Respectfully, I don't understand people who don't realize how much better stereo speakers sound on an iPhone. If it works for you, great, but we are talking night and day difference.
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iPhone Air The Air reviews have dropped and the speaker's junk
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There is still no credible explanation on how or why Air can become the mainstream product.
Let’s pretend Air drops to $949. That still leaves a $350 gap. Apple isn’t going to do that.
16e - $599
Air - $949
iPhone X, Apple launched XR to fill the gap below.
MacBook Air, Apple is launching a $599 MacBook to fill the gap below.
iPhone, Apple already has a sub-$999 product called iPhone 17.
It took 13 years for Apple to raise the base price of iPhone by 25% from $649 to $799.
Yet, Apple is expected to delete the $799 model and raise the bar to $999 so soon?
Even if the iPhone 16e gets ProMotion, it’s still missing the camera and display size. Apple and everyone else has been selling cameras since day one. It’s expected to continue because everyone young or old cares about that.
Apple literally just did that, a year ago, with the iPad.
Before the latest refreshes, the lineup was…
iPad 9: $329
iPad 10: $449
iPad Mini: $499
iPad Air: $599
iPad Pro: $799
Now look at the iPad lineup today, much, much wider gaps.
iPad 11: $350
iPad Mini: $499
M3 iPad Air: $599
M4 iPad Pro: $999
Same thing goes with the Mac lineup, literally just two years ago the MacBook Air started at $1199 for the latest model and the MacBook Pro started at $1299 for the latest model.
Today, the latest generation MacBook Air starts at $999, and the latest generation MacBook Pro starts at $1599.
With the $2000 foldable iPhone becoming the new top of the line, expect the gaps to get very wide. In 2023 it happened with the MacBook, in 2024 it happened with the iPad, and it will eventually happen with the iPhone too.
The credible explanation for why the iPhone Air will become the new “everyone” iPhone is because that is literally what happened with the iPad Air and MacBook Air before it, and Apple is a very predictable company. They very well know that most consumers associate “Air” with the regular model, as that’s what they have been trained on for decades now with the iPad Air and the MacBook Air.
If the iPhone Air was just going to be some one off thing Apple made for a year and never went back to, they wouldn’t have called it that.
They have very deliberately associated the iPhone Air with the MacBook Air and iPad Air before it, and I think they have made their intentions very clear by doing so.
The iPhone Air is, within the next couple years, going to become the new regular.
And with these rumors of an all screen, curved edges, completely Glass iPhone Pro, expect that thing to be bumped way up in price.
$999 is the new regular iPhone price, and the new pro iPhone price? Well, who knows, but that all Glass phone certainly won’t be $1099, I expected to be no less than $1299 starting, maybe more.
It’s like you’re grasping it but just not quite.
The iPhone Air is just that, the first generation.
The camera, will improve. The speakers, will improve. Eventually, they will be able to mass produce a 5MM iPhone Air with dual speakers and a dual camera, and the regular iPhone will pretty much have no reason for being.
Likewise, we are already seeing rumors that the 17e will be launched next year with the dynamic island, the A19 chip, and possible other improvements.
The gap between the 17e, 17 and Air is already so minuscule, and by the time we get to the 18 series, it will likely be even smaller, because it is very clear that the E and regular will eventually become the same phone, and that the Air is the new standard.
Also, it did not take 13 years for the iPhones price to change off contract…
Original iPhone: $499-399 two months later.
iPhone 3G: $399 off contract.
iPhone 4: $649 off contract.
Then, yes, it did stay at $649 for the next five years…
iPhone 7+ received a $20 increase in price off contract.
Then the 8 received a $50 increase, then the XR another $50 increase, before dropping back down to $699 for the 11, then up to $799 for the 12..
However, as unfortunate as it is, times are changing.
Between the iPhone 7 in 2016 and the iPhone 12 in 2020, the price of the regular iPhone went up $150.
Between 2020 and 2025, the price has remained at $799. Obviously it’s not going to stay at $799 forever, and by 2028, which is when I expect the air to fully replace the regular, $999 won’t seem so expensive because with inflation, it will basically be the $799 of today.
