iPhone Air iPhone Air First Impressions Mega-Thread [MERGED]

[surferfb]

That’s quite a take.

Mrwhostheboss tested the phones under ideal circumstances. Exact same settings, exact same brightness calibrated with a meter, and all fresh batteries.

Yes, different people use their phones differently, but the test is actually a precise way to know what is the real battery capability of these phones.

I'd never heard of Mrwhostheboss until this week, so I don't know what his normal use cases are, but as far as I can tell his benchmarks and battery life tests for the Air don't match what any other reviewers are showing, and they absolutely don't match what I am seeing with my personal Air.

I suspect he is doing a "pro-focused" set of tests, which of course will make the Air look worse compared to the Pros. That is super helpful for people with pro use cases who are interested in the Air, but not really helpful for most, because I assume people who care about things like recording in 4K, running LLMs on device, and shooting RAW already realize the Air isn't for them. So running those sorts of tests on the Air kinda miss the point, as far as I am concerned. (Although I understand why a video showing "iPhone Air Battery Life and Performance are Terrible" might get a lot of clicks and therefore Mrwhostheboss might be inclined to do something like that).

To use an analogy, if you're testing cars with a heavy trailer attached to the car/truck, then of course the Ford Focus is going to do worse than the F-150. But I'd argue that isn't actually a useful test because 99% of people who need to attach a trailer to their car aren't even going to look at a Ford Focus.

 

[Pezimak]

You must not have gone through this entire thread then lol. It wasn’t specifically targeted towards you, didn’t mean to come off that way. I just thought it was silly that people keep referencing mrwhostheboss for benchmarks and battery tests as though it’d really apply to most everyday Air users.

He is a trusted reviewer. He's been doing it for years. He has 21.6 million subscribers as a result. But obviously you never watch one review. And everyone's use case is different of course, the Air doesn't suite 'my' use case, if it did I would buy it as it reminds me of the 6S and that just got lost in my pockets and I loved it for that. But now I use the speakers daily and the cameras a lot and appreciate the better battery life, so I suffer with the size and weight for that.

 

[thatJohann]

Love the Air, but these little issues are starting to add up. I know it’s a first-gen product, so I’m not shocked, but they’re stacking into a real honeymoon-phase killer:

• Battery life – expected to be short, but it drops faster and more inconsistently than I thought
• MagSafe dependence – needing the Battery Pack to get through the day just makes the Air bulky again
• Speaker quality – past 50% volume, the single speaker starts crackling
• Heat – a 45-min Teams call left the top scorching hot, had to put it down to cool off
• Display shift – tilt it downward and you catch a vertical color shift that makes the screen look subpar

Still got 1.5 weeks to figure out whether I keep the Air or the 17 Pro.

 

[Sanlitun]

Background battery use overnight seems high. Disconcerting that it drops so much in stand by.

It’s worrying to me that there is barely enough juice to make a 911 call by early morning.

I’m hoping the next iOS update will help.

 

[CaféPicasso]

He is a trusted reviewer. He's been doing it for years. He has 21.6 million subscribers as a result. But obviously you never watch one review. And everyone's use case is different of course, the Air doesn't suite 'my' use case, if it did I would buy it as it reminds me of the 6S and that just got lost in my pockets and I loved it for that. But now I use the speakers daily and the cameras a lot and appreciate the better battery life, so I suffer with the size and weight for that.

There is a guy on YouTube who calls himself "Mrwhosetheboss"?? I mean, really? 😂

 

[Thats_Not_Marcus]

Just decided to buy another MagSafe battery... So now I carry two batteries with the Air. This is getting absurd.

What are you doing with your phone? Are you doing heavy task? Do you literally have dozens of apps constantly refreshing in the background?

I'm quite curious as this is now starting to make me uncomfortable. I'm on day one with the air.

I was in a meeting with my peers yesterday, one of them had a 17 pro and two of them had 16 pros. They have the phones in pretty heavy duty cases and it was shocking what giant heavy bricks they were. All of them were blown away by how light and pocketable the Air is even with a bumper case on it.

Yeah it's night and day when comparing to the heavier devices. When I had my parents hold my 15PM last night and my air they were shocked at the difference. I am intrigued by the bumper case, seems so simplistic, but I do drop my phone and am afraid it would land awkwardly on something pointy and do damage.

