rim, considering it is heavier and has worse thermals? 🤔
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Titanium is not heavier than aluminium when it comes to making a phone, that is a misdirect from Apple based on aluminium having a lower density. The best (for this purpose) titanium alloys have a better strength to weight ratio than the best aluminium alloys, so to reach a certain strength you need more aluminium in weight (and volume) than titanium.

Apple wanted to make the Air thin, light and strong so then titanium is the obvious choice for that. I would expect the foldable they release to be made from titanium as well since they want the same properties on that.
 
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It's a very compelling phone. I wish Apple started selling pro cameras that attach to your phone via MagSafe, so we can have the Air and turn it into a "Pro" at least as far as camera is concerned. I suppose Apple would need to invent a way to transfer 4k video recording losslessly wirelessly while recording. Or include high speed storage cache into the MagSafe camera.
 
Way too compromised and WAY overpriced, plus the fact it will have poor battery life and thermal throttle, it has the same chip in it as the Pro models but the Pro has a thicker chassis and vapour chamber cooling for the SOC. IMO if you are looking at the Air get a standard iPhone 17, it will be a much better buy.
 
For my usage I don't find the Air compromising in any way now non Pro models feature 120Hz and AOD. Why do I want it? I would like to try a bigger screen without the weight (I also have wrist issues). I use phones caseless, I think it looks great and hopefully feels great in hand.

When I want to properly listen to something on my phone, I'll use headphones. When I do use the speakers, it's in a quiet environment where I wont disturb others and I'll mostly be at vol level 2 give or take.

Can't remember the last time I plugged my phone to transfer anything. I added my home server to the files app and transfer photos/videos via sharing to files.

When I had the 13 mini, I ended the day with ~30%. I find the 14 Pro when new was like an eternity of battery. Even when I had the 12 mini, I was in a role where I would sometimes go out to various sites and used maps, was still enough to comfortably get through the day. As a not so spontaneous introvert, I don't get caught out running out of power. If I need to be somewhere I'll make sure to top up before leaving. My last holiday using my 14 Pro to look up stuff throughout the day and take video had plenty of battery.

Not a mobile gamer or prolonged heavy task app user, won't even notice the lesser performance or quicker to thermal throttle. Nice that it still has the cache increase over the A19.

Don't use the ultra wide camera, happy enough with the main camera and like the 26mm focal length vs 24mm. With the upgrade to the tele on the Pro, maybe under less optimal light it won't switch to the main and zoom in. Nice to have but I don't mind losing it, having enough MP for a 2x crop is fine by me if I really want some reach. Otherwise I prefer a dedicated camera. For a little I was thinking phone cameras were getting good enough for me, but not a fan of the post processing direction. But that's a whole discussion in it self.
 
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To be honest, I don’t understand why people are fretting over having another choice in the lineup. In reality, most consumers will walk into the store, pick up the phones, fool around with them and pick what’s best for their needs.

It’d be like complaining that a car manufacturer offers more than two different models. Well, duh, they want to hit every possible niche. Off the top of my head, Toyota has the following crossovers/SUVs (not counting their cars, trucks, Lexus models):

CH-R
Corolla Cross
RAV4
Crown Sigma
Highlander
Grand Highlander
BZ4X
4-Runner
Land Cruiser
Sequoia

And there’s a lot of feature/pricing overlap too, with some being more efficiency minded, some being better people movers, and some skewing off-road. Whatever the case, you can find one that fits YOUR needs.

With the Air, Apple is trying to target people that prioritize thinness, a large screen and weight. I think it’s a noble direction. Don’t want the Air, Apple will gladly sell you a base 17 or Pro or 16e.

For me, I have an iPhone 16 Pro. I preordered the Air. The Air is said to have similar battery life to the 16 Pro, but is much thinner and lighter. That is perfect for me.

I work from home, so charging isn’t an issue. I have wireless charging in my car. So, also not an issue. I rarely use the wide/telephoto cameras on my Pro, I use my AirPods Pro or AirPods Max when playing music/watching movies, and I don’t use USB for data.

Bottom line, there are plenty of iPhones to choose from. No one is forcing you down one particular path. Choice is good!
 
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jedivulcan said:
The “Air” branding is a bit of a misnomer with the iPhone.

How it works for the iPad and MacBook are different.
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Well, what "air" means has been all over the place with the Mac. They can't decide whether it means "premium" or "entry level".

