iPhone Air Impressions after Apple Store Visit (all new iPhone models)

[Markgnyc2]

Here are my thoughts and reasoning. This year there is truly an iPhone for everyone. You do not need to compromise. For me personally, I need the best cameras and the longest battery life. So while it would be cool to have the Air and experience the newness of it, I cant compromise and regret it. Everyone needs to assess what their needs are and purchase accordingly.

 

[aYvYyyPhNa]

I don't understand how the backs of the phones are getting scratched. From what I can tell, they aren't any different than the glass backs on previous phones.

Also, only one day in, but battery life on my Air has been fine.

 

[zenmacx]

I just went to my local Apple Store few hours ago, and something surprised me: The back glass of this year’s iPhones (all of them) appears to be very prone to scratches, despite the publicity of Ceramic Shield 2.

All the 2025 iPhones, the 17, 17 Pro and the Air, had scratches on the rear glass, around the MagSafe area. Obviously, the darker the color, the more visible the scratches are…

Your experience mirrors mine. My store visit was rather lengthy as it wasn’t crowded and I wanted a good look at all the new models.

As a very long time Apple customer with a huge selection of their products, it was an eye opener to see how poor the finish seems to be on all this years models. Scratches were prevalent on each and every model.

Given the positioning as a premium brand that Apple attaches a premium price to, this is unacceptable. Yet sadly, a huge contingent of consumers shrug their shoulders and pay with no pushback. The companies power and influence is amazing.

It’s great to be Apple.

 

[Isamilis]

My impressions from the store are largely the same as the OP's.

Pro - the orange in person seemed a bit too much as opposed to the photos. It looks nice, but I know the novelty would wear off for me and I'd be better served with a more neutral, more muted color. The silver doesn't look impressive at all, looks rather bland with the unibody design, but the blue one looks really good in person. It's a shame about paint issues, though. The Pros have never looked less premium and less enticing to me. I particularly dislike the back plate which shines under certain angles and stands out too much from the rest of the body. That plate doesn't sit flush on all corners, too. All in all, I wouldn't buy this phone.

Air - massively underwhelmed. I have my doubts about the performance of this phone, but I did expect to be impressed with the new design and the thinness. When I held it, different story. It looks nice but that's it, no wow factor for me. Given that this phone's main advantage is the design, I was surprised by how uninspiring it was for me when I saw it in person. If it didn't have the plateau bump, it would be a different story, but that bump is just too thick for me to appreciate the thinness of the rest of the phone. What surprised me the most is that I could see frame drops already, on day 1, on a brand new unit. This tells me the throttling will be real in this one. When it comes to smoothness of the user experience, the difference between the Pro and the Air is clear, which is surprising as I'd expect that to show when the phone runs hot. The phone was not even warm and I could see frame drops in the first few seconds of scrolling through Safari, and other apps had this behavior, too. I think the Air will either have average-at-best battery life or it will underperform considerably as opposed to the Pro, because of thermal throttling.

Base - not much to say, same phone as last year, now with ProMotion. It's clearly not as fast as the other two. Given that the A19 outperforms the A18Pro which outperforms the chip in my 15 Pro, I was surprised that the user experience isn't smoother on an A19 with ProMotion in comparison with my phone. Granted, different OS, but still, if the performance gains are so big and the phone now has 120Hz, why am I not seeing a clear difference. The specs tell me that this phone should be faster and smoother than it is, but for the price tag it's a great buy.

Air is underwhelmed probably because most users’ priorities are battery life and camera while Air didn’t deliver (compared to other series).

I would say, iOS 26 also played a big role here. Unstable and resource intensive OS will degrade newer and higher spec hardware.

It would be a game changer if iPhone 17 can run iOS 18.

 

[aYvYyyPhNa]

Apple: iPhone Air has "strong" Titanium frame!
Real world: The aluminum frame of iPhone 17 is stronger.

Even the aluminum of iPhone 17 is stronger, especially since it's DENSER and THICKER.
iPhone Air is not only less durable than iPhone 17, it is ugly and the design looks very rushed.

What are you talking about? lol did you even watch the video?

 

[aevan]

So. The pro looks like a cheap plastic phone. The Air is the future.

It looks cheap just like all those aluminium MacBoook Pros and iPad Pros look cheap and plastic.... Oh wait.

 

[aevan]

Apple: iPhone Air has "strong" Titanium frame!
Real world: The aluminum frame of iPhone 17 is stronger.

Even the aluminum of iPhone 17 is stronger, especially since it's DENSER and THICKER.
iPhone Air is not only less durable than iPhone 17, it is ugly and the design looks very rushed.

You didn't watch the video, did you?

 

[aevan]

As a very long time Apple customer with a huge selection of their products, it was an eye opener to see how poor the finish seems to be on all this years models. Scratches were prevalent on each and every model.

