iPhone Air iPhone Air - 1 Month in - My likes, compromises and concerns

[imp3rator]

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[Konvictz]

Yeah, but do you temember first gen macbook air? Premium price for premium/new/tech demanding design. Thats exactly what iphone air is.

Isn't that kind of what Apple is and always has been.

 

[majkom]

Isn't that kind of what Apple is and always has been.

Nope

 

[Konvictz]

Just to share another experience. I was at a watch shop yesterday and the salesperson held my air model. He was speechless for about 30 seconds whilst holding the phone.

 

[majkom]

I realy dont get hate on Air, it is beautiful piece of hw. It aint for everybody, but original mb air wasnt too. It will be, in few zears, new standard, technology must catch up with this vision

And btw, am i Only one who sees that liquid glass was designed for iphone air? It is so obvious, so that makes me think that air is new hw design language and future regular iphone

 

[CharlesShaw]

Yeah, but do you temember first gen macbook air? Premium price for premium/new/tech demanding design. Thats exactly what iphone air is.

Agreed. And the iPad Air needed a different name. And the latest MacBook Air may as well be called MacBook.

 

[michaelrdk]

A question for those of you who have owned the iPhone Air for a few weeks:

How is the polished titanium sides holding up? Is it as easily scratched as I fear?

Any differences between the color variants in regard to durability?

I really don’t know which of the white colors to pick, however I’m leaning towards the Cloud White because I feel it will be the most neutral. Usually I prefer a matte aluminum look over the shiny polished metals, but I’m very tempted by the iPhone Air in spite of the polished sides.

 

[GDF]

A question for those of you who have owned the iPhone Air for a few weeks:

How is the polished titanium sides holding up? Is it as easily scratched as I fear?

Any differences between the color variants in regard to durability?

I really don’t know which of the white colors to pick, however I’m leaning towards the Cloud White because I feel it will be the most neutral. Usually I prefer a matte aluminum look over the shiny polished metals, but I’m very tempted by the iPhone Air in spite of the polished sides.

Have used my Space Black Air caseless and with no screen protector for over a month and it is flawless.

 

[stanza.richi]

A question for those of you who have owned the iPhone Air for a few weeks:

How is the polished titanium sides holding up? Is it as easily scratched as I fear?

Any differences between the color variants in regard to durability?

I really don’t know which of the white colors to pick, however I’m leaning towards the Cloud White because I feel it will be the most neutral. Usually I prefer a matte aluminum look over the shiny polished metals, but I’m very tempted by the iPhone Air in spite of the polished sides.

I’ve got Air Light Gold since 1st October, used most of the time caseless and it’s holding really really well!

 

[James6s]

A question for those of you who have owned the iPhone Air for a few weeks:

How is the polished titanium sides holding up? Is it as easily scratched as I fear?

Any differences between the color variants in regard to durability?

I really don’t know which of the white colors to pick, however I’m leaning towards the Cloud White because I feel it will be the most neutral. Usually I prefer a matte aluminum look over the shiny polished metals, but I’m very tempted by the iPhone Air in spite of the polished sides.

Space black Air here…. 3 weeks naked and still as it was when it came out of the box.
Just gets a wipe now and again to get rid of the finger prints, greasy marks etc and polishes up well. The polished titanium looks super premium and feels great ✨ ❤️

 

[James6s]

I realy dont get hate on Air, it is beautiful piece of hw. It aint for everybody, but original mb air wasnt too. It will be, in few zears, new standard, technology must catch up with this vision

And btw, am i Only one who sees that liquid glass was designed for iphone air? It is so obvious, so that makes me think that air is new hw design language and future regular iphone

You’re right there, the Air is a beautiful piece of engineering that’s sleek and premium. Apple has taken that luxury element away from the Pro series this year which has obviously angered some, and the Pro series has now become a more rugged looking tool with the best of the best packed inside. Although the aluminium seems more prone to damage than the previous titanium Pro devices.

As the Air is like holding a sheet of glass so Liquid Glass is perfectly designed for this device. I love iOS 26.

The Air is like a sleek & fancy looking sports car, expensive with a powerful engine inside whilst looking sexy but with some compromises some can’t go without.

The Pro’s are like a big luxury car with all the bells and whistles included so you get the best of everything, but with its own compromises. Big, chunky and heavy.