That’s what you’re not understanding, I’m not saying the iPhone Air is replacing the regular iPhone today, but it’s very clear that it’s being phased out.
iPhone serves as a gateway product to iPad and MacBook, which means Apple can't leave big holes in it. Not everyone has an iPad and fewer people have MacBooks.
$599 to $799 is where everyone competes, in both mainstream and developing markets.
It's easy to say "$999 will be the base price" but you have to look at what's happening on the ground. The smartphone ASP in India for example, is $275.
I disagree there will be an iPhone Air with a second camera any time soon. Apple's philosophy with the Air is maximum battery and minimum thickness at all costs. Apple could have done a dual camera Air at 6mm, but they chose not to. Any improvements in the future to the Air will be to make it even thinner, lighter, and to make the screen as big as the Pro Max.
Man I wish it weren't so but it is
very crackly at high volumes, deal breaker considering I watch a lot of video on my phone.
Not having a wide angle was* a deal breaker too
But shame because C1X modem seemed to perform well enough and battery was better than I was expecting too..
very crackly at high volumes, deal breaker considering I watch a lot of video on my phone.
Not having a wide angle was* a deal breaker too
But shame because C1X modem seemed to perform well enough and battery was better than I was expecting too..
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Totally disagree. The S25 Edge is 5.8mm and has a second camera. That is a difference of .16 mm in depth between it and the Air. Barely anything at all.
Apple will build upon the Air. Stereo speakers and dual cameras are a question of when, not if. And given that the Edge has both already, and is essentially the same depth, I wouldn't be surprised if we see both upgrades next year to the Air.
The Air will become a more powerful smartphone moving forward. In due time, it will indeed replace the vanilla iPhone.
I'll throw out another potential idea: A second iPhone Air size, but smaller, not bigger. Something closer to the iPhone 12-17. iPhone Air mini. That device could be slotted in at $799 in 2-3 years.
And the Edge has stereo speakers, vapor chamber, SIM slot, mmWave antenna, and even a much larger battery.
All that is meaningless because the design philosophies and safety standards are different between Apple and Samsung.
The Edge uses a plastic back and the display is glued on instead of using clips and screws. Air has much better repairability, rigidity, and safety because it uses a steel encased battery.
What Samsung is willing to sacrifice has no bearing on what Apple is willing to sacrifice.
The speaker sounded better than I thought it would in Zollotech’s review of the Air, but he said not a match for the Pro.
You are absolutely talking silly if you think that the iPhone Air won’t improve.
Completely agree with everything said here.
Although I’m not entirely sure they will do a smaller iPhone Air, the rumor is that the third generation iPhone Air will be even bigger.
If anything, I could see this current one becoming the small one, and an even bigger 6.9 inch version being introduced alongside it.
Point is, like you said, Apple will very much improve on the Air.
Obviously, the goal with the first generation was to maximize the battery size, but eventually Apple will be able to start using those silicon carbide batteries when they can be produced at much higher scale, maybe this time next year. Then a dual camera and bottom speaker will be immediate adds, they are literally the two biggest complaints that people seem to have with the current version of the Air even more than the battery. It’s low hanging fruit for a second and third generation.
I think this idea that JPack keeps clinging to, that apple must, must, at all costs have an iPhone available at the $799 price point, won’t end up holding up in the end. Just like everyone who said that Apple must, must have a sub-$500 phone before the 16e released… and here we are where no such phone exists.
Apple bumped their budget phone from $400 to $600, it’s very likely they will bump their mainstream phone from $800 to $1000, because they can, and because they would much rather you pay $1000 if you’re moving above the “budget” model.
It’s also very likely that, with the 20th anniversary all screen pro, the current $1099 price of the pro phones gets pushed way closer to $1500 than $1000, making the Air even more the “everyone” model because the next step up will be a much bigger price leap.
It is literally the Tim Cook method, do everything possible to push the average selling price (ASP) up.
The current ASP is right below $1000, about $980. If he can get that right above $1000 the shareholders are happy.
With the Fold pushing prices even higher, that will be his goal.
Not just to push up what the maximum iPhone buyer is paying, but the average iPhone buyer as well.
Nobody is saying the Air won't improve.
What Apple is likely to do is make the device even thinner rather than add back a second camera or speaker, both of which would increase depth. You have foldables like Mate XT that are down to 3.6mm thin per slab.