Funny that I, another very long time Apple customer with a huge selection of their products, didn't see any of the poor finish you're talking about.

All the phones looked really good. Airs were the best looking ones, but I have to say - the rugged look of the Pros (and the new Orange) were really, really nice. These are beasts and look like ones - and as a bonus, the unbody feels great in the hand. Maybe the best feeling iPhones in a long while.

 

[Thats_Not_Marcus]

Here are my thoughts and reasoning. This year there is truly an iPhone for everyone. You do not need to compromise. For me personally, I need the best cameras and the longest battery life. So while it would be cool to have the Air and experience the newness of it, I cant compromise and regret it. Everyone needs to assess what their needs are and purchase accordingly.

This completely. I feel like for the first time in years Apple delivered a diverse lineup of products that fits the needs of literally everyone. Each device has its own crowd verses the standard, and Pro/Pro Max.

I experience these today at Walmart and the orange looked nicer in person. Loved the bigger 6.9 inch screen on it but for me I cant justify paying almost $30 a month for a phone through TMobile trade in. The Air is what I ultimately choose and it was strictly on the screen size as I prefer a bigger screen and I dont take many pictures. I didnt get to hold it to experience the thinness but touching the side was something else. The base 17 looked nice but the smaller screen killed it for me.

I am coming from a 15PM so screen size is mainly where I am. Battery life is typically huge too but I rather sacrifice battery when im typically near a charger verses going from a 6.7 inch phone to 6.3. Cameras arent a deal breaker at all.

 

[myWatch]

Visited the Apple Store on release day to browse the new models and if available, purchase an iPhone Air just for fun as a secondary phone on my other line.

After seeing the various reports and videos I was interested to see for myself. YouTubers focus typically favors clicks, engagement and impressing Apple with their fawning reviews. Reality can be vastly different.

We know the Air is somewhat of an engineering marvel, yet it’s not without its shortcomings. I'm not comparing it to other iPhones but rather comparing it to how I would actually use it and what I want in a thin phone.

Yes it’s beautiful and I don't place battery life at the top of my priorities so there's that. Testing the single speaker revealed dismal performance. Even for occasional use (I have ear buds) it’s a flat monotone experience. Not surprising yet disappointing. The display is typical iPhone, very nice.

Interesting the only new iPhones they had available for sale were the Air models in Black and White, no iPhone 17, no iPhone Pro or Pro Max.

Because of the shortcomings, especially what Apple didn't include compared to the brilliant Galaxy Edge which I currently own, I decided to wait until next year. Surely by then Apple will add dual speakers and possibly two cameras to become a true competitor to the well equipped Edge.

How do you find the sharp edges? I couldn't get use to it, was uncomfortable to hold.

 

[splifingate]

How dare they!

Off with their head!

 

[Sethr]

I just got back from an Apple Store in London , fully expecting to either upgrade my 15 Pro Max (natural titanium)to either the Air or the 17 Pro / Pro Max. I left with my 15 Pro Max.

Observations:

• The store was packed. Nobody apart from me was looking at the Air, only the regular 17 and mainly the 17 Pro.
• The Air is underwhelming. I expected to be blown away by the design and the feel of it. It's quite nice, sure. But when you’re using it, it just feels like a thin, but gimped phone. It's clearly a precursor to a foldable. Liquid Glass looks like it was designed with the Air in mind.
• I compared the 16s in store with the new iPhones, and the anti-reflective coating makes a very negligible difference.
• Do not, do not, do not purchase the dark blue pro, or the black Air. The rear of these models were covered in very visible scratches. These would not come off with rubbing, or a micro fibre cloth. They looked shockingly bad; the orange and silver Pros, and the other Air colours were all fine- no visible scratches.
• The regular 17s are really nice and a great deal. The orange Pro is striking, but the novelty soon wore off. The only phone which left a lasting impression on me was the silver Pro. However there’s something about the aluminium this year that makes the Pros feel slightly ‘cheap’, almost as if it should be the base model.

Hope this helps some people. I feel like Apple are very much in a transition phase and these are ‘holding’ products, before something more radical.

I just got back from an Apple Store in London , fully expecting to either upgrade my 15 Pro Max (natural titanium)to either the Air or the 17 Pro / Pro Max. I left with my 15 Pro Max.

Observations:

• The store was packed. Nobody apart from me was looking at the Air, only the regular 17 and mainly the 17 Pro.
• The Air is underwhelming. I expected to be blown away by the design and the feel of it. It's quite nice, sure. But when you’re using it, it just feels like a thin, but gimped phone. It's clearly a precursor to a foldable. Liquid Glass looks like it was designed with the Air in mind.
• I compared the 16s in store with the new iPhones, and the anti-reflective coating makes a very negligible difference.
• Do not, do not, do not purchase the dark blue pro, or the black Air. The rear of these models were covered in very visible scratches. These would not come off with rubbing, or a micro fibre cloth. They looked shockingly bad; the orange and silver Pros, and the other Air colours were all fine- no visible scratches.
• The regular 17s are really nice and a great deal. The orange Pro is striking, but the novelty soon wore off. The only phone which left a lasting impression on me was the silver Pro. However there’s something about the aluminium this year that makes the Pros feel slightly ‘cheap’, almost as if it should be the base model.

