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

[colonelbutt]

The Air is amazing. it has a large sharp screen and the best phone cpu apple currently produced.
It is effectively two phones in one.
1. A super slim and light phone for everyday use.
2. A long battery heavy duty phone, with the charging backpack

The only criticism I have, which I didn't know about before I bought, is that the camera doesn't take pictures as close up as my old 16 plus camera did. I need this for ebay sales photos and also sometimes when something has to be examined in a magnified way (watch face, fountain pen nib, serial number to small to read, etc.), I am used to taking a photo with the phone, and then expanding it. This is not so great on the air. Hopefully this aspect of the camera will be improved in the next version!

Otherwise fabulous!

 

[rambo47]

The camera is what's holding me back from the 17 Air. I'll wait for the next gen Air and stick with my 16 Pro Max for now.

 

[pdaholic]

I keep going back and forth between my 15 plus and the Air (because of the lack of display port output). The Air feels so good to hold. It’s hard going back to any other phone!

 

[Zaft]

I was recording my daughter’s dance recital today. It’s such a pleasure to hold the phone with just two fingers and no fatigue.

 

[andy2141]

The Air is amazing. it has a large sharp screen and the best phone cpu apple currently produced.
It is effectively two phones in one.
1. A super slim and light phone for everyday use.
2. A long battery heavy duty phone, with the charging backpack

The only criticism I have, which I didn't know about before I bought, is that the camera doesn't take pictures as close up as my old 16 plus camera did. I need this for ebay sales photos and also sometimes when something has to be examined in a magnified way (watch face, fountain pen nib, serial number to small to read, etc.), I am used to taking a photo with the phone, and then expanding it. This is not so great on the air. Hopefully this aspect of the camera will be improved in the next version!

Otherwise fabulous!

You can kinda work around this by taking the picture with x2 zoom then moving the phone back a bit until it focuses

 

[thatJohann]

My Air has gotten so busted in these last 3 weeks that I’ve been traveling. All scratched. Even the camera lens has a chip in it. Screen all scratched. Good to know the honeymoon phase is over!

 

[Zaft]

How has everyone’s battery life been?

I’m coming from a 12PM and the battery has been great,

I don’t have to even look, I know it’s going to last me the day.

 

[bevsb2]

My battery life has been good. About the same as my 16 Pro.

 

[stanza.richi]

How has everyone’s battery life been?

Coming from 14 PM, I’m still replying good: with Air since 1st October, never had problems yet to finish my day. I picked up Air MagSafe Battery just in case, used it two or three times instead of wired charge just to use it.

 

[ARK]

I think one thing that’s not talked about is the ability to grasp on to the phone when you wrap your fingers around the camera bump. It really allows you to hold the phone securely horizontally or when getting it out of your pocket, etc.

 

[one more]

My Air has gotten so busted in these last 3 weeks that I’ve been traveling. All scratched. Even the camera lens has a chip in it. Screen all scratched. Good to know the honeymoon phase is over!

Can you share some photos of it now? This is case-less I guess and casually throwing it around?

Even then it is surprising, as there were several YouTubers scratching the 17 series with some serious tools to test the new Ceramic Shield 2. This one, for example, is from a professional iPhone torturer:

 

[MacApril]

I upgraded from an iPhone 16 to an iPhone Air. iPhone prices in my country are amazing, and the Air was the cheapest phone in the 17 series. I bought the cheapest one, but it has the same processor and RAM as the Pro models, so even if I can’t upgrade my phone for a long time, it will still be fast. I’m a casual user. I mainly use the phone for calls, web browsing, and messaging. I rarely take photos. I don’t play games. Bottom line: the design is stunning. The screen is stunning. I can hear the person on the line better than on the iPhone 16. I can’t say anything about the battery life... I’ve read so much about the short battery life of the iPhone Air that sometimes I think it’s true. The battery percentage drops quickly. But I don’t remember how it was with the iPhone 16. It’s quite possible that it’s the same. On the other hand, I haven’t noticed any decrease in battery life compared to the iPhone 16. I’m happy with the Air. In the future, I plan to upgrade my iPhone to a model with 16 GB of RAM. Then I won't have to upgrade for a long time.

