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Oh, hey— even more evidence that the iPhone Air is just going to become The new default.
Guess what? The iPhone 17 has a 3600 mAh battery and a second wide-angle lens.
What is the iPhone Air second generation rumored to get?
Oh… a 3500-3600 mAh battery and a second wide-angle lens.
Good take. Apple should just do away with the regular 18 or whatever they would call it and make the Air the new default.
 
Whether I like it or not is not the point. My comment was to someone who stated they could not even fathom why someone would not want an iPhone Air. My post lists some reasons why, and that it really isn't hard to understand.

If thin-light is the end-all-be-all phone feature then more power to you and enjoy.
No, that is not accurate. I was wondering why there aren't more people who appreciate the Air for what it is. Of course I fully understand that a lot of people prioritize battery life over thinness. What I am puzzled about it seems to be almost everyone.
 
I take my Air off the charger at 6:30am and plug it back in at 10:30pm. I only use about 60% of the battery in that time so it’s more than enough for me. The single camera is also more than sufficient, I don’t want a second lens to add bulk. So the Air 2 is a pass.
If you have it set to the new ‘80% limit’ battery feature, that’s perfect since you’ll also avoid going below 20% - thereby maximizing 🔋 longevity:


Two features I use to get great battery life are (1) airplane mode with WiFi on (SMS & calling still both work) and (2) low power mode on all day boosts the amount you can get by around 20-30% on a single charge

On an full (100%) equivalent charge I get about 18-20 hours of actual usage by using those 2 ⬆️ battery strategies (as well as a few smaller tricks) and also go thru the same 50-60% per day as well (which is about 10-12 hours of actual usage) The only time I use 20 is when I’m traveling (where the phones location automatically disables the 80% limit feature)

The ✈️mode trick will make a much more noticeable difference when in a location with 1 bar of cell service (versus 5) but is nevertheless beneficial in any scenario outside of say an important phone call - where having the cellular fallback for call redundancy would be important (if the WiFi call were to drop or cut out) I’ve rarely had that happen in the past few years but it can occasionally happen on a 2 hour call or if the WiFi itself is a weak connection or stops working because of an ISP or router failure

Any time a WiFi call cuts out, it will immediately switch over to the cellular connection if available (so that the call avoids disconnecting) so that’s something to be aware of for when expecting an important phone call (that would be detrimental if the WiFi all of a sudden went out) Under this scenario you could preemptively disable airplane mode in advance, allowing the cellular to then be available as a fallback when on an important call

I often do exactly this ⬆️ anytime I am expecting an important phone call because I’ve been in situations where either they or you (or both) do not have an ability to redial that call to get reconnected - necessitating a potential use case for cellular fallback ability

When at home, I overnight charge it w a 5 watt brick on my nightstand that Apple no longer sells (but Best Buy/ebay does) and that also helps to prolong battery replacement. I don’t care if it takes 2 hours to charge (versus 45 minutes) while I’m sleeping! lol fast charging on a 20w brick is only useful during the day

I skipped the Air 1 but am planning on getting the new one to replace my 15 pro max that I currently use as a secondary phone. It’s nice to see so many people like using it! considering it hasn’t really sold well. I read on the forums that it is surprisingly pretty durable too 🤨 so that’s an unexpected side benefit! 😳😎
 
The iPhone Air would be my ideal smartphone—especially if Apple offered it in a Mini version. I would genuinely love to see a compact Air model.

I'm not someone who judges a smartphone by its most advanced hardware features. I don't need two camera lenses, and I don't need stereo speakers. What I value most is a premium, well-built smartphone that is reliable and enjoyable to use every single day.

I also tend to keep my devices for many years rather than upgrading every year. Over time, I develop an emotional attachment to the products I use, which is why longevity, reliability, and a comfortable form factor matter far more to me than an ever-growing list of features.

That's exactly why I hope Apple considers bringing back a Mini-sized device. A compact iPhone Air would be the perfect balance for people like me who appreciate simplicity, quality, and a phone that's designed to last.
 
There's only two major, major drawbacks that I dislike about my Air:

- Single speaker
- No Ultrawide camera

I don't listen to music on my phone without headphones, and I am not someone who takes that many pictures, so I didn't think I'd care too much about either of these things. It took not having them to realize that these were actually pretty major sacrifices.

If a future revision keeps broadly the same concept, but adds these two things back, then I see myself staying on the Air line for good. Otherwise I think I'd go back to Pros... but they feel so, so chunky now.
 
