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

jonnyb said:
Ha. James, I messaged you last year when you were taking some great photos with the Air. You may remember I was torn between the Air and the Pro. Eventually I went with the Pro and enjoyed using it a lot but the Air kept nagging away at me. I found myself still watching videos about the Air on YouTube and having adulterous thoughts.

So, as of last week, I’m back on a Cloud White Air and I’m going to use the Pro as a beta-testing machine when WWDC happens in a couple of weeks.

The Air is just such a nice device to hold and use. Who knows what I’ll flip-flop to next. This iPhone generation I’ve gone: iPhone 17 Pro Max to iPhone Air to iPhone 17 Pro and finally back to iPhone Air. Yes, I am insane.

I’m not sure I ever want a utilitarian, aluminium, very heavy iPhone again so I probably won’t even consider an iPhone 18 Pro (Max) in September, regardless of cameras.

The next iPhone that really interests me will be the 20th anniversary iPhone XX (or whatever it ends up being called).
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Hi, yes I remember!

What has the iPhone Air done to us, drove us insane lol welcome back to the dark side 😄

It really is a masterpiece in looks and user experience with the in hand feel! Absolutely smitten with it this time around.

I may just keep onto this until the 20th Anniversary iPhone, depending on how thick and heavy it is! If not, then the Air 2.
 
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Ok, I know this is a stupid, irrelevant (but fun fact) given how long ago and how much tech has changed…. 😅

Remember when Apple launched the 11 Pro and claimed it had 4 hours more battery life than the XS, and the battery life was much better as I had one.

The iPhone Air is significantly thinner and has a larger battery capacity than the 11 Pro did, plus the A19 Pro chip is leaps ahead in power & efficiency.

IMG_6831.jpeg
 
jido said:
I placed an order for the iPhone Air for the sweet price of £575 (Asda Mobile). I am not sure I will keep it, but hard to resist the bargain!
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That is a great price & cheaper than the 17e at its full price! I got an Air on launch day last year but I convinced myself that the compromises were too much so I sold it.

It left a lasting impression and I did miss it!
Earlier this month I spotted a great deal on Sky mobile device plans - £28 for 256gb, £31 for 512gb and £32 for 1tb. I got the 1tb! And I love the Air much more this time around & appreciate the sleek form factor and user experience which is unmatched.

It’s not for everyone, see how you get on with it. Once you pick it up and start using it, it becomes hard to go back to holding one of the brick like devices!
 
With all the stories about air bad battery, I think that they did a solid work with it. My first charge was 31st september: after 8 months, 180 cycles and 100% maximum capacity ✌🏻
IMG_8913.png
 
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James6s said:
That is a great price & cheaper than the 17e at its full price! I got an Air on launch day last year but I convinced myself that the compromises were too much so I sold it.

It left a lasting impression and I did miss it!
Earlier this month I spotted a great deal on Sky mobile device plans - £28 for 256gb, £31 for 512gb and £32 for 1tb. I got the 1tb! And I love the Air much more this time around & appreciate the sleek form factor and user experience which is unmatched.

It’s not for everyone, see how you get on with it. Once you pick it up and start using it, it becomes hard to go back to holding one of the brick like devices!
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They sent the money back, saying it was a pricing error. My 13 mini will continue to soldier on... I wasn't sure about dropping it anyway.
 
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Just replaced my 15P for the Air due my contract expired and did not wanted to wait for the upcoming price hikes for new releases.

My smartphone use cases:
bank apps, duolingo, whatsapp and MFA.
No games, no socialmedia.

I always found the 15 pro to be too heavy, like brick in your pocket and the screen just a tat too small, and overall always getting a bit too warm/hot even with minor use.

The air is slightly wider and taller and you can clearly see the app icons and text are slightly bigger on the air (maxxed out the size, i like bold and big on a phone, easy to navigate on the go when walking/ driving etc)

I paired the Air with a Pitaka case (mega expensive but feels amazing)

The day to day experience between the Air and 15 Pro is quite big.

Lighter, more comfortable to hold, slightly bigger screen. Battery life great, but i have a max of 1 hour of screentime a day so i am not a heavy user.

The air is noticeable faster then the 15 pro, you notice it in everything you do on it.

