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I got mine in store and both the black Airs were scratched enough for me to not buy them. The sales woman with me was honest enough to tell me that they’re aware of the issue, and voluntarily showed me a dark Pro and said it’s not an Air problem but all the dark colours. She also said they suspect that it’s the MagSafe rings they’re using in store coupled with people being rougher when putting them down than they would be with their own phones, which is plausible but still not a sufficient explanation 2 days after launch
I have a Belkin 3 x 1 charger no scratching with it, the other colours are too girly for me just IMO.
They would have to be cheaper for me to buy one then would have to case it in black anyway.
 
Gonna be interesting to see what all these airs are going to look like in a few months, after going caseless to keep them thin.
Last time i used a case was iphone 4s and had every iphone every year, all had little to no scratch at all after a year of use... my only routine is not to put it with anything such as coins or keys in my pocket. Full confidence the air can handle going caseless.
 
I have a Belkin 3 x 1 charger no scratching with it, the other colours are too girly for me just IMO.
They would have to be cheaper for me to buy one then would have to case it in black anyway.
What do you mean no scratching with it, don’t have the Air?
 
I got the black because it looks more premium in my eyes. I love the blue and white, apart from the plateau, as it looks a little more plastic…? Whereas the plateau on the black looks glossier and more premium. Plus I have a thing for stealthy black phones.

I know it’ll come with the potential risk of more scratches, but I work from home three or four days a week, and I’m always incredibly careful when handling my phone, putting it down, etc. And days when I’m out it’ll be in a Moft leather case. I know some think having a case defeats the purpose of the Air, but to me it’s the best of both worlds - I get to experience the Air fully when I’m home, and when I’m out and about I know it’s protected. Besides, a case on an Air is still a lot lighter than a Pro Max in a case.
 
I got the black because it looks more premium in my eyes. I love the blue and white, apart from the plateau, as it looks a little more plastic…? Whereas the plateau on the black looks glossier and more premium. Plus I have a thing for stealthy black phones.

I know it’ll come with the potential risk of more scratches, but I work from home three or four days a week, and I’m always incredibly careful when handling my phone, putting it down, etc. And days when I’m out it’ll be in a Moft leather case. I know some think having a case defeats the purpose of the Air, but to me it’s the best of both worlds - I get to experience the Air fully when I’m home, and when I’m out and about I know it’s protected. Besides, a case on an Air is still a lot lighter than a Pro Max in a case.
Got a link to that case?
 
I got the black because it looks more premium in my eyes. I love the blue and white, apart from the plateau, as it looks a little more plastic…? Whereas the plateau on the black looks glossier and more premium. Plus I have a thing for stealthy black phones.

I know it’ll come with the potential risk of more scratches, but I work from home three or four days a week, and I’m always incredibly careful when handling my phone, putting it down, etc. And days when I’m out it’ll be in a Moft leather case. I know some think having a case defeats the purpose of the Air, but to me it’s the best of both worlds - I get to experience the Air fully when I’m home, and when I’m out and about I know it’s protected. Besides, a case on an Air is still a lot lighter than a Pro Max in a case.

Love the space black too but didnt like the black sides which in effect sort of makes the bezel larger as they combine into one color unlike the silver/shiny ones that act as a border for the slim bezel and you can see it when using it and side by side. These are just nitpicks though, i had both colors before deciding on the sky blue (the space black is actually still here haha waiting for a new owner) and yes you are right for me the Plateau looks better on the space black. As for the material scratching i think it will hold up pretty well even in black, its the fingerprints that i dont think i can maintain cleaning on a consistent basis ... but that matte black is a joy to look at
 
As someone who is coming from an XR, basically every single feature will be better with the Air - and since I couldn’t care less about telephoto lenses and other photo blabla, I am sure all will be fine.

The only open question is: which thin case or bumper should I get? Apple Bumper? Mous clear case? Other?
 
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So I caved and returned the pro for air. Can’t believe how bad the process for exchange is when you do carrier financing and the trade in was already turned in 🙃 luckily enough I got my last trade in as gift card value, and then I had a spare pixel I could use as trade in so I could still get the promotion.

Anyways, I really liked the pro. But I kept seeing reviews of the air, and also getting an opinion from my coworkers who got it. The air’s form factor is amazing, and I don’t mind the compromises as much as I thought I would.

My worries were battery, speaker, camera, and heat with the air compared to pro. The pros battery felt AMAZING, even coming from a 16 Pro Max. I thought the 16PM got too big for my liking, having pro max since technically the XS, as well as all the previous plus model phones besides the 8.

But I digress, back to battery; I’m always near a charger throughout my day, so I don’t feel like it will make a big difference for me. I picked up the air battery back for only emergencies when I need it because I plan to not have time to charge normally.

I don’t use a phone speaker as a full on Bluetooth speaker. The pros speaker although loud, the air still sounded fine to me for what I do on my phone when I don’t use headphones.