 

[BruiserBear]

I'd never heard of Mrwhostheboss until this week, so I don't know what his normal use cases are, but as far as I can tell his benchmarks and battery life tests for the Air don't match what any other reviewers are showing, and they absolutely don't match what I am seeing with my personal Air.

I suspect he is doing a "pro-focused" set of tests, which of course will make the Air look worse compared to the Pros. That is super helpful for people with pro use cases who are interested in the Air, but not really helpful for most, because I assume people who care about things like recording in 4K, running LLMs on device, and shooting RAW already realize the Air isn't for them. So running those sorts of tests on the Air kinda miss the point, as far as I am concerned. (Although I understand why a video showing "iPhone Air Battery Life and Performance are Terrible" might get a lot of clicks and therefore Mrwhostheboss might be inclined to do something like that).

To use an analogy, if you're testing cars with a heavy trailer attached to the car/truck, then of course the Ford Focus is going to do worse than the F-150. But I'd argue that isn't actually a useful test because 99% of people who need to attach a trailer to their car aren't even going to look at a Ford Focus.

It sounds like you still haven’t watched the video we’re discussing.

Mrwhostheboss is one of if not the biggest tech YouTube accounts out there. He got that big because he’s very good at what he does. He’s been doing phone battery tests for many years now. His video was not titled about how bad the Air was. It was titled “iPhone 17 Ultimate Battery Test”.

His test consisted of running YouTube for an hour, Instagram for an hour, a chat app for an hour, etc. He then ran a game and 4K video for an hour as well. None of those talks involve LLM, or things that I think most of us would consider out of the ordinary of “power user” behavior.

The point of the video is just to demonstrate where the true battery life of these phones is. I’m not interested in arguing about this any further. Just frustrated seeing people try and spin the video into some sort of unfair, inaccurate, or click bait video, because it was not any of those things.

 

[Thats_Not_Marcus]

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.
View attachment 2557745

This makes my heart hurt. I was originally going for the black air but went with the sky blue because of potentially scratching my device like this.

Wishing you the best with an exchange!

 

[Eekamouse]

Love the Air, but these little issues are starting to add up. I know it’s a first-gen product, so I’m not shocked, but they’re stacking into a real honeymoon-phase killer:

• Battery life – expected to be short, but it drops faster and more inconsistently than I thought
• MagSafe dependence – needing the Battery Pack to get through the day just makes the Air bulky again
• Speaker quality – past 50% volume, the single speaker starts crackling
• Heat – a 45-min Teams call left the top scorching hot, had to put it down to cool off
• Display shift – tilt it downward and you catch a vertical color shift that makes the screen look subpar

Still got 1.5 weeks to figure out whether I keep the Air or the 17 Pro.

I have had mine for about 4 days and have none of these issues. As of today been off the charger since 6 am have had 2 hours of SOT and am at 83%. I get at least 6.5 hours of SOT a day so far and today seems to be starting the best so far as the battery settles and gets used to my useage and if it gets a little low I just pop it in the charger for 15 mins and I had enough to get through. I work from home and am on WiFi all day so my results are not typical. But I would think anyone commuting or working from an office could easily top off the phone for 15 mins if they needed to. I had a 16 pro and after a year was having to top off the battery at least twice sometimes 3 times a day. If that happens to this phone after a year then I will trade in or replace the battery but the trade off for a larger screen and much lighter phone make that worth it for me.

Only ever got warm a bit when charging and my speakers are loud and clear and color on screen panel does not appear to shift though I use dark mode so it really is a non issue mostly.

Perhaps you go a bad unit and should return or exchange for a new one or a different phone if you decide the air does not work to you.

I am thrilled to bits with this phone and am happy they came out with it.

 

[robotphood]

He is a trusted reviewer. He's been doing it for years. He has 21.6 million subscribers as a result. But obviously you never watch one review. And everyone's use case is different of course, the Air doesn't suite 'my' use case, if it did I would buy it as it reminds me of the 6S and that just got lost in my pockets and I loved it for that. But now I use the speakers daily and the cameras a lot and appreciate the better battery life, so I suffer with the size and weight for that.

