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

[Joseph C]

Or, better still, don’t order on an impulse and go check it out in Store first.

Boring! 😝 Where's the fun in that? 😉

 

[thebellnd]

What don't you get? The new iPhone Air is the best iPhone Air Apple has ever made. For that reason, it's a day one upgrade for me.

 

[Anaxarxes]

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!

amen to that - couldn't have said it better.

It's childish just to compare specs and make the air the bad choice on its compromises - which by the way there are so few considering the the design it has - It has almost the same size battery as the iPhone 16!

Tech reviewers are bound to create sharp point of views, because that's what makes them stand out - even MKBHD who was a fair reviewer in the past, uses his now top position to make smirky comments because he knows that in order to get views you need to add controversy. The fact that red flagging the Air since it has an external battery pack is just stupid. If Apple did not offer it they would claim that Apple is forcing people to comprimise the battery life and that they are forcing peole who want a large phone to go for the 17 Pro Max. When they do offer the battery pack, they sh*t over the air that it's compromised.

Noone is doing fair and ego-less reviews anymore.

PS: I can't remember the many times I showed people with iPhone Pros about action mode, portrait mode, photographic styles, AE/AF lock/ exposure adjustments etc. They were just thinking that I take better photos. They do not know what they have and there is nothing wrong with it.

Air will sell well - so well in fact that tech reviewers will begin shaming the people who buy them and claiming they are dumb.

 

[jpf293]

The regular 17 is better in almost everyway, but it doesn't look as sexy.

If you change your phone every year and money is not an issue then go for it. If you want value for money and future proofing then the regular 17 makes much more sense, or even spend a little more and get the pro.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Did you even watch the event?
It’s barely a camera bump, the camera is just one component.
Pretty much everything except for the battery is shoved into the bump at the top of the phone.
It’s basically a reverse of what they have been doing with the iMac for decades, with that the entire computer is beneath the screen, with this the entire computer is in the camera bump.

That makes sense. I didn't watch the event, so I didn't know that.

But that makes me flip to not understanding the point of this phone.

Camera bumps are ugly. I deal with the one on my iPhone Mini because it's not really like I have a choice. But if the reason for the iPhone Air to exist is because of the aesthetics, and it has this ugly bump on the top, what are we even doing here?

Edit: Bring back the wedge shape. That would let you have a thicker top and thinner bottom without a stupid bump. It's the iPhone Air after all!

 

[Marbles1]

Thinner feels nice but, it's too too physically wide and tall.

I'd love an iPhone that is physically smaller in all dimensions.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Thinner feels nice but, it's too too physically wide and tall.

I'd love an iPhone that is physically smaller in all dimensions.

It was called the iPhone Mini and no one bought it. 😭

 

[deepindiaholiday]

I think the idea behind the iPhone Air isn’t just about specs, it’s about design philosophy. Apple has always tried to balance power with portability, and the “Air” concept is meant to emphasize lightness, thin design, and ease of everyday use.


Many people expect it to compete head-to-head with Pro models, but that misses the point. The Air line is more about accessibility, comfort, and delivering a premium experience without unnecessary bulk. Just like the MacBook Air, the iPhone Air would aim to serve users who value elegance and practicality over raw performance.

 

[grammatica]

It's still an iPhone ...

 

[_apple_apple_]

I don't know why people are so obsessed with buying the latest. There's gonna be a better one next year...

Your decision should always be based on requirements; does it meet your actual usage requirements? Is the price acceptable?

iPhone 17 Air is a miniaturization POC; shrinking the core tech is always good and can make new products possible (Apple Watch, AirPods). I agree that it's preparation for the foldable phone next year, essentially 2 Airs hinged together.

 

[borntrouble]

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!

You are absolutely nailing it here buddy!

 

[ttyRazor]

It is not light at all, it is just 5% lighter than the 17 Base but lack so many things of 17 Base.

It’s closest in weight to the iPhone 12; not mini weight, but still a pretty substantial feeling difference. I originally got an iPhone 12 Pro, but exchanged it for a regular 12 when I felt how heavy it was. The sharper edges on those didn’t help either.

 

[matzoek]

Can someone please enlighten me why the mono speaker is such a big deal? I avoid using the speakers altogether, simply because I’d rather not annoy the people next to me with tinny sound they’re not interested in.

 

[drugdoubles]

To be more precise… 6,8% lighter with a screen 0,28” bigger (6,27” vs 6,55”). Not bad at all I think.