I feel like I’ll miss macro and ultra wide.. but I don’t use it as much as I think I do. And the air’s main sensor still looks great! I never record in proraw.. never even bothered using it even though I knew it was available.. and I don’t record 4k 120 because 60 is just fine and 120 takes up more storage.

Phone was warm setting up but felt like a normal phone warm.. not even close to how hot my 15 and 16 pro max were. So I think I’ll be fine. I don’t play super intense games on my phone other than COD and Fortnite… like twice every few months 😂

The pro’s design wasn’t ugly to me as others were saying, but I definitely felt more paranoid keeping it out of the case after seeing those scratching issues. I’m sure it would’ve been fine but the camera plateau was a weak point. I did also like the pro size much better than the max.. but I believe the air does have the peak iPhone design currently, and I wanted to actually feel like I have a new phone. It’s beautiful, the weight is light and feels much better in the hand to me than the pro max did. I feel like 6.5 is the perfect screen size for a “bigger” phone, but the thinness makes it so easy to hold. This phone I can rock with no case and AppleCare and be happy about it.

I’m happy the phone has the pro chip, so it’s still efficient and quick, and I think I’m happy with my choice :) whoever has also done the same and switched to air, I think you’ll all be very happy with your decision if you’re a casual phone user as myself that still wants the good features but also appreciates beautiful design.

I’ve seen others say, this is an iPhone Steve Jobs would’ve made. I don’t disagree. He probably would’ve preferred it smaller, but nonetheless this brings me back to my first iPhone, the iPhone 4. The wow factor is definitely there, and I don’t see it wearing off anytime soon.

Edit: forgot to mention lol, went from 17 pro dark blue, to cloud white air. Haven’t had a silver/white phone since the iPhone 4

Did you notice immediately how hard it is to go back to holding a 17 pro?

I'm currently using both the Air and 17 Pro and I got so spoiled with the Air's feel in the hand. Now the 17 Pro feels very uncomfortable for me to hold, like the grip is awful (for me). I think it's also because the camera plateau on the 17 Pro takes up such a chunky portion of the back that your fingers rest underneath it but it's too low to hold. VS the Air with a narrow camera plateau has so much real estate to balance it in your hand.
 
Love the Air

My only disappointment? Apple’s claims on the glass are simply not true. In pocket, on desk - nothing unusual.. and the screen is scuffed quite noticeably - bad one near the front camera and a bunch in one corner

So it turns out screen protectors are still absolutely needful if you want the glass to stay scuff-free
Apple created a case on that iPhone Air, it's going in to the labs - it scratched and scuffed way too easily. It's been swapped
 
You must have missed the part where I said I'm coming from an iPhone 16 and an iPad and looking to combine their usage into one device.

Also, I don’t use cases.
It sounds like you’re wanting something that isn’t really possible.

No phone is ever going to replace the size an iPad provides, especially when you’re saying the 6.5 inch phone might be too big.
 
Did you notice immediately how hard it is to go back to holding a 17 pro?

I'm currently using both the Air and 17 Pro and I got so spoiled with the Air's feel in the hand. Now the 17 Pro feels very uncomfortable for me to hold, like the grip is awful (for me). I think it's also because the camera plateau on the 17 Pro takes up such a chunky portion of the back that your fingers rest underneath it but it's too low to hold. VS the Air with a narrow camera plateau has so much real estate to balance it in your hand.
I didn’t mind how the pro felt in hand, I thought it was actually pretty nice size wise. But the weight was still there and still ended up hurting after long periods of time holding it up with my pinkie. The air doesn’t feel like that at all which I love. You right away notice the difference with thinness, and after a few days of using the pro, yes the air does feel so much better in hand.
 
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The Air is designed to dissuade these people, and quite rightly. If you use your phone like this then I would invite you to go and take a deep breath, of seawater.

shutterstock_smartphone_talk_into.jpg

Some people use phones like that because they are more sensitive to radiation.

If I hold my phone to my ear and talk I can very quickly feel a warm burning sensation in the exact area that the phone is held to my head. Don’t judge people for being different to you.
 
thank you guys for you reaction to my XS MAX post, I definitely will order one black Air.

What storage capacity you recommed? As it no RAW formats, 512GB seems legit. Maybe even 256GB is right amount (on XS Max I used less than half of 256GB)
 
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thank you guys for you reaction to my XS MAX post, I definitely will order one black Air.

What storage capacity you recommed? As it no RAW formats, 512GB seems legit. Maybe even 256GB is right amount (on XS Max I used less than half of 256GB)
I would say that if you use less than 200 GB of storage then the 256 will be fine for you
 
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It sounds like you’re wanting something that isn’t really possible.