Two very different kind of people for two very different choices.

 

[deuxani]

You’re right there, the Air is a beautiful piece of engineering that’s sleek and premium. Apple has taken that luxury element away from the Pro series this year which has obviously angered some, and the Pro series has now become a more rugged looking tool with the best of the best packed inside. Although the aluminium seems more prone to damage than the previous titanium Pro devices.

As the Air is like holding a sheet of glass so Liquid Glass is perfectly designed for this device. I love iOS 26.

The Air is like a sleek & fancy looking sports car, expensive with a powerful engine inside whilst looking sexy but with some compromises some can’t go without.

The Pro’s are like a big luxury car with all the bells and whistles included so you get the best of everything, but with its own compromises. Big, chunky and heavy.

Two very different kind of people for two very different choices.

Yeah nice comparison. The Pro is like a Mercedes G Wagon or Land Rover Defender and the Air more like a Ferrari or Aston Martin. All great cars but for very different needs.

 

[michaelrdk]

Thanks for the replies, this sounds very promising for the durability.

I'll be using the iPhone Air caseless all the time (as I have all my previous iPhones).

Now if only I could decide on the color 😅 I haven't seen it in person, but judging by videos I see the colors as warm, cold and neutral white. If anyone would like to share why they picked a certain color, I'm all ears ☺️

 

[James6s]

Thanks for the replies, this sounds very promising for the durability.

I'll be using the iPhone Air caseless all the time (as I have all my previous iPhones).

Now if only I could decide on the color 😅 I haven't seen it in person, but judging by videos I see the colors as warm, cold and neutral white. If anyone would like to share why they picked a certain color, I'm all ears ☺️

I’ve always loved the black iPhones for their premium, sleek & stealthy look. They look great & that’s why I got the space black air 😃

 

[joshwithachance]

Thanks for the replies, this sounds very promising for the durability.

I'll be using the iPhone Air caseless all the time (as I have all my previous iPhones).

Now if only I could decide on the color 😅 I haven't seen it in person, but judging by videos I see the colors as warm, cold and neutral white. If anyone would like to share why they picked a certain color, I'm all ears ☺️

Space black won me over this year. As it's the only truly BLACK phone in this year's lineup, and the way the polished titanium just disappears while perfectly blending the screen into the ceramic backing is just... *chefs kiss*

It also feels/looks like the spiritual successor to the jet black iPhone 7 (to me), which adds a healthy dose of nostalgia.

 

[dizmonk]

Apple continues to reduce items in its products and raises prices and sits back laughing at all those who are reinforcing its greed and doing its customers a disservice while those who are mesmerized by the RDF will claim everyone who does not agree with them are haters. Fast-forward a few years when the entire iPhone line gets neutered and these same customers will claim Apple is not innovating. Since when did innovation mean removing things is beyond my understanding, to me it was to make something better while either retaining the same functionality or improve upon it. One less camera, one less speaker, battery that will probably age faster which will mean either land fill, expensive battery replacement or trade-in.

Make no mistake the iPhone Air is designed as a disposable product that will cost more but the gullible customer who defend it have fallen into Apple’s marketing trap.

Glad we don't fall into the hyperbole trap or predicting the future of a trillion-dollar company...

 

[Macdctr]

I have been a Pro Max user since they came out with my last one being the 15 Pro Max. At least with this we had the premium titanium metal case/frame and the phones looked premium. Not like the aluminum Pro series being sold today. To me the Air carried the "premium look" that I have been willing to pay the "premium" pricing for.

I went with the Air and pre-ordered mine with the 1TB storage option in Space Black. I chose the Air because it shared several features from the Pro series iPhones such as use of the A19 Pro processor, although one less GPU core, haven't noticed the reduced GPU core with my daily use in the month I have been using my Air. It also has 12GB memory just like the Pro series iPhones have and with the rest of the iPhone line has the 120Hz Promotion display and same FaceTime camera.

What separates the Air from the rest of the new iPhone line is just how thin and light this new iPhone is as well as how strong the frame is thanks to the titanium frame and Ceramic Shield glass. Overall I have been very pleased with my new Air and have since made this new iPhone as my daily iPhone and placed my 15 Pro Max as my "backup" iPhone. Like other's have pointed out regarding use of the camera and battery life I don't have a problem with this as my use case is not a power user use case. No regret in buying this new iPhone.

