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I'm surprised by how few people on here ever mention the screen size when talking about the Air vs the 17. Maybe it's because I'm coming from the 16 Plus, but the screen size was definitely a factor for me when picking the Air. Plus it's a joy to hold - so slim and light

I'm definitely going to need the Magsafe battery but I think I'm settling on keeping this rather than switching to one of the others. I just don't think I can stomach going back to the Plus or the weight of the Pro Max and I can't stomach going down in screen size to the 17 or the Pro, either.

Yeah for plus and max users dropping down is noticeable. I was a plus/max user until I downsized last year to the 16P (after using a 16PM for 2 weeks) and I found the 6.3” perfect for 1 handed usage. I didn’t plan to upsize anymore but the Air form factor was too enticing. The Air is an actually a tad wider than I’d like but I can live with it.
 
His battery test burned through the last 1/3 of iPhone Air battery with 4K video recording. If doing a lot of 4K video recording, gaming, or other intensive tasks, the Pro is for sure the better bet.

The iPhone Air has comparable battery life to other phones for “normal” tasks (video playback, audio playback, web browsing, phone calls, texting, etc.). It’s not going to be comparable on tasks that require a lot of processing power and will deplete the smaller battery much quicker than a phone with a larger battery. For 4K video recording, or something else that is a power hog, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could last almost twice as long as the iPhone Air.

Yeah but even without the 4k video that the differences are an anomaly compared to other tests, one of the big improvements to efficiency seems to be Apples modem and he nullifies that completely by not letting the phones connect to a cell network.

He isn’t a data driven reviewer so his tests are more often than not flawed, he even botched the scratch resistant test with his hardness picks in the 17 Pro review. Great watch for other things than benchmarks and tests though.

But I agree, high intensity tasks will drain a higher percentage from the Air than the Pros. For those tasks the efficiency improvements doesn’t really matter and raw battery size is where it is at.
 
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I’ve watched a few reviews and music videos on YouTube in landscape today and it’s absolutely fine. Sure, it’s not as rich sounding as the dual speakers on my 14PM, but it’s more than sufficient for casual content consumption. If I was wanting to watch a 2 hour blockbuster movie, I’d probably be putting on the AirPods though.
Id like to hear this from a 16 and up user as even the base 16 blew the 14s speakers out the water in sound quality, i could see older phone users wouldnt think its that bad but 16 users had incredible sound upgrades
 
Id like to hear this from a 16 and up user as even the base 16 blew the 14s speakers out the water in sound quality, i could see older phone users wouldnt think its that bad but 16 users had incredible sound upgrades

I had the 16 PM and trying to say you want to use that over the Air is to me like trying to argue that one pile of **** tastes better than another one, both are well below what I’d consider worth using for anything other than alerts and alarms.
 
Well, I think it’s worthwhile to point out for people that Apple are basically lying about the battery life on the Air. Suggesting it’s on par with the 16 Pro is simply not true.

In my experience the Air’s battery life was comparable to my two year old iPhone 15 with 89% battery health.
Their claim was video playback duration being on par with the 16P, which isn’t really going to apply to anybody’s actual usage. So far on average work days I’m getting close to the battery life I got with my 16P with 93% capacity. That obviously changes with more power hungry tasks that simply need more capacity. But it’s been efficient on an average weekday for me which consists of a handful of calls, emails, messages, 2-3 hours browsing, ~45 min of CarPlay music streaming and gps, 1 hour social media scrolling and a couple snapshots. I think it will be far and between that I’ll get to bed with a depleted battery. If I keep it topped off in the multiple places I have wireless charging, then I’ll have plenty of juice to spare on most days.
 
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Id like to hear this from a 16 and up user as even the base 16 blew the 14s speakers out the water in sound quality, i could see older phone users wouldnt think its that bad but 16 users had incredible sound upgrades

I probably tested audio back and forth for over an hour between the Air and 16P and think it’s fine for casual content. The 16P speakers are absolutely better but the Air speakers are plenty loud and clear enough for things like podcasts and social media videos. You can really notice the lack of base and depth in music but I personally don’t listen to music through my speakers in the first place.
 
I use my 16 pro speakers a lot around the house as WFH, mostly sport and trashy radio shows, wouldn't want anything worse.
Don't want to have plugs in or headphones on all day, use those at night or early morning.
 