Only thing i miss is a wide angle lens for bigger panorama pics/videos, anything else its perfect for my use case.
 
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Had a good deal to buy the Air 256 GB at 1280 AUD (~880 USD) after tax so decide to make the jump. I was considering the base 17 as well but it is now even more expensive than the Air. The 12GB RAM would be handy once iOS27 rolls out.
 
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I replaced my 15PM with a 512Gb Air that I got from Amazon Sweden on a great deal of around €900. That’s a €700 discount from retail price, so it was a no-brainer for me. My 15PM will sell for at least €700 too.

Really love the Air so far. I’m not using all the pro features of my 15PM, and mainly use 35 or 50mm equivalent lenses so the Air will suffice. While I do love the 15PM, it always felt too heavy, it was my first Max size. The Air screen size is perfect. I was a bit worried that I’d miss the slightly larger display of my Max, but I only notice the difference if I put them side by side.

Battery life seems to be just shy of what my 15PM had, I had it replaced on AC+ last year so it had 100% battery health for me to compare with. I’m not a power user, mainly forums and YouTube besides calls and messages.

I usually end my day with 10-20% battery left if I don’t top up which is good enough for me. I can charge everywhere so battery life is not an issue for me. My 15PM was rated for two hours of video playback more than the Air, so not a huge difference.

The iPhone Air feels almost magical in hand, I have to comparisons and that was when I bought the 3G, the 4 and the X. This is such a nicely made phone.

It is delicate and thin, but feels very substantial and durable at the same time.

I’ve been using my phones naked for years, and of course the same with the Air. I always get AC+ for my phone, that’s my case if you will.

Needless to say I’m very happy with my Air!
 
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doolar said:
I replaced my 15PM with a 512Gb Air that I got from Amazon Sweden on a great deal of around €900. That’s a €700 discount from retail price, so it was a no-brainer for me. My 15PM will sell for at least €700 too.

Really love the Air so far. I’m not using all the pro features of my 15PM, and mainly use 35 or 50mm equivalent lenses so the Air will suffice. While I do love the 15PM, it always felt too heavy, it was my first Max size. The Air screen size is perfect. I was a bit worried that I’d miss the slightly larger display of my Max, but I only notice the difference if I put them side by side.

Battery life seems to be just shy of what my 15PM had, I had it replaced on AC+ last year so it had 100% battery health for me to compare with. I’m not a power user, mainly forums and YouTube besides calls and messages.

I usually end my day with 10-20% battery left if I don’t top up which is good enough for me. I can charge everywhere so battery life is not an issue for me. My 15PM was rated for two hours of video playback more than the Air, so not a huge difference.

The iPhone Air feels almost magical in hand, I have to comparisons and that was when I bought the 3G, the 4 and the X. This is such a nicely made phone.

It is delicate and thin, but feels very substantial and durable at the same time.

I’ve been using my phones naked for years, and of course the same with the Air. I always get AC+ for my phone, that’s my case if you will.

Needless to say I’m very happy with my Air!
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Congrats! I’ve had it since launch day and still would not excitedly go back to a Pro Max phone. I came from a 16PM and only miss the cameras when I’m at a concert.
 
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Another thing i like about the air is that magsafe wallets and batteries are more enjoyable because the phone is thin, any things you add are slightly above normal iphone thickness.

It really makes the phone more versatile with magsafe
 
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I am very impressed with the battery life, with my consumption i barely get under 86% end of day.

But then again i dont game, or do socialmedia. I use it for duolingo, memrise, whatsapp when not behind my computer (whatsapp web most day)

i did turn off most features and settings on the air, AI is off, AOD, background refresh, 5G is off etc.

I dont miss anything to be frank.
 
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I’m at 95% battery health but I haven’t noticed any change in battery life. Most days I’m fine not charging before bed, but the days I am out and about and pushing my usage I need to top up once in the evening - it’s been like that since launch.
 
James6s said:
Any launch day Air owners experiencing significant battery degradation yet?
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My Air’s battery health is still 100% with 213 cycles. My daily routine is a little bit different in the last weeks, because I’m planning our relocate and I’m using it a bit more than usual, and in Italy the weather is quite hot in my town (some day more than 35°C), so I now end my day with less than 35%.
 
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