iPhone Air Reviews: Is the Ultra-Thin Design Worth the Compromises?

[jmpage2]

Some of the torture uses described for the Air, getting up at 530AM and using the phone nearly continuously for navigation, video streaming and then having the battery nearly depleted after 11 hours means that the Pro or Pro max will respectively be going kaput at 730PM or 1030PM or so respectively.

It seems like with the Air that your typical moderate user will be fine and for those "travel days" where you are going to use a ton of battery Apple have provided the option to magnetically attach a battery pack that then exceeds the battery of even the Pro Max.

Best of both worlds for those who don't need a pro level camera setup and want a super light and thin device in my opinion at least.

 

[jmpage2]

I want this phone, but I am so tired of "babying" my battery. I know if reviews say it's mediocre, it's actually worse in real life.

The European testing of the battery on the Air for their certification process show it's fine. It's better than the life of either the 16 Pro or 15 Pro or 14 Pro when they tested those phones.

You people are just incredibly dramatic.

It takes literally 15-20 mins of sitting still with the phone plugged in or plopped on a magnetic charger to top it off.... most cars manufactured in the last ten years have either USB ports or wireless charging. Almost everyone who travels has a power bank and charger in their bag.

So. much. drama.

Those of you having panic attacks about the "abysmal" battery life can just stick with the giant heavy pocket brick, that's why they still make it.

 

[turbineseaplane]

If there had been a smaller variant of the Air, I would have been a buyer.

Thin & light are great, but it's too big in L x W for me.

Now that I've seen iOS 26 though, I'm happy to remain with my 13 Mini on iOS 18 and just get a new battery for it this Fall.

 

[jmpage2]

If there had been a smaller variant of the Air, I would have been a buyer.

Thin & light are great, but it's too big in L x W for me.

Whereas I've been dying for a larger screen without the heft and dimensional volume of the Plus/XL sized devices.

 

[ZipZap]

So tell me again, what was the point of that device’s existence?

Sure, its 1/2 of the upcoming iPhone Fold

 

[geoelectric]

It’s not in the quotes, but the CNET review shows the battery life increasing significantly to “all day” after several days of usage. My guess is that’s when adaptive power kicked in. None of the other reviewers mentioned appear to have used it for that long straight. Keep that in mind when judging battery claims.

AP kicked in immediately after updating my 16PM to iOS 26 so I’m hoping the historical data xfers to the Air. If so I might not even have to wait a week for that.

 

[macjaffa]

So tell me again, what was the point of that device’s existence?

for people who need or want a lighter, slimmer phone. Sounds like other than camera, they have done a better job of it than samsung, as well.

 

[awshucks]

If there had been a smaller variant of the Air, I would have been a buyer.

Thin & light are great, but it's too big in L x W for me.

Now that I've seen iOS 26 though, I'm happy to remain with my 13 Mini on iOS 18 and just get a new battery for it this Fall.

Agreed. I actually bought a $7 Air case on Amazon to see the size, and I decided upgrading from my 15 Pro would significantly affect my ability to use my phone one handed. I use it a lot one handed.

 

[thadoggfather]

Maybe battery life just won't be outstanding on any device this year, but dang, from what I've seen the pro and pro max do not seem to deliver substantially better battery life given how much bigger the battery and footprint are.

The fact that Air is just a hair behind (1-1.5 Hours of mixed use) means its no slouch. Coupled with select use of MagSafe battery if you opt for that, seems like it will even be a battery life beast lol..

Not what I was expecting upfront! I thought Air would be a serious compromise in longevity.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Agreed. I actually bought a $7 Air case on Amazon to see the size, and I decided upgrading from my 15 Pro would significantly affect my ability to use my phone one handed. I use it a lot one handed.

This continues to be my #1 frustration with Tim Cook Apple.

Human hands have not changed sizes.

It's crazy to not be offering ANYTHING that caters to those who value single handed use, light weight, smaller size, etc, as #1 priorities for this type of device.

 

[Sammael]

Different strokes for different folks. Is it worth it? Depends on your strokes. It’s not a device I would consider, but (thankfully) not everyone is me. If you’re the kind of folks who aren’t impressed by all the bells and whistles of the Pro series, then this device is probably a good buy for you.

 

[digimc]

Something doesn't add up in regards to the battery of the Air. I purchased a 16e back in February and essentially the Air and the 16e have the same stated battery life according to Apple, give or take an hour. I use my 16e a lot and I get through an entire day with at least 50% battery life left - starting from a full charge. I will say that I don't game on the device, I use mostly wifi, but I certainly don't baby the device at all.