The original MacBook Air was a premium-priced ultra-portable, and the "Air" name seemed to be - at least partly - down to it almost totally relying on wireless connectivity (just 1 USB 2 port). The entry level at the time was a $1100 plastic MacBook, the Air was $1800. Then, over time, it turned into the entry-level MacBook and got better connectivity and the "MacBook" went away.

Basically, since the end of the plastic MacBook, there's a "just MacBook"-shaped hole in the product line that has been variously filled in all-but-name with the 12" MacBook, the base 13" MacBook not-really-Pros or old-model MBAs. Currently there's the "WalMart Special" M1 Air and the much-rumoured A19 Pro-powered MacBook sounds like the replacement for that.
 
darthbane2k said:
You cannot compare the performance of a 16e to the Air.
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I'll quote (again) the post I was replying to:

"Some people only use an iPhone to make calls, messages, email and don't care about cameras, usb speeds or even battery life that much."

You're telling me those users "can't compare" the performance?! 😄
I disagree. For most of those users, the performance will be very "comparable".

darthbane2k said:
Also, Why does this bother you so much?
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Bother?
Why would it bother me?
Anyone can choose which iPhone to buy.
 
The iPhone Air seems like a letdown. I initially thought Apple had no choice but to include only one speaker and one camera, along with a battery that doesn’t last a day, due to the iPhone Air’s slim form factor. That was until I saw the specs of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, introduced earlier this year. It’s nearly identical in size, yet features two speakers, two cameras, and a battery with 24% more capacity. What’s going on at Apple? Premium prices for mediocre components. I’m beyond disappointed.
 
Mazda 3s said:
To be honest, I don’t understand why people are fretting over having another choice in the lineup. In reality, most consumers will walk into the store, pick up the phones, fool around with them and pick what’s best for their needs.

It’d be like complaining that a car manufacturer offers more than two different models. Well, duh, they want to hit every possible niche. Off the top of my head, Toyota has the following crossovers/SUVs (not counting their cars, trucks, Lexus models):

CH-R
Corolla Cross
RAV4
Crown Sigma
Highlander
Grand Highlander
BZ4X
4-Runner
Land Cruiser
Sequoia

And there’s a lot of feature/pricing overlap too, with some being more efficiency minded, some being better people movers, and some skewing off-road. Whatever the case, you can find one that fits YOUR needs.

With the Air, Apple is trying to target people that prioritize thinness, a large screen and weight. I think it’s a noble direction. Don’t want the Air, Apple will gladly sell you a base 17 or Pro or 16e.

For me, I have an iPhone 16 Pro. I preordered the Air. The Air is said to have similar battery life to the 16 Pro, but is much thinner and lighter. That is perfect for me.

I work from home, so charging isn’t an issue. I have wireless charging in my car. So, also not an issue. I rarely use the wide/telephoto cameras on my Pro, I use my AirPods Pro or AirPods Max when playing music/watching movies, and I don’t use USB for data.

Bottom line, there are plenty of iPhones to choose from. No one is forcing you down one particular path. Choice is good!
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I cant imagine that the Air has really the same battery life as the 16 Pro. What I find interesting that the streaming battery life is noticeable lower compared to all other models, while the non streaming video playback has not this big difference. I wonder why that is.
 
Mazda 3s said:
It’d be like complaining that a car manufacturer offers more than two different models.
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I think "too many models" is a historical taboo for Apple and Apple fans based on a Steve Jobs KeyNote "product matrix" slide from the late 90s. Jobs inherited a dumpster-fire range of "Mac Performa Plus 5124/57CD-K+XL2|b TV" (OK I exaggerate slightly) along with a company circling the drain and had to wield an axe as part of saving the company.

Whether such a minimal "product matrix" is still needed by today's megacorp Apple is debatable, but I do think that a reasonably small, logical set of products is preferable to the sort of mess that you see from someone like Samsung.

I think Apple's main iPhone problem is that they have relied too much on keeping multiple old models around for several years to provide cheaper options, rather than designing new "economy" models every year - but that aspect seems to have improved with the 16e. Interestingly, they now (for better or worse) seem to be copying Google's model (with the Pixel N launched in September and a Pixel NA with maybe a cheaper camera and more plasticky case - but often updated electronics - following a few months later).
 
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You know, having spend 6+ years on an iPhone Pro Max 12 and Pro Max 14 it will be a nice change to have a different form and factor for once. It helps that the Air looks a wonderful piece of engineering design.

