iPhone Air iPhone Air goodbye

[Ammar666]

if you have AppleCare it doesn't matter

I love how this is a default answer everybody has to any issues that can come on an iPhone. This is not how AppleCare works. They will only replace the battery under warranty if it falls below 80% under a specific period of time. And the iPhone begins to lose battery life way before it actually reaches 80%.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Just gotta buy the product that best suits your need. Just like how some people wouldn't be able to live with a 2-door car.

 

[JanetTheGreat]

Don't really understand why people attack the OP for making his choice. Its his choice, it doesn't effect anyone else.

 

[grammatica]

The issue for me is the price. Typically, I am willing to pay for a new design or a "pro" feature, but iPhone Air isn't it.

 

[Tsepz]

Don't really understand why people attack the OP for making his choice. Its his choice, it doesn't effect anyone else.

Exactly, he posted his experience and it seems he is being attacked for it.
He gave it a go because he liked it but in actual use found the battery inadequate for him despite some others claiming it should be adequate. He has now experienced all the trade-offs and discovered he couldn’t live with them.

 

[Meedoss]

The issue for me is the price. Typically, I am willing to pay for a new design or a "pro" feature, but iPhone Air isn't it.

To be fair prices have tanked so same as standard 17 now

 

[Abydos]

I'm not sure attacked is the proper word, maybe questioned his judgement and noted the correction. today battery capacity is roughly proportional to mass (think weight), thus a lighter phone will have less battery capacity in general and will have less use time before recharge. getting an air and expecting long battery life under high usage is similar to having one's cake and eating it (expecting the cake to still be there). the useful part is noting that the air is not suited for individuals with high usage profiles contrary to marketing claims

 

[iThinkurBeats]

Exactly, he posted his experience and it seems he is being attacked for it.
He gave it a go because he liked it but in actual use found the battery inadequate for him despite some others claiming it should be adequate. He has now experienced all the trade-offs and discovered he couldn’t live with them.

Right

 

[TheAustrianGuy]

I had been fed up with the bulkiness of my iPhone 15 Pro Max and was delighted when I received the Air.
Display size, performance, haptics, its lightness - it seemed pretty much perfect for me, wanted to use it caseless with Apple Care+.

But the tradeoffs with the single camera, the single speaker (for the few times I want/need it) and the slightly too small battery made me send it back and return to my 15PM.
I feel the OP's notion regarding using it like a 200$ phone.

As the size and weight of the 15PM felt even worse after returning the Air, I decided to try the 17 Pro (not Max), and I've now sold my 15PM.

I love the 17P, but I'm still sorry the Air didn't work for me in its current form, and I wish I still had the Air as my daily phone and the 17P for when the Air.....just isn't up to the job (camera, speaker, heavy days).

The Air FEELS like the perfect phone for me, but it currently isn't.

Once Apple releases an Air2, which I hope they will, with upgraded cameras, stereo speakers and (slightly) better battery life, it will be my next iPhone for sure.

And it again holds true:
When Apple releases a new product, wait at least until the second generation.

 

[aaronage]

Had my iPhone Air since launch

84 charge cycles over 133 days. Easily getting through a day, same experience as the 16PM it replaced.

How can that be? The internet insists it’s terrible! I must be using it wrong.

 

[Biro]

Once Apple releases an Air2, which I hope they will, with upgraded cameras, stereo speakers and (slightly) better battery life, it will be my next iPhone for sure.

And it again holds true:
When Apple releases a new product, wait at least until the second generation.

Two things:

1) I hope that you’re not expecting an iPhone Air2 to be the same size and weight as the first. Until the laws of physics can be broken, those features will mean a bigger and heavier phone.

2) Given my first point and your stated priorities, I have to wonder why you didn’t give the base iPhone 17 a try - or did you?

 

[Lustral]

I also got an Air on release day, but I have moved to a 17 Pro as I need the cameras. Battery is totally fine on the Air. As I only had 51 cycles on it. Will revisit the Air line again if they do release another one.

 

[code-m]

Had my iPhone Air since launch

84 charge cycles over 133 days. Easily getting through a day, same experience as the 16PM it replaced.

How can that be? The internet insists it’s terrible! I must be using it wrong.

I have had my iPhone 16 Pro since launch Sep 2024 and it has 180 charge cycles. What exactly are you trying to allude?

 

[boswald]

The OP's analogy makes a lot of sense. I suppose some people claim they can use all of their premium phone's functions all day long on a single charge, and that has always sounded amazing to me. The only way for me to get through a day is to use my iPhone 13 mini "like a $200 phone" and use it sparingly throughout the day, along with a midday recharge.

That’s how I have to treat my 14 Pro Max and its full capacity. The battery life is just terrible, and I don’t even have any apps.

 

[Tsepz]

That’s how I have to treat my 14 Pro Max and its full capacity. The battery life is just terrible, and I don’t even have any apps.

Are you on iOS 26?
For the older iPhones especially iPhones ones with less than 8GB RAM, I think iOS 26 does get resource intensive.
My better half has a 13 Pro Max and I have told her to keep it at iOS 18, her battery health is at 81% and she still gets decent battery life as she mostly uses TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp as well as doing phone calls, Notes and Selfie Camera a lot. She keeps a powerbank in her bag.

 

[boswald]

Are you on iOS 26?
For the older iPhones especially iPhones ones with less than 8GB RAM, I think iOS 26 does get resource intensive.
My better half has a 13 Pro Max and I have told her to keep it at iOS 18, her battery health is at 81% and she still gets decent battery life as she mostly uses TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp as well as doing phone calls, Notes and Selfie Camera a lot. She keeps a powerbank in her bag.

Yeah, I'm on 26. I took the bait and fell for Liquid Glass because I like the way it looks. Little did I know it would choke my battery!

 

[cawinter]

iPhone Air: Thinner, but also larger, so it won't fit in most pockets. Does Apple wants us to buy new jeans with huge pockets?