iPhone Air People Just Don’t Get the Point of the iPhone Air

[Joseph C]

Does the iPhone Air have the camera sensor from the 16e? Seems like that’s the case being it does not have macro ability like the base iPhone 16 or 17.

That is correct - it does not support macro photography.

However, it does not have the same sensor as the 16e either. They're both 48MP, but the sensors differ in size, pixel dimensions and other areas. iPhone 16e Uses a smaller 1/2.55" sensor with 0.7µm pixels.

iPhone Air has a larger 1/1.56" sensor with 1.0µm pixels. This matches the main sensor size from the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 models - so better light capture and higher detail, especially in low light. iPhone Air also has sensor shift optical image stabilisation, whereas 16e is lens-based (less effective).

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I believe that while many people buy the Pro model because they truly benefit from its features, there are certainly also buyers who get it out of FOMO, without actually making any use of the better cameras, and then end up suffering from the size, weight, and price. So for many, getting to use the Air could be quite a relief and a refreshing change. We will see.

Fair enough but what’s the difference now when those people could have already bought the standard iPhone? Even now the 17 on paper looks like a better phone apart from the processor which I doubt most notice the difference on. Not bashing those that want it, it’s just a curious topic.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Am I wrong in the mindset that tech isn’t always trying to solve a problem? Sometimes products are created just to see if they could be. And that seems to at least partially be the case with the Air. Clearly the phone only has one speaker and one camera because it quite literally can’t fit anything else in it. But it’s an engineering marvel that will need to be seen and held in person vs argued about online by people who’ve never seen or touched it.

I will say, for a forum that gets so stuck on the idea of “Steve would never”, the angry reactions to a product that Steve Jobs would be all over is a bit satisfying to see.
Very much reminds me of the reactions to the iPod Mini and Nano, would you can literally go into the archives of this very forum to read.
“ only $50 cheaper but 1/5 the storage, but it’s smaller? Why would anyone buy the iPod mini over the iPod.”
Steve creating a branch of the iPhone that focuses on nothing but being thin is exactly a move that is easy to imagine him making.
Anyone remember the iPod shuffle that was so small that it literally had no buttons?

 

[joshwithachance]

I will say, for a forum that gets so stuck on the idea of “Steve would never”, the angry reactions to a product that Steve Jobs would be all over is a bit satisfying to see.
Very much reminds me of the reactions to the iPod Mini and Nano, would you can literally go into the archives of this very forum to read.
“ only $50 cheaper but 1/5 the storage, but it’s smaller? Why would anyone buy the iPod mini over the iPod.”
Steve creating a branch of the iPhone that focuses on nothing but being thin is exactly a move that is easy to imagine him making.
Anyone remember the iPod shuffle that was so small that it literally had no buttons?

It's so fun to see Apple taking RISKS again, and pissing people off along the way.👏🏼

 

[danny842003]

It's so fun to see Apple taking RISKS again, and pissing people off along the way.👏🏼

Is making a large phone that 2mm thinner than their other phone and charging more taking a risk though?

 

[joshwithachance]

Is making a large phone that 2mm thinner than their other phone and charging more taking a risk though?

The risk is putting out a premium phone in 2025 with a single camera and speaker due to pushing physics and engineering to their furthest points for the sake of design.

If you don't see the vision or beauty in this, are you REALLY an Apple fan? By all means buy the comparatively bland and unexciting 17 or Pro/Max instead if they appeal to you more. The Air is the iPhone I've been dreaming of since the X.

 

[danny842003]

The risk is putting out a premium phone in 2025 with a single camera and speaker due to pushing physics and engineering to their furthest points for the sake of design.

If you don't see the vision or beauty in this, are you REALLY an Apple fan? By all means buy the boring ass 17 or Pro/Max instead if they appeal to you more. The Air is the iPhone I've been dreaming of since the X.

Why is this less boring than the others?

 

[rui no onna]

If you don't see the vision or beauty in this, are you REALLY an Apple fan? By all means buy the boring ass 17 or Pro/Max instead if they appeal to you more. The Air is the iPhone I've been dreaming of since the X.

I like the iPhone Air but no, I’m not an Apple fan.

I buy Apple products because I like them and they meet my needs. I don’t see the need for brand loyalty.

 

[FunkyTang]

I’m surprised that Apple didn’t make the Air rear camera an optional $79 dongle.

