iPhone Air The Air just feels great to use, all the hate is so forced.

[CraigJDuffy]

My personal opinion is... the "compromises" are not actual compromises. Air is basically a "super" version of the iPhone 6 from a decade ago. Back when we used to have thinner and lighter phones. We have actually "compromised" on thickness all in the name of more battery life and more cameras. Sort of like going backward too far into the early 2000s when we had bricks for cell phones.

I guess some are okay with that but I've always thought for decades that as technology progresses, we should get thinner, lighter and more capable devices. But we've hit a plateau. We can either go backward with thickness and weight to try and have more capabilities or we can have thin and light with less capabilities. Looks like the "thicker and more cameras" camp is winning in reality.

That is fine, but I think a lot of younger folks forget Apple's golden years were with thinner, lighter and smaller phones that barely lasted through just one day. The cameras were just workable back then. Now people get a single 48MP sensor and they're thinking "it's not enough", which is comical to me.

Equally there is a camp of us who think that the pursuit of thinness is not worth the compromise of camera bumps etc.

I’d like to see them make the 17 Pro thicker and give it an amazing battery like the AW Ultra.

 

[MarkX]

Yes, and since people keep bringing up sales for some reason, there’s a simple explanation for the numbers.

Most people just want the “Biggest and Best” iPhone. The one that has the most stuff. The Biggest screen. The Biggest battery. So if they can afford it, obviously they will get that one.

I am pretty sure the Pro Max is the bestseller because it’s literally the highest tier on the price ladder. It’s the one that doesn’t have any model above it. Because people who are upgrading to Pro phones probably already have Pro phones and they have to have the new top of the line one. That’s all the logic most people need when buying the new phone every year.

Remember, the mini and Plus models faced the same low sales. No average iPhone buyer cares about the model that doesn’t already ring a bell to them, especially when it’s vaguely priced in the middle of the lineup, and it’s again, not the “Biggest and Best One.”

If Apple releases an “iPhone Ultra” for $2,000, even if it’s not a foldable, you can bet the sales for that phone will also be the highest of the lineup. It’s really that simple.

I don’t think that’s true, I believe the regular iPhone 16 was the top seller of the 16 line up so not the top most expensive model as you claim.

It was certainly the case in q1 and q2 of this year.

 

[Blaidd]

I think the haters were hoping on a “Bendgate 2” when actually as jerryrig proved… there is no bendgate. It’s a phenomenal phone. And any concerns regards to battery life or performance were duly noted. The phone performs fine. The battery is more than enough.

 

[ForkHandles]

I had a 17 Pro Max delivered on launch day, but it’s 2 weeks later and I had to return it because of the speaker noise issue when charging. That was a little too disappointing to keep the device. While I still think the Pro/Pro Max is the “best” iPhone you can buy, the Air just feels so much better to use.

I really wanted to like the Pro Max, because it is such a beast of a phone and I am ordinarily a spec chaser. Thermals, battery, cameras, performance, it was all top of the line. I would have kept it if it wasn’t for the speaker issue.

Of course this is subjective, but the Pro Max does not seem to be designed for use with one hand. I know some people can only use it with two hands. It’s doable, manageable, but not pleasant. I was often using it flat on a table and hunching over to face the display, almost like it was a mini tablet.

The design of the Pros this year was also pretty disappointing, for someone who has always appreciated the elegant, minimalist design of Apple products. I wouldn’t have wanted to use it without a case. Not because of “scratchgate” or “aluminum sucks” but the glass cutout on the back is really what bothered me. I wish they could have color matched the glass better on the Silver model or made the unibody in a different way.

The Air on the other hand is so sleek, the Space Black is so classy and this phone is just beautiful. I realized I really don’t need all the cameras and battery life on the Pro Max. All I do nowadays is text, call, email, and browse the web, barely taking photos here and there.

The Air is simply a little joy to use for this average use case. I don’t understand why so many people are trying to hate on this phone and point out every single one of its flaws over and over. I think this is actually a sign that Apple did something unique and new, which usually bothers people who are used to seeing more of the same.

The air is a good phone. For me they’ve got the price point completely wrong.

At 799 it would fly off the shelves!

 

[Happy_John]

I don’t think that’s true, I believe the regular iPhone 16 was the top seller of the 16 line up so not the top most expensive model as you claim.

