iPhone Air Review: One Year With Apple's Super Thin $999 iPhone

[poematik13]

Wanted one but single camera was a dealbreaker. Got a 17 pro instead and really dont like it lol. Way too heavy and iOS 26 lags like crazy

The zoom lens on 17 pro is truly a gamechanger

 

[subjonas]

So, battery life isn’t important in a smartphone? A modern camera SYSTEM and not just a single lens with reduced features isn’t important?

I beg to differ.

Those are important to a lot of people, but I think the user meant that also for a lot of people who end up buying the Pros, they're overkill and they get it more "just to have it" without actually needing or making use of the extra features.

 

[Veinticinco]

Phone equivalent of the MB 12" a decade ago.

Very attractive form factor but horribly gimped on specs, battery and thermodynamics.

Will be similarly mothballed.

 

[c613m]

Nobody bought it. Literally the only current iphone that was heavily discounted by carriers in Canada.

They say it gets one more year of production then will be discontinued.

The discount is why I went for it about 2 weeks ago. Came from 16 Pro Max and the Air is a dream. Easily lasts me all day, camera is more than enough when you know how to use it, and speakers I thought would be the most I’d be giving up but I was wrong. It’s plenty for what I watch, and when I need better sound I use my AirPod Pros or Sony Collexion.

It’s definitely not a phone for everyone especially for heavy users. But in a time where less screen time is more important this is the right choice. Gone is the huge bulge of the Pro Max.

 

[jesuschristus]

I’ve been using iPhones since the release of the iPhone 4 with some short periods of trying android smartphones from sony but was disappointed in the end after a few weeks of using the sony phones.. so i came back to iPhone almost immediately and its been a pure feeling of joy everyday!

The IPhone Air however is the best phone I’ve used ever since.. as my daily driver i get at least 1 and a half days of use out of it with a full charge using mostly productivity apps! Of course the price at release seemed in some way unreasonable compared to the price of an iPhone pro but i focused on what i d actually use it for when considering both models before purchasing one and found out that the design, screen size and even the camera suited my needs best! I feel amazed every time I pick it up and that alone was worth the 1200€ ❤️

 

[jlc1978]

IMHO, its price was likely one reason it apparently was not a big hit. Had it come in at say 699, it might have been the iPhone version of the Neo.

 

[jesuschristus]

I don’t care what anyone says, the iPhone Air is the THE BEST iPhone Apple has ever made. It can be even better, but the design is the THE BEST!

Totally agree with you! I am loving mine from the first day on.. managed to get even two days out of the battery! In my opinion it’s terribly underrated! Of course i get it that for many the price isn’t justifiable compared to the price of the pro series but i think that it cannot be compared in that way! The air targets a totally different group of potential buyers

 

[Edosirox]

Reviewers say the problem with the iPhone Air is the price, but it can be picked up from Amazon for £749 which is less than the price of the iPhone 17!

 

[jesuschristus]

To echo others, it’s by far the best iPhone I’ve ever owned:

-Super easy to hold, use and pocket
-Large screen that works for everything from browsing to reading to light work tasks
-Durable finish and materials - first iPhone I’m confident using without a case. Mine has zero scratches after a year.

The entire framing of the iPhone Air as missing “features” was wrong. It has the most IMPORTANT features in a handheld device - light weight, thin profile, fast processor and large screen. Sure, some may need a bigger battery or more cameras, but people are way too fixated on those aspects and miss the overall experience.

The truth is the opposite of popular opinion: iPhone Air is the PRACTICAL choice for those who want a phone that is easy to use day to day, while iPhone Pro is the FLASHY choice for those who want to show off that they have the best specs. To be fair, they are both great phones - the Air just never deserved the hate it got.

I think you made a point referring to “having the best specs”! The camera on the air is fantastic and also very capable especially if you dont need to have the other lenses for content creation or whatever! I would argue that it’s the best daily driver for non-pro users!

 

[ddhhddhh2]

Reading through this whole thread, I honestly think this is kinda ridiculous.

The Air is basically a compromise between form and function. That’s literally its thing, and that’s totally fine.