In fact on the weekends I can go almost two full days without the need to charge the iPhone 16e, using the iPhone for normal tasks, texting my boss, checking emails, surfing the web, etc. I would say at least 4-5 hours of pretty steady use a day.

What I find weird is that neither Apple nor anybody else made a big deal about the battery life of 16e, in fact it was just the opposite. People were mostly amazed that the 16e got such good battery life. Apple didn't market the 16e alone on battery life, and yes I understand it's a budget priced phone, but still it seems that something is a miss here.

Also the Air has the same battery life, stated at least, of last year's 16 Pro. And maybe I am confused but I don't remember any reviewers finding that the 16 Pro was compromised due to its battery life.

 

[ericinboston]

I want this phone, but I am so tired of "babying" my battery. I know if reviews say it's mediocre, it's actually worse in real life.

Very sadly, for the past 20 years Reviewers have never given a bad review. Why? Because they won't get free test models ever again from that company (or other companies that see their honest opinions) and hence won't be able to make a living. There are thousands of online reviewers today as well as the online newspapers. If Joe Reviewer disappears tomorrow, another will pop up to replace him (if there even needs a replacement?). Therefore, you're pretty much guaranteed to never see a bad review. Before the internet's blogs and easy-to-create-websites? A select handful of companies did reviews and distributed via snail mail magazines like Consumer Reports. Showing my age, I believe Consumer Reports back in the 80s actually DID have bad reviews and it was nice to see their true opinion.

So yes, anytime you feel the review (or piece of the review) is mediocre or only 3 out of 5 stars, it's extremely likely it's far worse.

 

[Dolmio]

Looking at the reviews the iPhone air looks good especially if you are upgrading from an older phone. The screen size is good and it’s thin and light and battery life better than a 15 or 16 pro. The selfie camera looks pretty damn good. I mean the pros are for content creators if you are a casual gamer / casual photographer I doubt it’s that much of a compromise for a much better size to weight ratio

 

[grovertdog]

That's not really true. Mrwhosetheboss was very critical on a few aspects of the air. Watch his video. MKBHD is usually open about his criticisms and even points out how much better the Samsung edge is in many areas.

Then of course you have the cringy Youtubers like Justine who think everything Apple makes is the most wonderful thing ever.... you just have to know who to watch..... but I think it's unfair to lump them all in to your assessment

Yet you mention MKBHD and MKBHD didn't even FREAKING REVIEW the Air, just posted his "opinions", most of which have been blown out of the water by the multiple detailed reviewed dropped this morning.

 

[grovertdog]

So tell me again, what was the point of that device’s existence?

To cause anxiety and insecurity in the irrational haters who are threatened by others with different use patterns and preferences is a good guess. Sounds to me like Apple will sell around 50 million of these in the next 12 months. One will be mine Friday.

 

[Spinarelo]

Yet you mention MKBHD and MKBHD didn't even FREAKING REVIEW the Air, just posted his "opinions", most of which have been blown out of the water by the multiple detailed reviewed dropped this morning.

He pointed out a few pretty big things that the edge does better and outwardly says he prefers the Samsung edge. Does that seem bias to you? You think Apple loves one of the reviewers pretty much saying that the competitors option is better?

 

[Zackmd1]

Something doesn't add up in regards to the battery of the Air. I purchased a 16e back in February and essentially the Air and the 16e have the same stated battery life according to Apple, give or take an hour. I use my 16e a lot and I get through an entire day with at least 50% battery life left - starting from a full charge. I will say that I don't game on the device, I use mostly wifi, but I certainly don't baby the device at all.

In fact on the weekends I can go almost two full days without the need to charge the iPhone 16e, using the iPhone for normal tasks, texting my boss, checking emails, surfing the web, etc. I would say at least 4-5 hours of pretty steady use a day.

What I find weird is that neither Apple nor anybody else made a big deal about the battery life of 16e, in fact it was just the opposite. People were mostly amazed that the 16e got such good battery life. Apple didn't market the 16e alone on battery life, and yes I understand it's a budget priced phone, but still it seems that something is a miss here.

Also the Air has the same battery life, stated at least, of last year's 16 Pro. And maybe I am confused but I don't remember any reviewers finding that the 16 Pro was compromised due to its battery life.