I am currently on a iPhone 13Pro. I tried the iPhone Air for a couple days. Battery life was certainly improved and the increased screen size, clarity and brightness were awesome. Additionally the weight was dramatically different. I also like that they both are titanium. The Air camera actually took pictures that were clearer and brighter than my iPhone 13 pro. Also the one speaker was plenty loud enough, I never even maxed it out. I usually use the speaker indoors, maybe outside would be a different experience. The reason I returned the phone was price, it didnt do enough to justify a $1000 cost. I am a casual user and while really all I want is to leave the “lightning” connection behind. I’ll keep my iPhone 13Pro another year. It still functions perfectly fine.
 
That was only one or two channels that tested it, and they did the most basic test imaginable.

Mrwhostheboss does a very thorough test and his showed the regular 17 and even 16 having a substantially higher amount of battery life than the Air.


Thanks for that, wow the difference between the Air and the 17 Pro Max is HUGE! The Max was at around 40% battery life when the Air died!!!.. that's an entire day of use nearly. You certainly need to think about that with the Air.
 
Thanks for that, wow the difference between the Air and the 17 Pro Max is HUGE! The Max was at around 40% battery life when the Air died!!!.. that's an entire day of use nearly. You certainly need to think about that with the Air.

I just charge my Air for about 30 or 45 minutes halfway day, than it easily gets me through the day (0700AM-1030PM). I assume that most people are able to charge their iPhone (office/work, at home, in the car)
Or just must live in a jungle, than I understand the anxiety with battery
 
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Yeah but even without the 4k video that the differences are an anomaly compared to other tests, one of the big improvements to efficiency seems to be Apples modem and he nullifies that completely by not letting the phones connect to a cell network.

He isn’t a data driven reviewer so his tests are more often than not flawed, he even botched the scratch resistant test with his hardness picks in the 17 Pro review. Great watch for other things than benchmarks and tests though.

But I agree, high intensity tasks will drain a higher percentage from the Air than the Pros. For those tasks the efficiency improvements doesn’t really matter and raw battery size is where it is at.
Mrwhostheboss was the only test I saw that utilized 4K video, but you’re calling that an anomaly and flawed? I’d call that a more realistic and accurate test. I shoot 4K video fairly regularly, so seeing the Air drain at a super rapid pace was a huge red flag for me.

The cellular situation is likely to be a tiny difference point compared to the things he focused on in his test.
 
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Mrwhostheboss was the only test I saw that utilized 4K video, but you’re calling that an anomaly and flawed? I’d call that a more realistic and accurate test. I shoot 4K video fairly regularly, so seeing the Air drain at a super rapid pace was a huge red flag for me.

The cellular situation is likely to be a tiny difference point compared to the things he focused on in his test.

That is not what I said, I said that even when removing the 4k portion of the test his numbers does not seem to line up with most other similar tests I’ve been able to find. And yes I think that removing how efficient the modem is as a variable when testing a cell phone makes the test flawed, it is a basic feature of a phone and that he is omitting that could explain why his results seem to differ.
 
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Does the MagSafe battery pack leave a mark on the back of the Air?

For those of you who are using an Air with the MagSafe battery pack, have you noticed whether it leaves a mark on the back of the phone, like the MagSafe charger does? If any of you have noticed a mark, which colour phone are you using?
ps: I’m particularly interested to know whether the black colour Air gets marks with the pack. But comments on any colour of Air are most appreciated.
 
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That is not what I said, I said that even when removing the 4k portion of the test his numbers does not seem to line up with most other similar tests I’ve been able to find. And yes I think that removing how efficient the modem is as a variable when testing a cell phone makes the test flawed, it is a basic feature of a phone and that he is omitting that could explain why his results seem to differ.

It also doesn’t line up with my experience using the device. I ended yesterday at 40%. Sure, I didn’t shoot any 4k video, and maybe a Pro Max would have ended with 75% battery, but I’m still going to put it on the charger overnight, so I don’t really care.

I’d also argue the idea that a test can prove which phone is “best” is flawed to begin with. If I am doing heavy, computationally intense tasks then of course the Pro is going to be better for those needs. I don’t need some influencer to tell me that.
 
I just charge my Air for about 30 or 45 minutes halfway day, than it easily gets me through the day (0700AM-1030PM). I assume that most people are able to charge their iPhone (office/work, at home, in the car)
Or just must live in a jungle, than I understand the anxiety with battery

Good for you, not everyone is like that nor do they 'live in a jungle'... the Air's battery life is a compromise no matter which way you look at it. You assume wrong.
 
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Ooooohhhh...now that is a bummer! I have the black Air and one of my biggest concerns is the durability of that finish and it looks like not very durable. I guess it makes the case for always have it in a case.
Considering exchanging mine for a different color. I love the black, but it doesn't look like it'll hold up great. Already have a scratch on mine.
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