I’m quite familiar with who he is and don’t discredit his test (I've actually subscribed for years). There are also handful of reviews and test that show different results, this doesn’t mean those or his are right/wrong/superior. I’m just pointing out any of these rundown tests are comparing devices to each other for the usage shown rather than being applicable to everyone’s personal usage. We do have people coming here wondering if the Air’s battery will be enough for them. For example, Thats_Not_Marcus literally just posted something similar a few posts up. I think seeing other users discuss how their battery is holding up helps.

If you’re shooting a lot of 4k video, gaming, creating content and just frequently running high load tasks then yeah, the Air won’t hold up because capacity is ultimately king. But where it shines (for how much battery it has) is how efficient it is at the stuff I’d imagine most Air users are doing; messaging, video/music streaming, browsing, calls, social media etc… enough to last many of us through a day.

I think the fact that you don’t have an Air and already know it’s not for you but are in this thread debating about it is what a lot of us are baffled about. This is an iPhone Air First Impressions thread…

 

[surferfb]

It sounds like you still haven’t watched the video we’re discussing.

Mrwhostheboss is one of if not the biggest tech YouTube accounts out there. He got that big because he’s very good at what he does. He’s been doing phone battery tests for many years now. His video was not titled about how bad the Air was. It was titled “iPhone 17 Ultimate Battery Test”.

His test consisted of running YouTube for an hour, Instagram for an hour, a chat app for an hour, etc. He then ran a game and 4K video for an hour as well. None of those talks involve LLM, or things that I think most of us would consider out of the ordinary of “power user” behavior.

The point of the video is just to demonstrate where the true battery life of these phones is. I’m not interested in arguing about this any further. Just frustrated seeing people try and spin the video into some sort of unfair, inaccurate, or click bait video, because it was not any of those things.

I have watched. It just directly contradicts my experience with the device, and is also not been matched by other reviews and videos I have seen. So I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask why that is. I'm not saying he's being nefarious or anything, just that his test might be particularly ill-suited for the device. I don't think ANY of these first week or two battery tests do a good job of demonstrating the true battery life of the phone is. They're better than nothing, but I personally don't find them particularly helpful. But we can agree to disagree!

 

[MaxVerstappen]

Am I the only one who thinks the audio even at max volume is too quiet when making calls?! It’s subpar imo. 😕

 

[Zapdoc]

Am I the only one who thinks the audio even at max volume is too quiet when making calls?! It’s subpar imo. 😕

The audio on calls is also my issue otherwise it’s a fine device - torn between it and 17 Pro

 

[MaxVerstappen]

The audio on calls is also my issue otherwise it’s a fine device - torn between it and 17 Pro

Ohh… so I’m not the only one. Interesting.

 

[anthony131]

Battery

I've had the Air for about three days now. After spending half the day Sunday getting everything set up, I gave it a good test on Monday. Background: I'm coming from mostly using an iPad and sometimes using my iPhone 16. I work from home. I want to minimize devices and rely on just one.

Using the Air more than I would normally use the combination of the 16 and iPad in a day, I ended Monday at 18%. This included five rounds of Fortnite. I suspect this is "normal" for a lot of people reading this here.

Starting yesterday 7am at 100%, I still used the phone more than normal but I deleted the games. I'm still running on yesterday morning's charge and I'm at 13%. That's 30 hours at moderate-high usage on a single charge. I expect to get at least 36 hours on one charge today.

After the novelty of the new device wears off and I get everything configured how I like, my normal usage will likely yield about 40 hours on a single charge.

For me, if I can make it a full day with heavy usage, that's amazing. If I have to plug it in for five to ten minutes to make it through a crazy day of living on my phone (ie traveling), that's still nominal to me.

Complaints

• The screen is still too big but I'm giving it a genuine attempt.
• Would be better if the back were glossy to make it easier to hold.
• The point of balance is about 8mm north of center. It should have more weight on the bottom to offer more assurance while holding it.
• The speaker is sufficient, not great.
• The camera bump on top of the camera bump.
• iOS 26.

Positives

• The thinness feels appropriate. It's what all phones should be.
• From what I've seen from others, it seems like it's super durable and scratch resistant.