It was certainly the case in q1 and q2 of this year.

It all depends on exactly when in the product’s cycle the figures come from.

Pro and Pro Max sell by the shedload in the first month of release, as that’s when the fan/enthusiasts/flexers buy, because they want the shiniest newest most expensive things NOW, but then tapers off. The sales of the base iPhone are much more steady throughout the year the current latest base phone is on sale.

And there’s also black Friday and Christmas

To put it another way, a higher percentage of iPhones are pros before Christmas, but the percentge of iPhones sold that are bse iPhones increase after Christmas.

The air? That’s a wait and see if it sold mainly directly after launch or sales will be steady over it’s sales-life. I’d guess the formie, but that really is just a guess.

 

[Kaiserschmarrn]

It's a great phone if you can live with the compromises, it's a horrible one if you can't.

It's really not that deep.

 

[eddie_ducking]

It's a great phone if you can live with the compromises, it's a horrible one if you can't.

It's really not that deep.

Replace "it's" with either "Air" or "Pro Max"... the statement is true in all cases

 

[Happy_John]

Replace "it's" with either "Air" or "Pro Max"... the statement is true in all cases

Choice is not a bad thing. But having choice means won’t be a „perfect phone for everyone”, only Th Best phone for you.

The endless threads on „This model piękn si bear/worst” are redundant from The perspective of choice.

But IF Apple only made one model of phone next year, and said „this is the best iPhone for everyone, so there’s no reason to have more than one model”, the complaining threads wouldn’tstoo, they’ll be even longer.

So …

1, Choice is good.( as long as the rangę of choice is not too wide to the point it confused consumers and make buying more difficult, not less)


2. People love to complain about anything on the internet.


These two things seem to be universal.

 

[Donkey Man]

I’m going caseless, I feel like this design deserves to be uncovered.

I got the thinnest case there is, just for peace of mind.

 

[darthbane2k]

Hot take.. what if the Air was the base iPhone 17 at the base iPhone 17 price? That would work right?

 

[Donkey Man]

But do consider this: the majority of those who have ever owned an iPhone should have been okay with battery life in iPhone X and Xs some years ago.

Air factually lasts like twice as long as iPhone X/Xs.

But suddenly it is no longer enough battery life for "most people"?

I think that's the more realistic question to ask, rather than the hypothetical scenarios you are thinking of. How did people even work with these past iPhones?

Mind, we used to have phones that would last weeks... back before the first iPhone came out. Why did we not complain about the loss of 80% of battery life back then when everyone started switching over to "smart" phones? Why complain now?

If true, that’s insanely great, because I was ALREADY happy with the battery life in my XR, as it easily lasts a full day even after seven years of usage.

 

[klasma]

His scenario is niche. Most people I know upgrade yearly or every other year.

The median in the US is above two years (see below). Worldwide it's above three years. And US iPhone users only constitute around 10-15% of worldwide iPhone users.

 

[Isamilis]

I own the phone as well, as you can see in my signature, and it indeed does NOT last me an entire day. Barely lasts me till 5pm actually. And that's because in my line of work I film video quite often, and the Air can't keep up unfortunately.

If you film video often every day , why dont you get the Pro instead? You knew from beginning Air has limitation in camera and battery, isn’t it?

 

[klasma]

Hot take.. what if the Air was the base iPhone 17 at the base iPhone 17 price? That would work right?

Wouldn't work for me, because the Air is just too large.

 

[klasma]

If you film video often every day , why dont you get the Pro instead? You knew from beginning Air has limitation in camera and battery, isn’t it?

You're blaming them for giving it a try?

 

[rui no onna]

I upgrade every 6-7 years. I get the best model available at that time. I get a Pro Max, and why go with base models or cheaper ones if you upgrade every 6+ years. If Promax is heavy go for Pro or Air.

Base 17 has bigger battery, ultrawide camera, stereo speakers and is $200 cheaper than the Air.

Unless thinness with the larger display is an absolute must, I wouldn't actually recommend the Air to someone else. Base 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are the safer choices.

 

[Happy_John]

Base 17 has bigger battery, ultrawide camera, stereo speakers and is $200 cheaper than the Air.