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If you have it set to the new ‘80% limit’ battery feature, that’s perfect since you’ll also avoid going below 20% - thereby maximizing 🔋 longevity:


Two features I use to get great battery life are (1) airplane mode with WiFi on (SMS & calling still both work) and (2) low power mode on all day boosts the amount you can get by around 20-30% on a single charge

On an full (100%) equivalent charge I get about 18-20 hours of actual usage by using those 2 ⬆️ battery strategies (as well as a few smaller tricks) and also go thru the same 50-60% per day as well (which is about 10-12 hours of actual usage) The only time I use 20 is when I’m traveling (where the phones location automatically disables the 80% limit feature)

The ✈️mode trick will make a much more noticeable difference when in a location with 1 bar of cell service (versus 5) but is nevertheless beneficial in any scenario outside of say an important phone call - where having the cellular fallback for call redundancy would be important (if the WiFi call were to drop or cut out) I’ve rarely had that happen in the past few years but it can occasionally happen on a 2 hour call or if the WiFi itself is a weak connection or stops working because of an ISP or router failure

Any time a WiFi call cuts out, it will immediately switch over to the cellular connection if available (so that the call avoids disconnecting) so that’s something to be aware of for when expecting an important phone call (that would be detrimental if the WiFi all of a sudden went out) Under this scenario you could preemptively disable airplane mode in advance, allowing the cellular to then be available as a fallback when on an important call

I often do exactly this ⬆️ anytime I am expecting an important phone call because I’ve been in situations where either they or you (or both) do not have an ability to redial that call to get reconnected - necessitating a potential use case for cellular fallback ability

When at home, I overnight charge it w a 5 watt brick on my nightstand that Apple no longer sells (but Best Buy/ebay does) and that also helps to prolong battery replacement. I don’t care if it takes 2 hours to charge (versus 45 minutes) while I’m sleeping! lol fast charging on a 20w brick is only useful during the day

I skipped the Air 1 but am planning on getting the new one to replace my 15 pro max that I currently use as a secondary phone. It’s nice to see so many people like using it! considering it hasn’t really sold well. I read on the forums that it is surprisingly pretty durable too 🤨 so that’s an unexpected side benefit! 😳😎

I agree the low power mode with the current gen iPhone 17 is pretty powerful. I've done long travel days on low power mode and it really extends the life significantly compared to my other devices. The C1 chip plus the processors benefits from low power mode and frankly I don't need extra bright screen or background refresh when I am out and about.
 
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Whether I like it or not is not the point. My comment was to someone who stated they could not even fathom why someone would not want an iPhone Air. My post lists some reasons why, and that it really isn't hard to understand.

If thin-light is the end-all-be-all phone feature then more power to you and enjoy.
Thin and light isn't the be-all-and-end-all, but it is one of the variables. I, and others, might value that, and be willing to trade off other features that we don't care about as much.

Take battery life as an example. It is much argued about, but the Air has much better battery life than my iPhone 14 did new, and that served me fine. It's only now that my battery health is under 80% that it's a problem for me, so why do I need to prioritise battery life over thinness?
 
Unpopular opinion: this phone and the e shouldn’t exist.

iPhone and iPhone Ultra, in three sizes each, and nothing else. iPhone would naturally get thinner as tech improves, keeping the iPhone lineup ultra focused to two phones.

iPhone, iPhone Ultra
Apple Watch, Apple Watch Ultra
Apple Fold, Apple Fold Ultra
MacBook Air, MacBook Pro
iPad mini, iPad, iPad Pro
Mac mini, Mac Studio
iMac Studio
Apple TV, Apple TV Ultra (display, M-chip, AAA)
HomePod mini, HomePod Max
AirPods, AirPods Max

This concludes my TED talk.
 
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Rather it adds stereo speakers and the new single variable aperture camera, plus a bigger battery. I could care less about the 0.5 wide camera.

There’s no way you could fit a variable aperture camera unit in there plus it costs 50% more than the standard unit.
 
Coming from an iPhone 13 Pro, I love my Air, but I didn't consider my use case carefully enough and will not be returning. And as much as I loathe the look, feel and durability of the new aluminum body of the iPhone 17 Pro/Max, I plan on replacing my Air with either the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max. Why? Because I'm on video calls for large chunks of the day and find myself charging by mid-afternoon on most days. This constant need to charge has already brought my battery's maximum capacity down to 92%, in only 10 months, yikes! Plus, I don't always want to lug my Sony camera around to my kids's soccer games, so I'm missing the telephoto lens. Haven't decided if I'm going to trade in my Air, or keep it as a spare phone, I guess it depends on how much the trade in value will be.

Considering the Pro models in the 18 are meant to be particularly thick and heavy you sure that’s such a good idea?
 
Considering the Pro models in the 18 are meant to be particularly thick and heavy you sure that’s such a good idea?
Not a situation of what I want, but what I need, which is a phone that lasts a full day. And with the rumored Air 2 having a wide angle as the 2nd camera doesn't make a difference because I need the telephoto that is only found in the Pro phones.
 
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