 

[robotphood]

His test consisted of running YouTube for an hour, Instagram for an hour, a chat app for an hour, etc. He then ran a game and 4K video for an hour as well. None of those talks involve LLM, or things that I think most of us would consider out of the ordinary of “power user” behavior.

I have watched. It just directly contradicts my experience with the device, and is also not been matched by other reviews and videos I have seen. So I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask why that is. I'm not saying he's being nefarious or anything, just that his test might be particularly ill-suited for the device. I don't think ANY of these first week or two battery tests do a good job of demonstrating the true battery life of the phone is. They're better than nothing, but I personally don't find them particularly helpful. But we can agree to disagree!

I do think his tests are valid at comparing between devices. The Air holds up fairly well considering its battery capacity. You can see it falling behind when he starts adding a higher load with a game and 4k video which is expected, the A19P peak power draw and lower battery capacity is a bad combo. I think 7 hour SOT is pretty solid for its hardware and obviously if you're not gaming + 4k video for 2 hours it'll probably stretch for a little more. I think the biggest mistake Apple made was calling the Air a Pro phone.

 

[Pezimak]

I think the fact that you don’t have an Air and already know it’s not for you but are in this thread debating about it is what a lot of us are baffled about. This is an iPhone Air First Impressions thread…

I did't, I replied to another post about his battery test video, then the OP of the thread replied claiming why would I or anyone else complain as surely we are all near a power outlet all day, and it has snowballed from there. This isn't exclusive thread for owners only.

 

[Apple_Robert]

One thing I have noticed the last several years is that more and more adults seem to rely on YouTube revenue makers way too much and ultimately allow said people to make their buying decision for them. And if that wasn't bad enough, the same kind of thing happens on MR, where a lot of people feel a constant need for purchase approval and acceptance on minor things such as electronics. Here is a thought. Do your own research, make a list of what you want or need in a product, and then make your decision without relying on YouTube and MR. It is really is sad to see grown adults struggle so much over the obvious. It makes me question how so many get through life on a day to day basis.

 

[robotphood]

Background battery use overnight seems high. Disconcerting that it drops so much in stand by.

It’s worrying to me that there is barely enough juice to make a 911 call by early morning.

I’m hoping the next iOS update will help.

This isn’t normal with screen off/idle. Something is draining your battery. What’s going on with the weather app? It shouldn’t be consuming that much, especially in the background.

 

[mlayer]

Joshua Chang chronicled a full day with the Air while visiting Apple Park and Santa Cruz, two of my favorite places.

 

[jmpage2]

I got up at 615am today and my phone has not been back on the charger. It's now 1137am and my battery is at 86%. I scrolled some social media, streamed audio while working out for an hour and answered some calls and texts, normal stuff.

I don't know anyone who plays Fortnite on their iPhone but it's good to know those people are out there to keep Apple on their toes.

 

[Ticket Eagle]

The audio on calls is also my issue otherwise it’s a fine device - torn between it and 17 Pro

Ohh… so I’m not the only one. Interesting.

Are you referring to when using speakerphone, non-speaker phone calls, or both? Thanks.

 

[ripkord]

That’s quite a take.

Mrwhostheboss tested the phones under ideal circumstances. Exact same settings, exact same brightness calibrated with a meter, and all fresh batteries.

Yes, different people use their phones differently, but the test is actually a precise way to know what is the real battery capability of these phones.

Yet several other channels get completely different results. 🤔

 

[robotphood]

I got up at 615am today and my phone has not been back on the charger. It's now 1137am and my battery is at 86%. I scrolled some social media, streamed audio while working out for an hour and answered some calls and texts, normal stuff.

I don't know anyone who plays Fortnite on their iPhone but it's good to know those people are out there to keep Apple on their toes.

iPhones are very capable gaming devices. But the battery life, lack of active cooling definitely hold it back, especially if you're putting in a good amount of time on top of using it as a portable computer for a whole day.

 

[jmpage2]

iPhones are very capable gaming devices. But the battery life, lack of active cooling definitely hold it back, especially if you're putting in a good amount of time on top of using it as a portable computer for a whole day.

I think what you maybe don't realize is that millions of people have access to regular computers for anything serious they are doing and the iPhone is primarily a communications device. The Air is for those people.