I think this year more then ever shows how the popular YouTube reviewers are kinda stuck in a bubble and how their quick opinions can influence so many… People were primed from the moment the air was announced (and even before on this site) to believe the air would have “terrible” battery life and if there is one thing we have learned in this world over the last few years, people don’t like to change their opinions…

YouTube reviewers are stuck in a bubble where they are reviewing sometimes hundreds of devices per year and while that provides a very broad experience range, it can also cause them to start valuing things the average person might not even notice. I’d love to see a study on how many pro max users actually use all 3 cameras and how often they use them. I’d love to see how many people actually use a pro phone for what it’s intended for rather then just buying the most expensive phone because it’s the “best” one.

The air is designed for a different user then a pro phone so trying to compare it to a pro phone in a review is pointless (looking at you verge). It would be like comparing a MacBook Air to a MacBook Pro and then complaining about how the air doesn’t exactly match the pro model in every way. Two different products meant for two different people.

Hopefully we see more in depth reviews that cover the air’s battery next to phones people might actually be upgrading from and considering like a 15/15pro or 16/16pro in order to get a better frame of reference. Of course the air will have less battery then the 17 pro but if it can hang with the base 17 and exceed the life of a base 16 or 16 pro even, that’s very impressive for its size.

 

[turbineseaplane]

YouTube reviewers are stuck in a bubble

The bubble most of them are stuck in is the one that requires them to be very careful what they say, lest they lose early/special access and demo units, etc.

Most of this sort of content is "hype and excitement" as opposed to actual reviews.

 

[Rogifan]

Sounds like the camera is a disappointment compared to competitor’s cameras on thin phones.

 

[grovertdog]

He pointed out a few pretty big things that the edge does better and outwardly says he prefers the Samsung edge. Does that seem bias to you? You think Apple loves one of the reviewers pretty much saying that the competitors option is better?

It was nothing more than anecdotes and a broadcast of his preconceived notions, MANY of which he was wrong about. Which part of HE DIDN'T REVIEW THE PHONE is confusing? And Apple couldn't care less. They're going to sell millions of these regardless of the complaints in a review that's not a review because he doesn't even have the phone to review.

 

[jamesa]

On the other hand, the iPhone Air has some Pro features, including a ProMotion display with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, and an A19 Pro chip with the same 6-core CPU.

Is this correct? I thought it had a different chip in it, not the same as the one in the Pro

 

[digimc]

t can also cause them to start valuing things the average person might not even notice.

You absolutely nailed it there. I completely agree. Instead of focusing on what a product does well and how it separates from other like devices, instead we get 80% of the review focused on one minor drawback, that might not even be a drawback for the overwhelming majority of the people that are going to purchase that new device.

I have no problem with reviewers giving their honest feedback. In fact I prefer that over the rubber stamped videos we get from many tech reviewers who don't want to risk losing access to review sample so they fail to mention anything negative. But there needs to be balance. The battery life and the one speaker are very minor issues, but it seems that they are overtaking the entire review.

 

[macjaffa]

Is this correct? I thought it had a different chip in it, not the same as the one in the Pro

same chip but one of the gpu cores is disabled or non existant. Possibly as a result of binning. Which means the 6th core might still be there. Also/and possibly disabled for thermal reasons. Also the A19 has the neural engines on the GPU which is absolutely a huge deal for AI and upcoming apps. In the future there will be a divide between A19 and subsequent processor powered devices, and everything before it. The 16 range of iphones and before is NOT suited to apple AI.

We Melted iPhones for Science

OASIS generated real-time video with on-device AI. Four years later, Apple redesigned the iPhone so that AI won't burn your hand -- and admitted that we were right.

accelerateordie.com

Fast Forward to 2025: Apple Fixes the Problem
​

On Tuesday, Apple announced the iPhone 17 Pro with the A19 Pro chip. The headline features:

• New thermal management system
• Vapor chamber cooling with deionized water
• Neural accelerators integrated directly into GPU cores
• Aluminum body replacing titanium for better heat dissipation

Read that again: Vapor. Chamber. Cooling.


Apple built a liquid cooling system for phones. Why? Because they finally admitted what we discovered in 2021: the iPhone architecture couldn't handle local AI applications.

It’s about time.

 

[ab2c4]

I watched all three videos and they convinced me to give this phone a serious look at the store. It seems perfect for what I want, I'm still unsure though as I have mentioned before regarding the size (not sure if its too big for my hands). How it performs sounds great, and I am extremely curious to see how the slightly rounded sides may or may not hopefully fix the uncomfortableness of the previous flat sided phones since the 12.