But if Air users seriously think everyone who gets something other than an Air — more specifically a Pro/Max, because does anyone even care about the Plus lol — is just showing off or buying it “just to have it,” then LOL, you guys are feeling yourselves a little too much.

Battery life isn’t worth "having"?
A more useful camera setup isn’t worth "having"?

Alright, I get it, maybe that sounds too abstract. Let me flip it around.

Do Air users really "need" 5.6mm thin?
Do Air users really "need" 165g?
How much physical energy are you actually saving every day because your phone is a little thinner and lighter?

So if some very enlightened Air users get to say everyone else is carrying around pointless extra features just to flex or "have them" - and come on, it’s 2026, flexing an iPhone is kinda over XD - can we also say Air users are flexing how uniquely "pure" and minimalist they are?

I know a guy who has a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, and a bunch of other cars I can’t even remember. He barely drives them. He definitely doesn’t "need" what those cars can do.

But he has the money, he can afford them, and he wants them. You know what? Wanting to own something is already a reason to buy it. I guess he might be guilty then.

And I think I’m pretty qualified to say all this, considering I use the most hated iPhone of them all: the Plus. So I guess I’m innocent.

 

[Populus]

To echo others, it’s by far the best iPhone I’ve ever owned:

-Super easy to hold, use and pocket
-Large screen that works for everything from browsing to reading to light work tasks
-Durable finish and materials - first iPhone I’m confident using without a case. Mine has zero scratches after a year.

The entire framing of the iPhone Air as missing “features” was wrong. It has the most IMPORTANT features in a handheld device - light weight, thin profile, fast processor and large screen. Sure, some may need a bigger battery or more cameras, but people are way too fixated on those aspects and miss the overall experience.

The truth is the opposite of popular opinion: iPhone Air is the PRACTICAL choice for those who want a phone that is easy to use day to day, while iPhone Pro is the FLASHY choice for those who want to show off that they have the best specs. To be fair, they are both great phones - the Air just never deserved the hate it got.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve thought about getting one when I’ve seen it heavily discounted, even if it’s just to try it, although like with the mini, I’ve decided to wait one more year, because of the A20 Pro should be more power efficient. However, some rumors say it will be even bigger so… IDK.

To be fair, the things that might make me return it are the OLED display with its PWM affecting my eyes, and the dimensions. Yes, the width and height of the device, as it is a 6.5” device!

That’s why I wanted to ask you about this, the size.

You say it’s practical, easy to hold, pocketable? But you have to still do some equilibrium to reach the top of the screen, right?

And the no case part… had it survived drops without a case? This is one of my fears, especially being so wide..

 

[macbookj0e]

Love my air and the battery wipes the floor with my old 15 pro.

 

[Carrspasty]

Most of the comments are from people who haven't got an iPhone Air I'm guessing, but my thoughts are based on day to day use as a customer since original in 2007. Whilst it has limitations they aren't really an issue, and the massive plus is the way the phone feels and operates for majority of users.
Its just comfortable and does all I ask, many of the features on pros and max models which I have had I never used so to go back to basics, which it isn't of course, is a sort of reset for phone use.

 

[capitolnz]

I love my Air. The best iPhone I’ve ever had. Only thing that trips me up sometimes is the lack of ultra wide when taking photos of papers/text etc, which sounds like will be fixed in Air 2. Definitely the best iPhone design so far… feels like I’m holding the future in my hands everytime I use it.

 

[Henrikr]

Guys, don’t you realize that the iPhone Air could be Apple’s way of testing an ultra-thin form factor before launching a foldable iPhone?

Apple often introduces new technologies and design concepts in existing product categories first. This allows the company to see how customers respond and how the hardware performs in real-world use. Apple can then use that experience and data when developing a more ambitious product based on the same ideas.

Even the SIM-eject tool was used to introduce Liquidmetal on a small scale, giving Apple an opportunity to test the material in a real consumer product.

The iPhone Air may therefore be less of a one-off experiment and more of a stepping stone toward Apple’s first foldable iPhone.

 

[Luftkopf]

Why do people love the ultrawide so much? It distorts things so much and the quality is low around the edges. I've pretty much only used mine out of necessity here and there.