Unless thinness with the larger display is an absolute must, I wouldn't actually recommend the Air to someone else. Base 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are the safer choices.

I’m curious, you start off comparing the base 17 to the air, and the base 17 wins out, especially on price.

So why then do you recommend the pro or pro max, which are even more expensive than the air.

Why not just stick to you ordinal point - get the base iPhone not the air. Why water down your original point immediately after making it?

 

[rui no onna]

Why not go for cheaper models. the base phone has all the functionality you need, whyspend significntly more moneyfor functions you don’t need? Your personal upgrade timeline is irrelevant to that. With phon s, a pro won’t have a longer life than a base model, especially tith this year’s 17s.

Battery-wise it sorta does thanks to the bigger batteries on this year's Pros.

~3500 mAh Base
~4000 mAh Pro
~5000 mAh Pro Max

 

[Happy_John]

Battery-wise it sorta does thanks to the bigger batteries on this year's Pros.

~3500 mAh Base
~4000 mAh Pro
~5000 mAh Pro Max

Ok, but then why recommend the base 17 and then start talking about the Pro and Pro Max.

I’m not attacking you, but I really don’t understand this, and these forums are flooded with it.

There’s a very strong consensus of this forum that, overall, for price to performance and the updated specs, the base iPhone is the best phone for your average user.

But immediately after saying or agreeing this, the same posters say nothing about the base 17, but instead spend tens of thousands of words in forum posts debating only between the airs and the pro.

The mentality seems to be that “The base 17 is by far the best choice overall for normies, but I’m not a normie, I’m exceptional.”.

But if everyone is exceptional, then they’re not exceptional, they’re normal and average.

Everyone’s a normie or no-one’s a normie. The argument that “I need something better than the average consumer” only holds up in less than 5% of cases.

If people bought desktop macs they way people on forums buy iPhones, Mac Pros / Mac Studio M3 Ultras would be half of all mc desktop sales.

I

 

[Zensō]

Air isn’t for me, can’t imagine buying a new phone with worse features than my prior phone at the alter of aesthetics and a few grammes when it’s still a relatively big phone. But I saw one, it did look great.

Although putting a case on that thing is a crime and completely negates its main selling point and makes it largely pointless. Yeah yeah still lighter in the pocket but come on, let’s be real.

OK, let’s be real. With the Apple case on the Air and a mid-weight case like a PR or Caudabe on the Pro Max, the weight difference is nearly 100 grams. That’s enough to completely change the feel of using a device.

 

[rui no onna]

I’m curious, you start off comparing the base 17 to the air, and the base 17 wins out, especially on price.

So why then do you recommend the pro or pro max, which are even more expensive than the air.

Why not just stick to you ordinal point - get the base iPhone not the air. Why water down your original point immediately after making it?

Base 17 wins on price and overall value (and is relatively light at 177g). Pro and Pro Max have better battery life and zoom. Pro Max has bigger display. It all depends on what someone wants/needs.

I'm getting a 17 to replace the Air myself. The 17 is the best option for me (and likely majority of users) but it doesn't mean it's the best choice for everyone.

The base 17 is what I would recommend to most but if someone wants a large display or the best battery life, then I would recommend the Pro Max.

 

[klasma]

Ok, but then why recommend the base 17 and then start talking about the Pro and Pro Max.

I’m not attacking you, but I really don’t understand this, and these forums are flooded with it.

I think this about users who don't significantly value the design and the dimensions of the Air over features. In that case, the regular 17 gives you better features at a much lower price. And if the features of the regular 17 aren't enough, then opting for the Air still wouldn't address that at all, but choosing a Pro model would.

 

[Sammael]

Just because I don’t like something, or want something you do, does not translate to I hate it. I mean sure, this is the internet and some arguments against will be peppered with vitriol and spite, but just as many lay gratuitous praise.

It has been mentioned in this thread, several times, everyone has different needs and wants. By all accounts, the Air is plenty of phone for most people. But I’d imagine an iPhone 11 Pro is more than enough for the average user who simply wants to doom scroll, compare popularity on Instablab or faceplace, share pictures of their cats, and/or their offspring. But some people want more than that, and that is OK. A tent is more than enough shelter, but I am glad I’ve got heat, AC, insulation, refrigeration, and hot running water.