Hope this helps

I just got back from an Apple Store in London , fully expecting to either upgrade my 15 Pro Max (natural titanium)to either the Air or the 17 Pro / Pro Max. I left with my 15 Pro Max.

Observations:

• The store was packed. Nobody apart from me was looking at the Air, only the regular 17 and mainly the 17 Pro.
• The Air is underwhelming. I expected to be blown away by the design and the feel of it. It's quite nice, sure. But when you’re using it, it just feels like a thin, but gimped phone. It's clearly a precursor to a foldable. Liquid Glass looks like it was designed with the Air in mind.
• I compared the 16s in store with the new iPhones, and the anti-reflective coating makes a very negligible difference.
• Do not, do not, do not purchase the dark blue pro, or the black Air. The rear of these models were covered in very visible scratches. These would not come off with rubbing, or a micro fibre cloth. They looked shockingly bad; the orange and silver Pros, and the other Air colours were all fine- no visible scratches.
• The regular 17s are really nice and a great deal. The orange Pro is striking, but the novelty soon wore off. The only phone which left a lasting impression on me was the silver Pro. However there’s something about the aluminium this year that makes the Pros feel slightly ‘cheap’, almost as if it should be the base model.

Hope this helps some people. I feel like Apple are very much in a transition phase and these are ‘holding’ products, before something more radical.

some people. I feel like Apple are very much in a transition phase and these are ‘holding’ products, before something more radical.

I had a very similar experience.

 

[einsteinbqat]

I, too, went to an Apple Store today to have a look at the PM models. I find the cosmic orange gorgeous. The silver and orange didn't have scratches on the back. The blue, though…

I sort of agree that the looks of the PM seem to be a "downgrade" from previous models. I believe that this feeling is caused by the fact the lines are not as sharp, not as clean. The unibody makes everything rounder, even when compared to the Air and non pro.

 

[zenmacx]

How do you find the sharp edges? I couldn't get use to it, was uncomfortable to hold.

Yes I did notice it wasn’t very comfortable to hold and that would likely get worse when holding it for a long period. I didn’t mention this fact earlier as everyone is different.

I was planning on buying an Air prior to my store visit, once I saw it, held it and heard how weak and flat the sound is from the tiny single speaker, that changed my mind.

Even though I have Air Pods, there are times when I just want to watch a short video and doing that on the Air today revealed how disappointing the sound is.

 

[one more]

Macros don't use the "wide" lens, but the "ultra wide" one which the Air doesn't have.

The wide lens can't focus that close (20cm? too lazy to google) whereas the ultra wide can focus on much nearer objects, which is needed for macro shots.

So this is the answer to your question why close-ups taken by me at Apple Store by Air and 17 differed, despite the same main camera.

 

[zenmacx]

IDK. It may be that there is no "better" aluminum anodizing, and that cheap aluminum anodizing will always look like cheap aluminum anodizing. TBH I expected better, and was very disappointed when I handled the iPhone 17 Pros.

Apple clearly took a step down with the new iPhone Pro metals. iPhone Pro sales should suffer for it; not everyone will value the cameras enough to spend $hundreds to get a substantially cheapened iPhone Pro like I did.

Without going on about the details, there are 3 classes or grades of Anodizing. Then there's the Aluminum material quality grade that the iPhone is made of.

If the phone is constructed from quality aluminum and a high quality anodizing process is used the end result is beautiful and very durable.

This is what the buyers are entitled to in exchange for the premium price they pay for an iPhone. The fact that the company delivers questionable quality is very revealing.

 

[MacRazySwe]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Macintosh101]

Without going on about the details, there are 3 classes or grades of Anodizing. Then there's the Aluminum material quality grade that the iPhone is made of.

If the phone is constructed from quality aluminum and a high quality anodizing process is used the end result is beautiful and very durable.

This is what the buyers are entitled to in exchange for the premium price they pay for an iPhone. The fact that the company delivers questionable quality is very revealing.

I agree. If this issue (scratches to the anodised coating) becomes as prevalent with the new models in the wild as it appears to be with the in-store display models, people won’t be happy, and it will cause Apple a real headache.

 

[svish]

Went to see all the new devices at a local store. The Pro models have a lot of scratches and this is on day one. The Air feels nice to hold but was not impressed with any of the colors. The base 17 colors could have been brighter but the Sage felt nice. Very happy to see a bright finish on the Pro iPhone. Much needed. Glad that Apple finally made one. Hope to see at least one bright color each year.