 

[iToph]

Can’t say it enough: I love the air. I’m a power user, 10+h screen on time per day. Absolutely no problem, just a little bit of a different mindset when using it. I use the time in my car to charge the phone, and I have the additional battery for my bedtime scrolling. Sometimes I sit at my desk at work and just plug it in.

Yeah, a Pro max battery is more convincing but with a few tweaks you get along really well.

Using the air reminds me of the good old apple days: make compromise to get the most esthetic tech product on the market. The air is gen 1, better battery and cameras will come. I hope.

 

[majkom]

Btw, is airs canera exactly same as regular iphone 17 (main)?

 

[Konvictz]

Btw, is airs canera exactly same as regular iphone 17 (main)?

Yes for using 1-2x usage.

There very minimal differences from what I've seen, some very specific shots which includes depth just slightly favours the pro. But most of the shots I've seen in person between the two or pictures on the internet have shown pretty much identical shots.

 

[dizmonk]

I’m surprised this is a debate. I never knew people would debate like this - although I’ve never really chosen - just went for the pro max each time except for now with the air.

I thought it was basically if you want everything then pro, everything + bigger screen and battery then pro max. If you want most things and ultra thin (me) then air.

I don’t recall people debating this passionately with other products like macbook pro vs macbook or ipad pro vs ipad air. Interesting.

I do remember something on this scale (although much lower) when the infamous touch bar came out... I wanted to love it, and I absolutely hated it. But this Air v. Pro/17/PM is on another scale.

 

[dizmonk]

One iPhone isn't really any better than another. Everyone has different use cases. Take myself: I was going to go all-in on the Pro but there was something about the Air I couldn't shake. As a student and practitioner of product design I'm a sucker for a well engineered product and I have a long-standing thing about supporting underdog devices.

I can live without the 0.5x camera as I only really use it for static objects when I might need to communicate something. I find the macro next to useless because you have to actually get close to things and there is no way to manually trigger it. Telemacro would be a welcome jump. The battery is better than my old 16 and I'm not 15 years old and don't listen to music from my phone.

What I gained though is well worth mentioning.

The weight loss is extraordinary for a large-screen device making it a lot easier to hold and use. I found the Max models in the past triggering latent arthritis. This just glides over that. The screen itself is its most underrated feature. Putting the dynamic island those few mm lower (likely to line up with the internals of the camera bar) makes such a difference when gaming or watching a video. On other models there is such a narrow gap with the bezel it may as well be another notch. Its the closest Apple have come to a seamless sheet of glass. The titanium frame makes it the sturdiest model of the current crop, if not ever.

Its not for everyone, but it is for me.

Well said!! Thank you. I've mostly had Pro Max's but can't really justify that anymore, given this new phone. And the arthritis thing is real, especially for those of us over 60.

 

[Bethanie21]

Justifying my purchase? How so? I bought the Air because I saw how ugly the Pro was. You justify a purchase that you aren’t 100% sure you wanted it or needed it. I was 500% sure this was the phone I wanted. Design and look of the phone is very important to me.

What? How do you know what I wanted? I definitely wanted the Pro, I’ve exclusively had Pros since the 11 Pro. Don’t assume what I wanted. You’re defending the Air because that’s what you purchased, ie justifying it because you purchased it.

 

[Bethanie21]

Let me change my words, it’s not an attractive looking phone compared to other phones on the market. The 16 pro was way better looking. The 17 also feels cheap with all that aluminum. The pro was built for power, battery and camera and the air was built for design. Simple. I preferred the design knowing that I don’t need 8x zoom or wide lens, or mmWave, or Lidar sensors. The battery matches my 16 pro. So I’m not making any sacrifices and everything to gain.

That’s your opinion. To me, the Air is ugly and the Pros aren’t. YMMV.

 

[bakron1]

As I said in a previous post, folks like myself who knew the Air was a niche device and it's limitations before buying one are liking the device. I use the Air primarily for emails, social media and mostly a phone and the Air has lived up to my expectations. Then you have the folks who thought they were getting the same performance and battery life as a 17 Pro in a thinner device and were disappointed and then complained about it, go figure. I love my Air.