No phone is ever going to replace the size an iPad provides, especially when you’re saying the 6.5 inch phone might be too big.
Practically all the humans I know can function perfectly fine without an iPad. These days, more than half function without a computer. I would like to see if I could do the same to minimize my devices.
I have typically only used my phone when outside the house and my iPad inside. Such practice had limited reasons for a phone any larger than the Mini.
If I’m unable to replace the iPhone 16 + iPad combo with the Air, I’m going to return the Air and replace the 16 with a 12 Mini along with using the iPad.
It’s apparent that you have an entirely different concept of technology and integrating it into one’s lifestyle than I do so I don’t think you really have anything valuable to contribute to this conversation.
 
Practically all the humans I know can function perfectly fine without an iPad. These days, more than half function without a computer. I would like to see if I could do the same to minimize my devices.
I have typically only used my phone when outside the house and my iPad inside. Such practice had limited reasons for a phone any larger than the Mini.
If I’m unable to replace the iPhone 16 + iPad combo with the Air, I’m going to return the Air and replace the 16 with a 12 Mini along with using the iPad.
It’s apparent that you have an entirely different concept of technology and integrating it into one’s lifestyle than I do so I don’t think you really have anything valuable to contribute to this conversation.
this conversation.
Seems to me that if you are looking to replace your 16+, you would do so with the Air + iPad combo, and not look to replace the 16+ and iPad with the Air alone, especially when you say if it doesn't work, you will replace the current combo with another phone+ iPad combo.

If I didn't know any better, it looks like you are setting yourself up to find fault with the Air ahead of time, so you can justify getting the 12 mini afterwards. Basically, the first 2 sentences of your post are not congruent with the rest of your post.
 
The Air is designed to dissuade these people, and quite rightly. If you use your phone like this then I would invite you to go and take a deep breath, of seawater.

shutterstock_smartphone_talk_into.jpg

Absolutely ridiculous thing to say.

For one thing, using the phone this way is more comfortable and hygienic because you're not pressing it aganst your face and the screen isn't taking on any of the oils from your skin. Not to mention sweat during hot summers.

But in terms of practicality, using the phone like this enables you to... you know... use it while on a phone call. I will often be in a situation where I have to look at something, for example for work when someone calls me up and says "I just sent you something on Viber, can you open it and look at page XY". If I'm not sitting in front of my MBP at that moment, there is no other solution that to use the phone this way. This happens on private calls, as well. I often find myself in a situation where someone sends me something during a call or I have to look something up or make a note while I'm talking on the phone. Most of my calls will end up on speaker because this enables me to see the screen of my phone and interact with it.

I don't hold the phone this way in public as I don't want other people to hear my conversations, but most of my calls are done inside my apartment and talking this way makes everything much easier.
 
I see the convenience for sure, but given the choice I’d always take the opportunity to charge it for that time.

Does the wireless charge outpace the drain from wireless CarPlay on the Air?
I tend to hop in the car and go with my phone in my pocket unless it’s a longer drive (1hr+). I do have a 3rd party wireless charging pad and it does keep up with the drain. It is not MagSafe though so I'm guessing the actual output is somewhere between 7.5-10W. Just wanted to compare my 16P and Air in different every day scenarios.
 
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Practically all the humans I know can function perfectly fine without an iPad. These days, more than half function without a computer. I would like to see if I could do the same to minimize my devices.
I have typically only used my phone when outside the house and my iPad inside. Such practice had limited reasons for a phone any larger than the Mini.
If I’m unable to replace the iPhone 16 + iPad combo with the Air, I’m going to return the Air and replace the 16 with a 12 Mini along with using the iPad.
It’s apparent that you have an entirely different concept of technology and integrating it into one’s lifestyle than I do so I don’t think you really have anything valuable to contribute to this conversation.
It’s apparent you’re probably thinking way too hard about all of this.

Why would an Air replace an iPad when it’s screen is only .4 inches bigger than the 16 you already had?
If you’re trying to limit your screen time just commit to trying to do that. Making up this complex situation to solve just seems like a stressful experiment that likely won’t change anything.

I’m genuinely trying to help.
 
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I got mine in store and both the black Airs were scratched enough for me to not buy them. The sales woman with me was honest enough to tell me that they’re aware of the issue, and voluntarily showed me a dark Pro and said it’s not an Air problem but all the dark colours. She also said they suspect that it’s the MagSafe rings they’re using in store coupled with people being rougher when putting them down than they would be with their own phones, which is plausible but still not a sufficient explanation 2 days after launch

Wipe it and the scratches go away. It's the matt surfacing of the rear glass which causes it, it's ever so slightly abrasive and if you scratch it with something metal (as a coin) part of the material will remain on the the back of the phone. It's no difference from previous iPhone models with the matt glass backs.

Personally I'd prefer if they returned to the glossy backs which don't require any wiping but in real world use where the phone is also sliding in and out of your pocked regularly these scratches won't be visible on the darker colours.
 
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