iPhone Air First Look: Apple's Thinnest iPhone Feels Premium

[doach]

They keep the hardware race within enough range of Samsung so that Apple's entire ecosystem, support, marketing and brand makes up that gap and more.

The iPhone Air will smoke the Edge in many other categories that are more important even if one can look past Android and Samsung's skins and repetitive apps. How many Folds did Samsung need to release to finally get something with a form factor that's appealing... 7? Apple may take a generation or two to refine a new form factor if not already refined at first release.

How does marketing and brand make up for anything? It doesn't make it a better product. Just makes it sell more. Thats it. Who has better marketing. Apple. Product? No.

I have a Air. And a S25 EDGE. I use my Air more because I primarily use Apple but switch back and fourth between ecosystems. I also use Samsungs. Both are almost equally good. I give the slight EDGE to Apple. Hardware wise. Samsung. User experience. Apple. Slightly.

But its close. Gestures are almost the same between the two. Apples handoff on their Macs are better than phone link on pc. But both are good.

 

[doach]

The Air is the thinner phone.

So? Almost no difference. Same as the difference in weight. 165gm vs 163gm.

 

[doach]

I haven't used an Android device since 2009. I am sure it has come a long way (in many regards) since then but, I don't like the fragmentation, the lack of meaningful updates for whatever flavor of Android the phone happen to come with, not to mention all the bad risk just using the Android store. And most of all, Android lacks the seamless integration and hardware support, and customer service that Apple offers me. Granted I have to pay the Apple tax to get those things but, for me, it is currently worth it. If down the road that changes, I don't have a problem taking a look at something different.

Thats been done along time ago with Samsung. Very little difference between eco systems now. No lack of updates, no fragmentation, no risk using the Android store anymore than there is on the Apple one. No lack of seamless integration or hardware support. Samsung care compares very well with Applecare. Not much difference.

I use both ecosystems as a engineer. You are stuck in 2009 my friend. Those problems have not been around in quite some time.

 

[ZiBart]

How does marketing and brand make up for anything? It doesn't make it a better product. Just makes it sell more. Thats it. Who has better marketing. Apple. Product? No.

That's my point. Marketing/brand = popularity/sales. Which is the 'gap' that Apple as a company makes up. Along with the other things I mentioned. And they all have a direct and indirect benefit to ownership experience. I led the statement by saying they keep the hardware within enough range of Samsung (as a package). While beating each other in several categories.

I have a Air. And a S25 EDGE. I use my Air more because I primarily use Apple but switch back and fourth between ecosystems. I also use Samsungs. Both are almost equally good. I give the slight EDGE to Apple. Hardware wise. Samsung. User experience. Apple. Slightly.

But its close. Gestures are almost the same between the two. Apples handoff on their Macs are better than phone link on pc. But both are good.

The Air is better at aesthetics (subjective), materials, software (subjective), battery life, CPU, selfie cam, slightly thinner, and feels better in hand (subjective). Whereas Edge gives you the extras that the Air should have had like the dual cam and dual speakers(?). It's also slightly lighter, and probably other specs that I didn't research. Apple wins the cohesive thin phone challenge IMO, whereas Samsung wins the extras part (like they almost always do). That being said, I returned my Air . Couldn't get past the lack of Ultrawide and speakerphone issues in group chats with ambient noise. Perhaps the Edge addresses these for me but I'm locked into the ecosystem and have a distaste for Samsung design aesthetic and their Android customization. But I recognize both are good products and glad you are enjoying them. Just not for me personally mostly based on subjective things. If I were to try Android again in Samsung form, and leave my "blue bubble", it would be for an on sale Fold 7. But since the rumors say Apple is around the corner with one, I will wait it out.

 

[iamthedudeman]

They keep the hardware race within enough range of Samsung so that Apple's entire ecosystem, support, marketing and brand makes up that gap and more.

The iPhone Air will smoke the Edge in many other categories that are more important even if one can look past Android and Samsung's skins and repetitive apps. How many Folds did Samsung need to release to finally get something with a form factor that's appealing... 7? Apple may take a generation or two to refine a new form factor if not already refined at first release.

Listen bud. As a software engineer I use both eco systems. I actually agree with most of what you say. I prefer Apple and use them 90 percent of the time. I have the Air. Black.

I also own the S25 EDGE. I prefer the Air because of mainly face ID and iOS. Even though the EDGE has better hardware. Now the Air 2 will be getting a 200MP sensor from guess who. Samsung.

Guess what sensor the S25 EDGE has. The same 200MP camera the Air will be getting.

You can call out Apple for not doing enough. Anyone reasonable can see this is the case.

One speaker, One camera, no vapor chamber. The EDGE has two speakers, two cameras, a vapor chamber and a better camera.

Weaker 48 MP camera. This is important as a larger sensor say 200MP can digital crop much better than a 48MP sensor and have 4x the digital zoom capability.

The S25 EDGEs hardware is similar to what we will see on a iphone Air 3. That is how far Apple is behind. They chose to use a smaller sensor. Didnt have too.

Weird how everyone defends Apple no matter what they do. Very strange.

Apple just copies hardware now. Anyone paying just a little attention can see that. Samsung copies software. They both copy off each other. But Apple is mainly hardware. But they do copy software off of Samsung as well(ahem Live Translate).

That was not the case when Steve was around. Apple actually did innovate back then. The Apple of today would have never released the original iphone. They would wait for someone else to do it. How is that corporate culture a good thing?

They were redefining product categories every other year. Imac, Ipod, Iphone, MacBook Air (ultra light) and iphone. They were all firsts and created new product categories.

What categories have they invented since then. What firsts?

They have a rumored foldable, flip, and ring. And just released a thin phone. Which I might add is inferior hardware wise. So this time they didnt do it better. Or were not able to is more like it.

Samsung took 5 years to perfect the foldable. 5 years of perfecting thin. The ZFold 7 is 4.2mm thin. Apples rumored foldable is said to be 9.5 inches thick when folded.

If they couldn't match Samsung in the thin catagory, what makes you think they will do so on the foldable? Those days are over.

Its the mentality that Apple can do no wrong that drives them to get away with it. They know you will still buy it regardless. So why innovate? Why make it better? What incentive is there?

As Apple users. We should demand better with our wallet. Sadly most do not. I put up with the Airs shortcomings but do acknowledge its inequalities but buy because of Face ID and Apples seamless ecosystem.

With that being said I realize that they are behind on the hardware front.

 

[iamthedudeman]

That's my point. Marketing/brand = popularity/sales. Which is the 'gap' that Apple as a company makes up. Along with the other things I mentioned. And they all have a direct and indirect benefit to ownership experience. I led the statement by saying they keep the hardware within enough range of Samsung (as a package). While beating each other in several categories.



The Air is better at aesthetics (subjective), materials, software (subjective), battery life, CPU, selfie cam, slightly thinner, and feels better in hand (subjective). Whereas Edge gives you the extras that the Air should have had like the dual cam and dual speakers(?). It's also slightly lighter, and probably other specs that I didn't research. Apple wins the cohesive thin phone challenge IMO, whereas Samsung wins the extras part (like they almost always do). That being said, I returned my Air . Couldn't get past the lack of Ultrawide and speakerphone issues in group chats with ambient noise. Perhaps the Edge addresses these for me but I'm locked into the ecosystem and have a distaste for Samsung design aesthetic and their Android customization. But I recognize both are good products and glad you are enjoying them. Just not for me personally mostly based on subjective things. If I were to try Android again in Samsung form, and leave my "blue bubble", it would be for an on sale Fold 7. But since the rumors say Apple is around the corner with one, I will wait it out.