For me it is two things. Firstly it is better for macro photography, which is fun from time to time, but second, and most importantly, I need to take reference photos of houses for my job, and it's much easier to get more useful photos of small to medium sized rooms with the ultra-wide.

 

[snipr125]

To echo others, it’s by far the best iPhone I’ve ever owned:

-Super easy to hold, use and pocket
-Large screen that works for everything from browsing to reading to light work tasks
-Durable finish and materials - first iPhone I’m confident using without a case. Mine has zero scratches after a year.

The entire framing of the iPhone Air as missing “features” was wrong. It has the most IMPORTANT features in a handheld device - light weight, thin profile, fast processor and large screen. Sure, some may need a bigger battery or more cameras, but people are way too fixated on those aspects and miss the overall experience.

The truth is the opposite of popular opinion: iPhone Air is the PRACTICAL choice for those who want a phone that is easy to use day to day, while iPhone Pro is the FLASHY choice for those who want to show off that they have the best specs. To be fair, they are both great phones - the Air just never deserved the hate it got.

The 17 Pro is actually not flashy at all, it has great specs but is quite ugly, with the iPhone Air actually being the ‘flashy’ one with its very premium slim design and titanium frame.

 

[dj jammie]

Iv had mine since it came out, was super impress with it to begin with but at the moment the battery and the over heating of it under my normally working day is just not workable for myself. The build on the other hand is unreal and in my hand it feels up there with one of the best iPhones to hold. Camera is the weak but thats to be expected and does what i need from it. Would i get another one under my current work / use load no. But its been nice to come away from a Pro model for 12 months.

 

[fatTribble]

The truth is the opposite of popular opinion: iPhone Air is the PRACTICAL choice for those who want a phone that is easy to use day to day, while iPhone Pro is the FLASHY choice for those who want to show off that they have the best specs. To be fair, they are both great phones - the Air just never deserved the hate it got.

You can’t just love your iPhone without putting down people who chose a different model?
How about we all just choose what works best for each of us and be happy.

 

[klasma]

Not sure if this is a hot take... but I expect Apple to permanently eliminate the base model iPhone as early as next year, releasing the Air 2 in place of the 18

Why would they do that? The regular iPhone is still the most-sold model, while the Air is the least-sold.

 

[emlarsen]

I can’t wait to trade mine in for the 18 Pro. I’ve had pro’s since they first started calling them pro’s and I thought I could live with the trade offs, but they turned out to be too much. I need to carry a spare battery cause it doesn’t last the day, the camera SUCKS, and it’s the first phone I ever broke the glass on.

It’s a polarizing device clearly.

 

[bookcase]

I've had my Air since launch and I still love it. Yes, the battery is sometimes a concern, but I've always been able to make it a full day without issue, and when I'm traveling, I've always got a portable charger to top it off just in case. I think the camera is fine for my use, but a second lens would be welcomed. If I had to do it over, I probably would've saved the money and gone with the base -- and with price hikes, that may be what I'll do next time. But as of now, I have no regrets buying the Air.

 

[Macalway]

I like it. It's the first phone I've used without a case, for a year now. No problems with that (so far).
I don't notice it in my front pocket, which is 100% the reason I will continue to use it. Others, may require more.

 

[mattopotamus]

So, battery life isn’t important in a smartphone? A modern camera SYSTEM and not just a single lens with reduced features isn’t important?

I beg to differ.

For my use case, it is my only complaint. I love everything else about the phone, but damn that battery is straight trash.

 

[mattopotamus]

Love my Air. Reminds me of my favorite touchID iPhone, the 7+, just better in every way.

I upgraded from the 16PM and what a revelation. So thin and light it’s crazy.

But…the battery life has become a challenge, especially after installing the iOS27 DB.

I got the Air-specific battery pack to get through most days. First time I’ve had to do that for *any* iPhone (and I’ve had them all, from the OG onward).

While I love it, I’ll be happily selling it in the next week or two for the Ultra.

I do hope Apple keeps iterating the Air though.

Exactly, you can watch the % go down as you are scrolling. Even it's idle battery drain is terrible.