 

[joshwithachance]

I like the iPhone Air but no, I’m not an Apple fan.

I buy Apple products because I like them and they meet my needs. I don’t see the need for brand loyalty.

That’s fair. But then why are you on an Apple FORUM in a thread about a phone you don’t care about?

 

[rui no onna]

That’s fair. But then why are you on an Apple FORUM in a thread about a phone you don’t like or care about?

Did you miss the part where I said I liked the iPhone Air?

Liking Apple’s products doesn’t mean you have to be an Apple fan.

 

[Detonation]

A lot of folks and "influencers" complaining about the battery, but the Air has as good as of a battery rating as at least every other previous non Max pro phone released, if not significantly better.

Air - 27 hours
16 Pro - 27 hours
15/14 Pro - 23 hours
13 Pro - 22 hours
12/11 Pro Max - 20 hours
12 Pro - 17 hours
11 Pro - 18 hours

I would be all over the Air if it wasn't for the limited camera, which I'm so reliant and dependent on now having small kids. I randomly pick up my old Pixel 2 XL and miss how light phones used to be, and the Air is even thinner and lighter.

 

[cardfan]

The risk is putting out a premium phone in 2025 with a single camera and speaker due to pushing physics and engineering to their furthest points for the sake of design.

If you don't see the vision or beauty in this, are you REALLY an Apple fan? By all means buy the rather bland 17 or Pro/Max instead if they appeal to you more. The Air is the iPhone I've been dreaming of since the X.

It’s just a slightly thinner low tier iPhone. I don’t get the appeal myself. Phones look the same. It’s the specs that matter. The real risk Apple is taking is being clueless with AI.

My only reason for upgrading was getting the other two camera upgrades on the pro max. An iPhone air would be a downgrade for me.

 

[NotApplicable]

I like the iPhone Air but no, I’m not an Apple fan.

I buy Apple products because I like them and they meet my needs. I don’t see the need for brand loyalty.

I buy Apple products because I like them and they meet my needs.

Since this has been true for many years, I think that makes me brand-loyal in arrears. That I have _never_ considered a Windows or Android tablet or Android phone, because their ecosystems and user experience and industrial design have never appealed to me to any meaningful degree more than Apple’s.

But it’s not a blind loyalty. I am open to the existence of something better, this just hasn’t happened in my history of consumer electronics consumption for some product categories (in particular: laptops, tablets, and phones). And these product categories have become pretty well defined by now, so I can predict the future pretty well: Apple won’t release a bad enough, and competitors won’t release a compelling enough, product in these categories anytime soon to flip the script for me.

I can see how this would look like blind faith from the outside. But it’s not — it’s just the outcome of Apple reliably winning these product categories based on my criteria (objective and subjective) every generation.

 

[JoHugh]

It’s for sure a step backward, but I think whether the speaker is good or not will be more important than stereo

In current iPhones, if you turn on mono in accessibility and cover the ear and bottom speakers independently, you can see that all of the lows are coming from the bottom speaker, and the top one sounds really bad by comparison. That’s what I’m most worried about

I’m thinking you may have slightly over analyzed the situation 😂

 

[rui no onna]

But it’s not a blind loyalty. I am open to the existence of something better, this just hasn’t happened in my history of consumer electronics consumption for some product categories (in particular: laptops, tablets, and phones). And these product categories have become pretty well defined by now, so I can predict the future pretty well: Apple won’t release a bad enough, and competitors won’t release a compelling enough, product in these categories anytime soon to flip the script for me.

It's more or less the same situation for me for iPhones and iPads.

I have a few Android devices for app sideloading but they won't be replacing the iPhone as a daily driver, particularly since I rely on iPhone-iPad integration. That's unless Apple does something horribly wrong which I doubt.

I'm in the Windows camp for laptops and desktops. I have the M1 MacBook Air and Mac Mini. They're pretty great hardware—both stylish and durable. I'm just more used to Windows.

 

[JoHugh]

We get it. The 17 Pro has a vapour chamber which means no throttling when filming 4K video at 60fps for hours without dimming or slowdowns.

But the Air uses “Copper Post” technology from LG Innotek - a miniaturised heat dissipation system that spreads thermal load efficiently. This will avoid frequent throttling even under heavier loads for I reckon 80% of users. From what I’ve read it’s a game changer.