Apple's own folding device will be "4.5–4.8mm thick when unfolded" per Kuo. When those devices launch, the new benchmark will be that depth, not the Air's current 5.6mm.
I'm sorry mate, but you will be proven wrong in due time. The first generation Air is the canvas that Apple will build upon year by year.
The Air isn’t a foldable, though, you can’t even compare.
For the record, even 9to5Mac thinks the Air will be “the new normal” within a couple years.
So the theory isn’t from nothing.
Thank you.
Yes there were rumors that Apple wanted to make the Air 6.9". So essentially they could offer the Air and the Air 'Max' in due time.
For the consumers, a smaller Air would be great IMO because the current Air is quite large. And they could offer it for less. We shall see.
I do think that Apple won't want a $400 gap between the e line and the Air. So if Apple can't offer the Air for less than $999, then the vanilla iPhone will stick around at $799, for a while at least.
So what, do you think Apple sandbagged some features to drip it out year after year?
If you have a logical or engineering argument, I'm all for it.
They are absolutely adding a second speaker. Come on man.
I think Apple is perfectly happy with the Air's depth. They need to make it better in its current size.
An even thinner Air with a single camera and speaker is not a better device. Apple knows this.
The fundamentals are the same.
Apple's foldable will have a 5.5-inch outer display, yet the device is still expected to be 4.5-4.8mm thin.
Does 9to5 have a logical or engineering argument?
Some peeps saying they don't care about sound lol, what's next? the display?
I think Apple knew they could get away with a single speaker and camera given the brand-new form factor. People are willing to overlook its flaws because they are enamored with the new shape and size. Those flaws cannot remain year over year.
I also think the Air will eventually become the new flagship. The new flagship needs to be more in-line with the current 17.
They are absolutely adding a second speaker. Come on man.
I think Apple is perfectly happy with the Air's depth. They need to make it better in its current size.
An even thinner Air with a single camera and speaker is not a better device. Apple knows this.
So if sound is so important, why didn't Apple have stereo in the first place?
Your argument is basically, Apple half assed the first time. Come on. When was the last time they half assed it with a new form factor? iPhone 4, iPhone 6, iPhone X. What critical feature did they miss and ask customers to overlook?
We have fundamentally different beliefs on what Air will be.
You believe Air will adopt more features at the likely expense of a thicker device.
I believe Air will follow its core philosophy of being the thinnest device Apple can produce while retaining only the very core features. It will only get thinner. Other Air devices have become thinner. That is the priority rather than widening the scope of adding more speakers, cameras, or other features.
Some peeps saying they don't care about sound lol, what's next? the display?
I literally don’t care about sound that comes out of the phone’s speaker. My phone only makes noise if I’m on a FaceTime with more than myself. As long as it works for that, I’m good.
For everything else I use AirPods, and have for years. Phone speakers aren’t actually good, and I don’t my phone making noise.
I honestly would rather the space for the second speaker be filled with battery. Particularly because any speaker in such a small space is going to sound bad to behind with.
I understand lots of you have different use cases.
Do you remember the first MacBook Air? It was completely flawed and overpriced. And look where we are today. Technology advances. You can keep tech thin and add onto it year-by-year. Not keep it bare.
Mate, you are out of your mind if you think the Air isn't getting stereo speakers sooner than later.
I never said 'half-assed'. I said they choose to not provide specific things because, I believe, they knew they could get away with it for the first version. I don't see Apple wanting to keep these obvious flaws moving forward. And nor do consumers. You know how many people I've read on Reddit that said they would consider a future Air with stereo speakers? Apple knows this too. The Air has low-hanging fruit that Apple will address in the near future.
You can say all you want that Samsung has lower standards. Sure, ride that wave all you want. I'm confident Apple can offer a future Air without increasing the depth, while giving us a second camera and speaker in the same way Samsung already has.
Why do you think Apple is going to prioritize thinness over elements that are clearly crucial to a smartphone? Because they made certain choices in version 1.0? That is so ridiculous. A thinner iPhone Air is not a better iPhone Air. I'll say it again if I have to. That's just common sense. At some point, you need to find the intersection between a thin device and features consumers value and want.
This notion that the Air is just going to get thinner but remain gimped is ridiculous.
