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

Sammael said:
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.
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You can not like it all you want, but there are other people actively trying to paint it as a model no one should buy and belittling the phone. That’s hating, which I think is petty and childish.

I don’t mind people who gratuitously praise the phone, because they’re enjoying something. That’s a lot nicer to see than someone who is constantly popping up to tell the enjoyers, “Well here’s my negative opinion! Haha it sucks! You’re getting a bad value!”

That’s not a pleasant experience. Seeing people love it is. I guess some people can’t stand to see others happy.
 
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I love my iPhone Air. I took a call on it the other day, and put it on speaker, and listened to the other person talk for like 15 minutes. It was pretty soft sounding, even after I cranked the volume. I thought, ugh, maybe this one speaker thing isn’t so great. Then I realized oh, it had toggled back to the setting for regular iPhone versus acting as a speakerphone. haha Toggled it back and it was plenty loud.

Unrelated, I think there’s an iOS bug because when I answer a call and switch it to speaker or even put in my AirPods, I feel like it goes back to the iPhone regular mode. At least with the AirPods, I know it’s trying to auto connect and there’s usually multiple active devices around so it’s probably racing to figure out priority, but I had that issue on my iPhone 16 Pro too.

Anyway, I love my iPhone Air! 😀
 
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kulan said:
You can not like it all you want, but there are other people actively trying to paint it as a model no one should buy and belittling the phone. That’s hating, which I think is petty and childish.
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Anything that can be criticized will also be criticized in exaggerated and irrational terms by some people. I mean, look at almost any news thread on this site. I don’t think the Air is special in that regard. It may get more of it in absolute numbers because it carries more compromises than your average iPhone release, and therefore gets more critical commentary in general. But that’s just par for the course.

Anyway, just because some people comment in that way, doesn’t mean that most people critical of the Air reading this thread are “hating” in that way. That’s why you are getting pushback here.
 
El Cabong said:
https://www.wired.com/review/apple-iphone-air/

Wasn't hard to find.
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There’s a lot of inherent bias though, whether folks realize it or not. Even in that article, which I actually thought was pretty well written, language like “better than expected” and “lackluster battery life” shows sentiments that the author came in with a preconceived mindset.

I get it. And it’s hard NOT to compare it against a more powerful device like the 17 Pro, especially since both are new and were even released on the same day. But Apple has been very intentional with this device. They don’t even call it the 17 Air. It’s just iPhone Air. It’s the same as comparing a MacBook Air to a MacBook Pro.

Sometimes I wonder how the reviews would have gone if the Air had been launched at a separate event with some time in between. Would it have been better evaluated by itself on its own merits?

Of course comparisons are fine to help buyers determine if the specs are going to meet their needs. Even in a MacBook Air review, I’d expect them to say something like “if you need more processing power, you might want to move up to a MacBook Pro” but I wouldn’t expect them to frame it as the inverse. (“If you’re okay with not as great graphics, the MacBook Air is right for you!” lol).

Ironically, when you actually do compare the iPhone Air to the iPhone 16 Pro, performance wise it’s pretty much the same or better. (Minus the additional camera of course.) I haven’t seen many reviews at all with that comparison. It’s always been about comparing it against the rest of what Apple announced that day. The 16 Pro to Air was my upgrade path this go round, and while I do miss the extra cameras, I do feel overall this choice has been a great upgrade for me and I’m quite happy with it. 😀
 
kulan said:
You can not like it all you want, but there are other people actively trying to paint it as a model no one should buy and belittling the phone. That’s hating, which I think is petty and childish.

I don’t mind people who gratuitously praise the phone, because they’re enjoying something. That’s a lot nicer to see than someone who is constantly popping up to tell the enjoyers, “Well here’s my negative opinion! Haha it sucks! You’re getting a bad value!”

That’s not a pleasant experience. Seeing people love it is. I guess some people can’t stand to see others happy.
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But this happens on both sides. Saw a post started yesterday commenting on how great the Pro Max battery was and not a mention of the Air. Almost immediately someone commented show me the battery stats almost in delight to prove the assessment wrong. Then someone else comments about how they wouldn’t want a “Brick” of a phone to have good battery life. Like let’s be for real all of these phones for certain people are very comfortable to hold and pretty light weight. If we are being honest most people, albeit not all would never pick up a Max and think, “ oh my goodness this phone is sooooo heavy “ with out someone else telling them how heavy it is already.
 
klasma said:
Anything that can be criticized will also be criticized in exaggerated and irrational terms by some people. I mean, look at almost any news thread on this site. I don’t think the Air is special in that regard. It may get more of it in absolute numbers because it carries more compromises than your average iPhone release, and therefore gets more critical commentary in general. But that’s just par for the course.

Anyway, just because some people comment in that way, doesn’t mean that most people critical of the Air reading this thread are “hating” in that way. That’s why you are getting pushback here.
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Never said most people were hating. Criticize and discuss all you want, I have no problem with it. You can definitely tell some people are mad that others are enjoying the phone though, even if the hardware is objectively weaker. It probably rattles their brain.
 
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kulan said:
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.
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The more I have used the Air, the more I've found it to be awesome. It takes someone capable of self-reflection to realize what is best for them.