The Class A energy efficiency implies low baseline heat generation. Obviously power users will require the Pro models … because they’re professionals. The average user, and that includes all of us geek on this forum, would likely struggle to have thermal throttling problems with the Air I reckon.

The whole single speaker thing is a bit overstated too. It’s a clear casualty of the thin design, saving space and weight (145g total). With software processing they can likely boost perceived bass/clarity without a second driver.

9to5Mac and Smartprix both noted it’s surprisingly capable for mono, without the muddiness of single-speaker rival phones..

How many people really care about the phone speakers beyond loudspeaker calls occasionally and trivial online video? That’s what headphones or Bluetooth speakers are for.

Interesting post thanks as someone who has ordered air and was a tad concerned about speaker, I do agree it’s an edge case for many but something important to me but good to hear it sounds ok. Who are Smart Prix by the way 😂

 

[NotApplicable]

It's more or less the same situation for me for iPhones and iPads.

I have a few Android devices for app sideloading but they won't be replacing the iPhone as a daily driver, particularly since I rely on iPhone-iPad integration.

I'm in the Windows camp for laptops and desktops. I have the M1 MacBook Air and Mac Mini. They're pretty great hardware—both stylish and durable. I'm just more used to Windows.

Makes sense. I have a Windows gaming PC, but use Mac for my work and non-gaming personal use.

 

[tolili alert]

 

[partyboy4357]

A typical comment on social media and in many YouTube reviews goes: “Why would anyone pay $999 for an iPhone Air when it has worse specs than even the regular iPhone?”

Could you please finally understand that not every user cares about processor power or professional-grade cameras? Some people specifically want a light, thin, and elegant iPhone. Many iPhone users don’t play demanding games on their phone and only take simple point-and-shoot photos.

To be honest, it really annoys me how even on YouTube there seems to be some kind of baseline for what people are supposed to want from an iPhone. Just because someone like MKBHD prefers a giant phone with huge battery life and a Hollywood-level camera doesn’t mean everyone else should want the same thing.

I think iPhone Air is gonna sell like crazy!

Anyone who buys the air as anything more than a novelty has lost their mind. 1 camera, small battery, then put on a case and it’s just as think as a normal iPhone. But you do you and buy the first gen of that joke of a phone if ya wanna. No need to post about it. Any who actually asked for a thin phone anyway? SMH

 

[NotApplicable]

Anyone who buys the air as anything more than a novelty has lost their mind. 1 camera, small battery, then put on a case and it’s just as think as a normal iPhone. But you do you and buy the first gen of that joke of a phone if ya wanna. No need to post about it.

Ew, who uses cases!

 

[partyboy4357]

View attachment 2548830

lol at the camera bump, yeah that ruins the “thinness”. Yuck

 

[NauticalDan]

I’ve had pro phones since iPhone X. But with the incredible battery life of the air, the trade offs are worth it for me to not have to carry around or hold extra weight for the occasional use of a pro feature.

According to EU battery endurance tests, iPhone air lasts 40h. iPhone 16 Pro lasts 37h. That’s amazing. The testing repeats this cycle:

• Phone call — 4 minutes
• Idle — 30 minutes
• Web browsing — 9 minutes
• Idle — 30 minutes
• Video streaming — 4 minutes
• Gaming — 1 minute
• Idle — 30 minutes
• Data transfer (HTTP upload & download) — 8 minutes
• Idle — 30 minutes
• Video playback — 4 minutes

 

[James6s]

No need to post about it. Any who actually asked for a thin phone anyway? SMH

Who asked for a thicker heavy phone, who asked for bigger phone, who asked for a smaller phone, who asked for a foldable phone, who asked for any phone or new piece of tech that’s been released. It’s nice to see Apple trying something different and pushing some boundaries giving people more choice.

“No need to post about it” LOL… Last time I checked this was a forum dedicated to iPhone on an Apple fans site. What a ridiculous thing to come out with 🤣🤣

 

[JoHugh]

I've owned two Pro Maxes and I think the 17 Pros are the ugliest thing ever. Yet I'm not wandering into threads for fans of those phones to share my negative opinion. Apple already sells a minimalist bumper that covers the metal bands that horrify you so.

For me the 17 pros are the most terrible iPhone design I’ve seen