Depend on what do you care, it is more like a 17 Base with a lot of cut off, while it is so thin that it would be overheated and slow down for running the pro cpu full load like 5 minutes, so except the big screen nothing is closed to pro except the price.

 

[vvvvvv]

I avoid using the speakers altogether, simply because I’d rather not annoy the people next to me with tinny sound they’re not interested in.

Unrelated, but it absolutely sucks how rare this mindset is. It's the first thing that came to mind when I started to see all the complaints about not having Dolby speakerphone quality for everyone in the grocery line to be able to hear them (even though they're still holding it up to their mouths anyway)

Looking forward to securing mine in just a little while here

 

[cardfan]

I mean as a Vision Pro owner (I own one too) you should be able to see the draw of having a thinner and lighter phone. You wouldn't want a lighter Vision Pro?

For me, I love technology that doesn't intrude on my comfort. The idea is for the device to disappear enough when using it to not notice any cumbersome aspect of it. My iPhone 13 Pro feels like a brick in my pocket and not that comfortable to use so I am excited to replace it with an Air.

Battery and screen size kinda overrule that. Comfort of holding. I’ve gone from pro max to pro to go lighter. Didn’t like it. Titanium was about lighter. Did notice that some. I mean I don’t feel a huge need to upgrade from 15 pm.

An air is a hit to battery. One camera. 5g. Compromises. Maybe the next version or something.

 

[fatTribble]

People should get what they want. There is a 14 day return policy, if you don’t like it, or if it got issues, just return it. Plain and simple!

What happens to the returned items?

 

[Anaxarxes]

What happens to the returned items?

refurbished phones

 

[JoHugh]

One reason I recommend trying before buying is that we do not know how good/bad the single speaker will be. Obviously no stereo, but logically anyone who needs stereo will use headphones/pods. So will the Air's single speaker be loud enough and clear enough for non-stereo usages? Probably, but it requires real-world testing.

I would love to know this as I have appreciated year on year speaker improvements to iPhones. If the single speaker is decent enough then I’m tempted

 

[wba1990]

I’m also in the camp of not understanding why the speaker is an issue - but that’s just with my own use case in consideration. I rarely play any music out of my phone as I always put my AirPods in and never have calls on speaker either

 

[waquzy]

I would get the Air if it was smaller. 6.5 is Xl territory. I have small hands

 

[rui no onna]

It was called the iPhone Mini and no one bought it. 😭

I still have the 12 mini and 13 mini. Using the SE3 as DD, though.

 

[Garethe86]

It was called the iPhone Mini and no one bought it. 😭

I did, like 3 times. And then traded up like a fool.

 

[4sallypat]

amen to that - couldn't have said it better.

It's childish just to compare specs and make the air the bad choice on its compromises - which by the way there are so few considering the the design it has - It has almost the same size battery as the iPhone 16!

Tech reviewers are bound to create sharp point of views, because that's what makes them stand out - even MKBHD who was a fair reviewer in the past, uses his now top position to make smirky comments because he knows that in order to get views you need to add controversy. The fact that red flagging the Air since it has an external battery pack is just stupid. If Apple did not offer it they would claim that Apple is forcing people to comprimise the battery life and that they are forcing peole who want a large phone to go for the 17 Pro Max. When they do offer the battery pack, they sh*t over the air that it's compromised.

Noone is doing fair and ego-less reviews anymore.

PS: I can't remember the many times I showed people with iPhone Pros about action mode, portrait mode, photographic styles, AE/AF lock/ exposure adjustments etc. They were just thinking that I take better photos. They do not know what they have and there is nothing wrong with it.

Air will sell well - so well in fact that tech reviewers will begin shaming the people who buy them and claiming they are dumb.

Agree - the influencers are all motivated to say great things about what THEY use.

Reality is most of us are not influencers or high end professionals or those that live on their phones 24/7.

I am a regular consumer and don't need the Pro features.

Made the mistake moving from 14+ to 16 Pro.

Now I am happy to trade in the 16 Pro and have ordered the 17 Air this morning.

Now the issue when will it arrive - 512GB says delivery 9/25 but might change to sooner.

Backup order placed for instore pickup 9/19.

Almost as if Apple is saying they prefer you to pickup instead of delivery ???

 

[Jeremy3292]

I understand if someone thinks the idea of a thin phone is not innovative. Any of us could have proposed that idea.

To describe making a phone that thin and capable as “It’s not hard to do at all.” is hard to take seriously.

From scratch sure. But taking a 16 and making an air is not hard for Apple or Samsung to do. Strip out parts like I said.