Agreed with others - this is definitely a no case device.

Sure it's a risk for me on some fronts, camera etc (I'm planning to buy a mirrorless compact if I want to explore my photography options, and the battery life fits how I use my phone), but life is short, and it helps to have a bit of fun with something new now and again.

I expect in 2–3 years time, all iPhone models will be this slim. Direction of travel and all that.
 
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cbns said:
The usb numbers are wrong here, displayed in bytes when they should be bits, effectively an eighth
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Wrong- it is displayed in bits. If it were displayed in bytes it would be MBps. Bytes has uppercase B and bits is lowercase b.
 
Chomp81 said:
I don't see one single reason to get the Air... except being thin and being the same reason people get an Hermes Apple Watch; to show-off they have money; which, it doesn't make sense; but even with that, seems like a silly purchase. Maybe I'm missing something

I'd like to know, why people will get it, I'm very curious.
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Usability. A lightweight phone, that probably feels great to hold but still has a big screen is a very tempting reason for me.
 
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I honestly don’t fully understand “most” (read, not all) techfluencers covering the air. I mean, yes, it definitely doesn’t have all of the features of the Pro line, agreed. But it feels strange to act like the average user wants/needs/uses pro raw, pro res, cinematic video, lidar, etc. I honestly think if you use those features, then yes, you’re probably the correct person to buy a Pro device. Heck, I think even the wording is often unintentionally misleading when we talk about the battery life. Is it the lowest battery life of the the new line? Yes, for sure. But when we use the word “worst” we really skew people towards thinking the battery life is bad. And by all accounts (obviously, real world reviews will prove or disprove apples claims) the battery will solidly get you through a day. My 16 pro has the same battery life rating and I’ve never ended the day lower than 40%. I stream a decent amount and take some photos and vids. And as many have said, I use AirPods when I’m listening to anything. I’m not saying there aren’t people who use their phone as a speaker, in which case, fair point to bring up the solo speaker but never even crossed my mind that it should be an issue. Anyway, end of rant. lol enjoy whatever phone you buy!
 
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BornAgainMac said:
Sticking with the iPhone Pro Max. If that phone is too heavy, go to the gym.
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I go to the gym, and have no problem picking up the phone. People don't like the weight; it's not that I can't handle
It. 🙄

I didn't like the weight of my 13 pro, and don't like with my 16 pro. I don't need a huge screen as I don't do content consumption on my phone.

All that said, I'm not upgrading.
 
Yuuuki said:
I cant imagine that the Air has really the same battery life as the 16 Pro. What I find interesting that the streaming battery life is noticeable lower compared to all other models, while the non streaming video playback has not this big difference. I wonder why that is.
Click to expand...
...because receiving and transmitting data over WiFi/5G unavoidably take a lot of power, while the hardware media codecs on modern chips are highly efficient?

At the end of the day it's got a smaller-capacity battery for the sake of thin-ness, so you're sacrificing battery life c.f. the same electronics with a thicker battery.

...but what is the logic behind making a phone which has to be 11mm thick at one end (to accomodate the camera lenses) and not using that extra thickness to cram in more badly-needed battery. Then selling the missing battery as a $99 extra... Oh, wait, answered my own question there :)
 
A much better device would have been the "iPhone Svelte", same size as the iPhone 12mini or 13 mini but weighing around 100grams and a longer battery life, plus all three cameras that are on the 17 Pro. All possible, but Apple are technologically lazy, it's so much easier to make a thin but heavy and large phone with lots and lots of design compromises ... and you had better get the Crossbody Strap if you don't want a bent phone! (After seeing the iPhone 17 presentation, I upgraded my 5 year old iPhone 12 mini by getting a new battery installed ... I live in hope ...)
 
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These are things that aren’t too bothersome for me. I use a Z Fold 6 for work so carrying a thinner phone as a personal device is optimal. While working I use my iPad so I can usurp battery life iMessaging with that. I have a HomePod for my bedroom for white noise to sleep. I can use the new AirPods for watching MLB games (only videos I really watch) some light YouTube or social media. There was obviously going to be some trade offs but this phone is for people who aren’t incessantly using their iPhone as if it is their only functioning device. Form over function is fine for the average person. Anyone who doesn’t like it or puts down the device just needs to purchase their preference and move on instead of bashing.
 
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