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Why pay $1000 for a bad phone when you can either pay an extra $100 or save $200 for a better phone
The iPhone 17 is worse than the Air in many significant ways. The Air has 12GB of RAM whereas the 17 is limited to only 8GB. The SSD in the Air is significantly faster than the one in the 17. And the Air has the A19 Pro whereas the 17 only has the regular A19.

Most importantly, however, the Air has a significantly larger screen than the 17, while being both thinner and lighter. That alone is reason enough to get the Air for those whom it appeals to. The screen on the 17 Pro is too small, and the 17 Pro Max is too heavy. The Air is sui generis.
 
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I checked all the new iPhones out in the store a few months ago. The extra few mm of width of the Air makes it the least comfortable to hold out of all of them. I was very surprised!
 
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I love mine, super pleased with it and still appreciate the slim form factor months after the initial impression. I also love the Ti frame, don’t like the texture and feel of the Al on the Pro, but that’s just my preference. Going back in time I’d buy it again, now with much more confidence than I did then.

My only concern is that Apple keep the Air line alive, for such a (relatively) small base of customers who will buy it. I just hope there is an improved second generation, instant purchase for me if there is.
 
The $999 is a difficult sell for me. If I wanted to get the air, I could just say to myself "I could get the top of the line Pro Max for a little more, I am already spending over $1000 anyway."
 
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Seems like the iPhone Air was a solution in search of a problem. Way too many compromises. Modern phones are way too expensive to go commando without a case, so it ends up the same size at the 17P
 
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bought one for my wife, she wanted her 15 pro back. I used it for a few days and also went back to my 15 pro max. It's not nice to hold, it doesn't feel faster or better in any way that what we already had. I ended up returning it and preordering two of the clicks devices that got announced at CES.

I'd buy an appleberry if they offered it. I've been anti thin phones for a while now. I'd rather have a thicker totally flat device than a mostly thin device with a bump
You could always get a Clicks case or their new Qi2 keyboard...
 
Have continued to own, as my secondary cell phone, my iPhone 13 mini since new as it is the only Apple iPhone that has a SIM card slot. I do need an actual SIM card slot for international travel. In the UK, for example, a month to month plan is NOT available for eSIM only cell phones.

As I buy all of my Apple gear for cash - no balances are financed. The mini is on the least expensive carrier plan along with many other devices. When I go overseas, it has often been bumped up to the best plan for overseas use.

Given the current world situation, one could erase their secondary cell phone before traveling back to the states so that makes a border crossing easier. Or just buy and discard while overseas is always another possibility..
 
Of course it isn't worth the price with all the compromises. Worst selling phone in the lineup for a reason...
 
what gets me is the people justifying this phone nobody asked for by calling the other iPhones ‘chunky’ when that term hasn’t really been applied outside of the camera bump for nearly a decade…

which the iPhone Air has a rather significant one up top itself.

probably not worth it for most people, but I can see the appeal for some.
 
I think it should be $100 cheaper but I really like the phone and think its downsides are exaggerated. All other iPhones feel heavy now.
 
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I get the hate from tech reviewers, as they like Android and bells and whistles. For those who want a perfect size phone to use as a phone, revolutionary internet device and communication like messages, it’s perfect. I use mine as my main phone and my iPhone 17 PM as my work phone. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
 
It looks cool as heck, which is the only important thing in a mobile phone anyway. Going to replace my 13 mini with Air at some point.
 
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I'd be shocked if more people prefer an ultrawide over telephoto lens. Ultrawide photos in anything but stellar lighting look horrible imo. When Apple prioritizes two cameras and leaves out the telephoto, is it primarily because telephoto requires more space? Team Telephoto all the way.
Telephoto can be «emulated» by cropping an image from the primary lens, albeit with some loss of clarity.

An ultrawide lens is unique, and it also provides a nice «expanded» view around the viewfinder when shooting with the primary lens.
 
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