The battery life reminds me of Tesla's rationale for why they don’t put more battery into their cars: most of the time, you would be carrying around extra weight that is not needed.
 
ForkHandles said:
The air is a good phone. For me they’ve got the price point completely wrong.

At 799 it would fly off the shelves!
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It’s interesting. As of right now, Amazon is selling the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for $679 with 128GB of storage. $799 with 256GB. And the Edge has the same real-world battery life as the iPhone Air along with two speakers, a slightly larger screen, mmWave coverage, an under-screen fingerprint reader and two cameras (normal and ultra-wide).
 
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Why are people saying this is "the future"?

How are they going to shrink camera components (lenses in particular)?

That's a big reason why the phones have gotten bigger for years ... the need for larger and larger camera plateaus to house the lenses. I really don't see how they're going to suddenly make all of that smaller.

People love their camera lenses and quality.
 
yesterday I got an iPhone Air, upgrading from a Pro, Max 13. After using the air for a day, I picked up the promax and couldn’t believe it was so heavy, and that I had been carrying it around so long. For me, the air is a great improvement. I think the people who upgrade in the first month or so tend to want one of the more powerful phones and that’s why they go for the pro. The screen on the air is amazing.
 
Biro said:
It’s interesting. As of right now, Amazon is selling the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for $679 with 128GB of storage. $799 with 256GB. And the Edge has the same real-world battery life as the iPhone Air along with two speakers, a slightly larger screen, mmWave coverage, an under-screen fingerprint reader and two cameras (normal and ultra-wide).
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Which also highlights one of the faults of the Air. Maybe Apple has just gone too thin. Were it a couple of mms thicker and had 2 cameras, speakers, longer battery life, then this could be the perfect phone. The problem is they’ve compromised too much.
 
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tomtad said:
Which also highlights one of the faults of the Air. Maybe Apple has just gone too thin. Were it a couple of mms thicker and had 2 cameras, speakers, longer battery life, then this could be the perfect phone. The problem is they’ve compromised too much.
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Yes, the point of the phone is to be thin, you’re basically saying, “if only the Air was the base 17, then it could be perfect”…
 
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People have different feelings and opinions. It’s weird to say the critique feels “forced”. It sounds like you just don’t want people to disagree with you
 
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bluespark said:
....
To put it somewhat differently, the Air is the closest thing that Apple has ever made to a perfect phone *for me*. I want a phone that looks and feels great, is fast, and that has a beautiful screen, a good camera, and all-day battery life. The Air is all of that. Would I also like a better speaker and a wide-angle lens? Well sure, but only if I don't have to compromise on the look and feel. For my priorities, Apple nailed this one.
.....-- the Air is my strong favorite.
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^^^ this is "me".
 
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It was just released and is somewhat of a new experimental product. If there is another iPhone Air in the future, say next year, this "Air" type seems to have come to stay, unlike the 12" MacBook. I believe this year's iPhone Air has fewer options than the standard iPhone 17.
 
rui no onna said:
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.
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Overall this years iPhone models are quite good. While certainly not perfect, no smartphone is.

I find the regular iPhone 17 an outstanding model that offers an exceptional value, excellent performance and a nice compromise of physical size, weight, display size and features.

In addition I find the iPhone Air a very good first effort. Knowing Apples ways, its shortcomings are understandable.

This is a company that releases first versions that deliberately leave out features the company is perfectly capable of including, but their greed gets in the way. Knowing full well the influence they have over their buyers and what they can get away with, they shortchange the first model and save said features for the future version.

This is the very reason I'm waiting on the next Air before handing over my money.

As a cross platform enthusiast having bought a large number of new iPhones and Androids over the years, the iPhone 17 stands out as a very nice choice, perhaps the very best iPhone this year.
 
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maxoakland said:
People have different feelings and opinions. It’s weird to say the critique feels “forced”. It sounds like you just don’t want people to disagree with you
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Critique ≠ hate

I welcome criticism and disagreement, but some of these people can’t help themselves from making jabs at the phone and telling everyone that their Pro or 17 is better every chance they can get. That’s what I don’t get. It sounds like you just want to conflate what I said with something else.
 
My service provider is offering a very good plan to buy that "Air," but they aren't yet offering the iPhone 17—only the 16 (all types). I'll wait until they release the standard 17. Who needs a mobile phone in 2025 with just one camera and one speaker?!
Nuts!
 
kulan said:
Critique ≠ hate

I welcome criticism and disagreement, but some of these people can’t help themselves from making jabs at the phone and telling everyone that their Pro or 17 is better every chance they can get. That’s what I don’t get. It sounds like you just want to conflate what I said with something else.
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Both sides do this. Let’s stop playing the victim card.
 
Cyberguycpt said:
Both sides do this. Let’s stop playing the victim card.
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No. It's very one-sided. Here are examples:

Find one single thread that's not this one that's trying to say Air is superior to Pro Max. None? I rest my case.

It's quite simple really: I also tried Pro Max and Air and ultimately returned Pro Max to keep Air. Did I feel the need to open up a whole new thread to "discuss" why I made that choice? No. But it seems a lot of Pro Max owners are opening these threads just to justify going from Air to Pro Max. The simple question is: why? Can't they just make a decision and move on?
 
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