Very disappointing to see the scratches on the Pro iPhones. Have ordered an Orange 17 Pro Max from Apple online store. Will definitely be using a clear case with it.

 

[dantay]

Yes it’s true, unlike iPhones Android phones in general do not hold their value. Fortunately resale isn’t a deal breaker for me as I am a cross platform enthusiast that’s carried two phones iPhone and Android for over a decade. Each platform has it’s pros and cons.

Experience with many phones has taught me the flat front and flat rear profile with a reasonable camera bump suits my preferences. This is a major reason I do like the Edge.

Conversely the relatively large “platform” on the rear of the iPhone Air takes getting used to. Yet Apple did do a beautiful job with it. Going forward I’m expecting Apple to make some smart improvements which will make the Air an excellent choice.

I agree, I too use two phones the Z Flip 7 and now the Air, I like both for a number of reasons.

The slickness of the hinge feel of the Flip and the fresh clean design and balance of the Air, I know Apple will improve the Air but it already offers more than enough innovation to make it an excellent choice for a lot of iPhone customers.

Would you have purchased the Air if it had 2 cameras and 2 speakers? Or did you already know that as you’d recently purchased the “brilliant” Edge that you weren’t going to purchase the Air regardless?

The resale isn’t an issue for me either, not in the sense it would stop me buying what I wanted, I just don’t like feeling when I buy something that the market views it in such a way that it devalues overnight in the way Samsung products (undeservedly) do, this obviously has a lot to do with brand perception and desirability, after all Samsung makes washing machines and vacuum cleaners.

 

[zenmacx]

I agree, I too use two phones the Z Flip 7 and now the Air, I like both for a number of reasons.

The slickness of the hinge feel of the Flip and the fresh clean design and balance of the Air, I know Apple will improve the Air but it already offers more than enough innovation to make it an excellent choice for a lot of iPhone customers.

Would you have purchased the Air if it had 2 cameras and 2 speakers? Or did you already know that as you’d recently purchased the “brilliant” Edge that you weren’t going to purchase the Air regardless?

The resale isn’t an issue for me either, not in the sense it would stop me buying what I wanted, I just don’t like feeling when I buy something that the market views it in such a way that it devalues overnight in the way Samsung products (undeservedly) do, this obviously has a lot to do with brand perception and desirability, after all Samsung makes washing machines and vacuum cleaners.

As a true tech lover, enthusiast of smartphones, tablets, laptops et al, it was my intention to buy an iPhone Air even though I have an S25 Edge.

Working in a cross platform Windows - Mac - Linux - Android - iOS environment affords me the enjoyment of staying current with those platforms.

Because the days of easily swapping physical sims are over, I now maintain multiple lines for my various smartphones. Thus I wanted to have both the Air and my current Edge to compare side by side.

I wanted to like the Air but frankly I was taken aback at more than just the poor speaker performance. Before even seeing the phone I was fully aware it had just one monotone speaker. Much like I was willing to compromise on battery life. There is no perfect device, and it’s the variety and differences I celebrate. It’s why I buy multiple devices.

Make no mistake I am not criticizing the Air, just sharing my thoughts and in-store experience as well as my preferences. It’s encouraging that Apple has created the Air and I fully expect the next generation to be significantly improved. Decades as a loyal, satisfied Apple customer proves that to be true.

 

[tivoboy]

I’ve had a lot of anodized aluminium products in my life and it usually takes quite a bit to create scratches that are obvious.. what is it about apples process that apparently makes this more of a a problem?

 

[adrianlondon]

I’ve had a lot of anodized aluminium products in my life and it usually takes quite a bit to create scratches that are obvious.. what is it about apples process that apparently makes this more of a a problem?

Very sharp angles on the camera bump (apparently):

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Just picked up the Blue 17PM. I impressed by how much better it feels in hand vs the 16PM. The weight of the two phones feels identical in hand, and I really tried to feel the difference. Slapped on Apple's blue silicone back case. I like the orange 17PM better, but the blue looks good, and I know I would eventually get sick of looking at orange.

Held the Air while at the Apple store. Not impressed in comparison to the hype around it. Didn't feel that great in hand, but maybe a back case or bumper could change that. The Air is nice for what it is, but not $1k starting price nice. I was holding the white Air, and I do wish that was a color choice for the 17PM. It looked really good.

IMO, the regular iPhone 17 is the best bang for the buck and has almost everything the pro has. The fact that the Air is priced higher is crazy.

 

[tomtad]

I don't understand how the backs of the phones are getting scratched. From what I can tell, they aren't any different than the glass backs on previous phones.

Also, only one day in, but battery life on my Air has been fine.

And that glass scratches up as well, it has done ever since they switched to the matt glass with the 15 (I think). The previous glossy glass was more durable and I wish they'd go back to it