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iPhone Air Return Air and go back to Pro(Max)??
- Thread starter CHI-M
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OP, it sounds like you need to go Pro or you'll regret it later. After being tempted by the air I decided to keep my 16PM rather than make the concessions. My wife on the other hand got the air and loves it, she was coming from a 14PM... she's not a power user and not the type who's on her phone all day so battery is not a problem..... camera wise she's just the point and shoot type... don't think she even knew she had ultrawide lol. For her the air is the perfect phone... she absolutely loves the size, weight and screen size.
One consideration I’d add is that it’s easy to kill any battery in less than a day, except PM. My 16 Pro can easily need charging by mid afternoon, it can also easily last me into the next day, all depends on how I’m using it that day. So the Air is almost certainly no different.
It's very easy to run a 16 PM to 0% battery within a day. I dont understand all these stories about the battery lasting multiple days, it has never been my experience at all.
The Air is a niche device for those who want a lightweight device and are willing to accept the shortcomings that come along with it. The fact is they can only squeeze so much into a thin device without sacrificing features you would get in the pro model, as for myself, I am liking the Air and I looking forward to future software updates that will improve the OS functionality. I went from a 15 pro to the Air and so far after almost a week as my daily driver, I am happy with the upgrade.
I went back to PM. I found the compromises not that bad on air. Overall, I just could not overcome the idea of trading in 16pm with an additional $340 for the air. Air is an incredible device, but there is no doubt the 16pm is a much nicer phone. There’s a reason Apple has their MacBook airs at a lower tier than the pro laptops, the philosophy is no different with how they’ve positioned the phones now too.
It's dumb, but when I do comparison shopping or see something that's on sale in a grocery store... I always snap the rack... and the .5x lens is a Godsend when it comes to being able to take pictures of something with a limited area to step back to get a full 1x shot with the main camera. I know the Air would be a problem for me in that regard.
The iPhone Air is now Apple's intermediate mobile phone, it is above the iPhone 17 but below the Pro, that is, it has a more powerful processor than the iPhone 16 Pro Max and 12 RAM that the Pro Max stays at 8, it is missed that it does not have a video output through DisplayPort that is.
I consider it a premium case lesser base version. The pro chip doesn’t mean much since it throttles. This isn’t saying much. They’re all suitable this year.
Why this is so is probably because Apple hasn’t showcased much to take advantage of the pro phones. All that power and still nothing but niche games to push it. Obviously things could look different when Apple releases on device llm for its Siri. But you may as well wait for iPhone 18 for this to happen.
You're right about the 17 Pro line. I never imagined Apple would make such an ugly and cheap design!
True about air having A19 pro and 12 RAM (albeit a missing GPU core, and heavily throttled). But to be fair, there is an additional wall of hardware specs the 16PM has that the air doesn't not mentioned in this synopsis. Air is missing far more than just a mini display port when compared to a 16PM, which imo easily makes the 16PM a much more complete, feature rich device overall.
I’m happy that this year, perhaps more so than in a long time, we have a clear differentiation among the devices. Base iPhone is an incredible value, Air is super premium, and the Pros are more industrial and truly geared toward professionals more than they’ve ever been. Good times.
I’m very satisfied with my Air. Love the retro vibes, reminds me of the iPhone 8/X era.
For you, pick the one the best fits your priorities—there are always trade-offs. This year is no different in that regard.
I’m very satisfied with my Air. Love the retro vibes, reminds me of the iPhone 8/X era.
For you, pick the one the best fits your priorities—there are always trade-offs. This year is no different in that regard.
How thick is it with that case? Looks like the overall thickness is similar to the camera ledge?
Exactly my thoughts. I was at Chipotle the other day and saw someone with the air and I asked them if I could hold it. Absolutely loved the feel in hand and how lightweight it was but too many compromises. I went with the 17 pro Max which I have and absolutely love but I look forward to the air 2 though.
One camera doesn't bother me at all, the battery life is something you can deal with with a battery pack and I'm always around a charger. The one absolute deal breaker for me with the Air is the speaker. A single firing speaker is a non starter for me, I always use the speakers on my phone. Ppl say well you can always just use earbuds but I find them uncomfortable. I only use earbuds when I travel or when I workout. When I'm at the house or at work I use the speakers cause it's plenty loud, it's not uncomfortable like wearing earbuds and it's easier to have conversations when you're with people while enjoying audio vs having to take your earbuds out to hear what they have to say. I'm a speaker guy all day every day so no good speakers is an absolute no go for me.
Have you heard the speaker? I’ve had multiple calls with it on speakerphone and have no issues whatsoever. I’ve watched Netflix on it too.
Unfortunately I changed my mind. After spending some time today doing a camera comparison and battery comparison between Air vs 17 Pro, the differences in both factors is too big to ignore.
It’s 1pm. The Air is at 39% and the 17 Pro is at 96%. I unplugged both at 7AM and have been using both similarly. My eSIM is on the 17 Pro so it’s not an eSIM draining my Air.
Then the photos my god. Such a difference. Way bigger than i feared. And I love my travel photography.
As much as I appreciate the design of the iPhone Air, deep inside I know it’s not the best match for me. I tried. The Air is amazing but I don’t wanna spend a whole year with these drawbacks. Keeping the 17 Pro.
It’s 1pm. The Air is at 39% and the 17 Pro is at 96%. I unplugged both at 7AM and have been using both similarly. My eSIM is on the 17 Pro so it’s not an eSIM draining my Air.
Then the photos my god. Such a difference. Way bigger than i feared. And I love my travel photography.
As much as I appreciate the design of the iPhone Air, deep inside I know it’s not the best match for me. I tried. The Air is amazing but I don’t wanna spend a whole year with these drawbacks. Keeping the 17 Pro.
Something is going on here. That difference in no way reflects the actual difference in battery capacity or performance between these two devices.
I had the Air initially. Sweet device and amazing engineering, but I keep my phones for 3-4 years, and I needed all the extra goodness of the Pro Max. Got a 17 PM in Silver and super happy with it, made the right call to return the Air (for me personally)
I'm going to wait for the iPhone Air 2, I'm sure I'll love it.. in the meantime, I have no regrets at all! =)
I love the original iPhone Air as well, and I doubt I'll go back to bulkier, thicker phones now that Apple has a nice, elegant phone that does very well.. AND FEELS SO GOOD! I've had every Pro Apple released, and for my use-case - the Air is an easy choice. The longer I use it, the more I love doing so
I love the original iPhone Air as well, and I doubt I'll go back to bulkier, thicker phones now that Apple has a nice, elegant phone that does very well.. AND FEELS SO GOOD! I've had every Pro Apple released, and for my use-case - the Air is an easy choice. The longer I use it, the more I love doing so