 

[businessnumbersmoneypeopl]

Just upgraded from 13 mini to a slightly used Air, which I got with a bargain price. Super happy with the phone. I'm blown away by the battery life, especially after reading negative reviews about it. Yesterday, I used my phone more than usual while travelling: Google Maps, podcasts, and various media/social media apps. I still had 40% battery left after 24 hours without charging the phone in between. Maybe the reviewers spend their days with power-hungry games or something, dunno.

The loss of ultrawide is my only slight sacrifice, but I didn't use it much. The gain of a 2x "zoom", on the other hand, is a plus. I never use the loudspeaker, since using it in public places is lame, and I always have my Airpods in my pocket anyway.

The thinness of this phone greatly helps in one-hand use, even if it can't be quite as easy as it was with the 13 mini. But the size really makes a difference.

There's no way I'm using this expensive phone without a case, but I also didn't want to make it bulky. After combing through tons of reviews, I finally opted for the BENKS Armor Pro case, which is super slim, brings increased grip, and has gotten great reviews in drop tests. It has only been criticized for the (lack of) screen protection, which I hopefully solved with the Caudabe Elite AR screen protector. Once I'll get these in mail, I'm all set for the coming years.

 

[Marconelly]

Can some of the new Air owners check what their battery manufacturing date is? You can see this in regular Settings, under Battery -> Battery Health.

I was a bit worried when I checked one of the Airs on display in a recently opened store here. The battery in it had a July manufacturing date, and the phone was first started in December. Is this normal for an Air, or any iPhone? I kind of don't want to get something new that has a battery that's already six months old.

 

[stanza.richi]

Manufacturing in August 2025, first use September 2025. Iphone Air light gold bought in the USA at the end of September, activated 31st September.

 

[bevsb2]

My Air, purchased at launch, has a manufacture date of August 2025.

 

[businessnumbersmoneypeopl]

Manufactured August 2025, first use September 2025.

 

[thatJohann]

Can you share some photos of it now? This is case-less I guess and casually throwing it around?

Even then it is surprising, as there were several YouTubers scratching the 17 series with some serious tools to test the new Ceramic Shield 2. This one, for example, is from a professional iPhone torturer:

I sadly don't have a way of taking pics of it as it's my only camera phone. But yea this is caseless and not babying it too much. I'm not throwing it around tho, so I'm surprised at the chip on the camera lens for example, no idea how that came to be.

 

[Marconelly]

Thanks to everyone who posted their manufacturing dates. I just hope someone who got their Air really recently, like @businessnumbersmoneypeopl could post the date also. I have so far not seen Air battery date be later than August last year (in the store models I've checked)

 

[Storminbalders]

Thanks to everyone who posted their manufacturing dates. I just hope someone who got their Air really recently, like @businessnumbersmoneypeopl could post the date also. I have so far not seen Air battery date be later than August last year (in the store models I've checked)

Bought November. Battery manufactured September.

 

[Brettka7]

It’s been 3.5 months and the look/feel of this phone is still shocking. I hope I can hang onto this phone for a long time. Foldables don’t interest me, but a macro lens on an Air would.

 

[mouseninja321]

Got mine in blue today and I love it, battery seems fine, single speaker is fine and it’s so so nice to hold compared to the bricks I’ve had before, super impressed

 

[Garethe86]

It’s been 3.5 months and the look/feel of this phone is still shocking. I hope I can hang onto this phone for a long time. Foldables don’t interest me, but a macro lens on an Air would.

Same, have had it in Cloud White since launch and still love it. I did post here awhile back that I was thinking about getting the PM, but I changed my mind, the phone is still great, and I'm ignoring all the tech bloggers "air after however many months" reviews, almost all of which are remarkably similar and predictable.

 

[Garethe86]

Got mine in blue today and I love it, battery seems fine, single speaker is fine and it’s so so nice to hold compared to the bricks I’ve had before, super impressed

I have a brick I have to use for work and most of the time it just sits here, although I marvel over the battery, it can sit at idle for over a week, maybe longer. But it's not enough for me to reach for it like I do my Air.

 

[Hirah82]

I have had the 17pro since launch day in the silver. AND if I am being honest, I am sick of how ugly and bulky I find this phone. I don't think I can live with it until September. Last night I ordered the Air in the *****/gold colour from Amazon UK. They currently have the 256gb for £819. How is everyone else getting on with the Air?? Tell me I have done the right thing...