If I had to choose what lens I wanted for a second camera on a phone I would want the telephoto. I personally have no use for the ultra wide lens which is why it won't be missed by me.
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Two Weeks With the iPhone Air: Is Ultra-Thin Worth the Compromises?
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I'll admit I'm waffling just a little. I appreciate the size and form factor of my Air. Searched my Photos library, hardly any wide or zoom pics..
But.. lately... doing tons of house projects and need that close up and I walk away frustrated.
The return period is closing... so I need to really think on it. My local store only has Orange 512.. ok with the 512, same as my Air.. Orange? not so much
Hypothetically IF I wanted to swap at the store. Could I turn up with either my MacBook Pro and a thunderbolt cable and get it done in a reasonable time? Phone to phone transfer?
But.. lately... doing tons of house projects and need that close up and I walk away frustrated.
The return period is closing... so I need to really think on it. My local store only has Orange 512.. ok with the 512, same as my Air.. Orange? not so much
Hypothetically IF I wanted to swap at the store. Could I turn up with either my MacBook Pro and a thunderbolt cable and get it done in a reasonable time? Phone to phone transfer?
I went from an iPhone X to iPhone 15Pro and if the Air was there, I might have gone for that. Weight is roughly 9g difference.
The X was a hard phone to say goodbye to.
I guess I am on schedule to get whatever comes in 2029
Maybe Siri will be good by then!
The X was a hard phone to say goodbye to.
I guess I am on schedule to get whatever comes in 2029
Maybe Siri will be good by then!To me the Air vs Pro argument is useless. Buy the phone that's best for you. For me its the Pro Max. I am a father of 3 and take lots of pics, especially when they are playing baseball etc. I need both the wide angle and telephoto. I wouldn't want to make a compromise. The size and weight of the Pro Max is fine, it doesn't bother me at all. And I love the battery life. For others, those things may not matter and they will choose the Air because they value light and thin over other features. And that's fine. Apple has made a phone for everyone this year.
Pretty much my feelings, except I’m still undecided because a) I’m a one-hander and I think it’s just a touch too big; and b) I don’t like the polished sides and really wish they had gone with matte/brushed again.
The more I use my air the more I love it! Superb phone…
Yes, they are. The 17 pro/max, the thickest iPhones ever, are .34”, or .12” thicker than the Air. That’s still very thin.
While I chose a silver 17 PM this cycle, and have been really enjoying this device (fav iPhone I’ve used to date), I really like what Apple has done with the Air. I think it likely the ideal phone for 98% of users out there, in The Ecosystem, with a cool $1k to drop on a phone.
So many get so wrapped up in specs that they race past maybe the most important metric: what’s it feel like to use the device. All the specs in the world won’t matter if you hate using the device. The Air feels like a device you want to use. It offers phenomenal in-hand feel. The combo of screen size, thick/thinness and weight all create this almost floating handheld experience. It’s both comical and impressive. I’m excited to see where they take this thing. If they get that camera (or cameras) a little better, I can foresee a scenario where my daily driver is an Air. I’ve already done the same in the laptop dept. I started as a desktop Mac guy, converting to a MBP mid 2000s. I currently work on a corp-issued 16” M1 MBP. And when time came to upgrade my personal 15” MBP, I opted for an 15” M2 MBA. That has easily been the most enjoyable Mac I’ve ever used. When headed out the door, 98% of the time I grab my MBA. It’s the perfect portable. And I don’t feel any performance issue with the vast majority of the work I do. I so not miss the heat of the MBP. The extra ports simply are not worth it. To me. And I say that as a 27-yr creative professional that has only ever worked on Macs. Apple silicon is that good. YMMV.
So many get so wrapped up in specs that they race past maybe the most important metric: what’s it feel like to use the device. All the specs in the world won’t matter if you hate using the device. The Air feels like a device you want to use. It offers phenomenal in-hand feel. The combo of screen size, thick/thinness and weight all create this almost floating handheld experience. It’s both comical and impressive. I’m excited to see where they take this thing. If they get that camera (or cameras) a little better, I can foresee a scenario where my daily driver is an Air. I’ve already done the same in the laptop dept. I started as a desktop Mac guy, converting to a MBP mid 2000s. I currently work on a corp-issued 16” M1 MBP. And when time came to upgrade my personal 15” MBP, I opted for an 15” M2 MBA. That has easily been the most enjoyable Mac I’ve ever used. When headed out the door, 98% of the time I grab my MBA. It’s the perfect portable. And I don’t feel any performance issue with the vast majority of the work I do. I so not miss the heat of the MBP. The extra ports simply are not worth it. To me. And I say that as a 27-yr creative professional that has only ever worked on Macs. Apple silicon is that good. YMMV.
This describes the iPhone 16e.
6.1" display
4005 mAh battery
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm
167 g weight
No Camera Bump
Just a slim bezel around the lens
I've been enjoying my 16e as a secondary phone when I want to leave my iPhone 16 Pro Max behind.
I feel like everything you complained about (whoops mentioned) are unique to your use case. The phone never gets hot for me, and the first day loading was over in 1 hour via WIFI. While I understand you sharing, I think you still point out things most will not experience.
Would rather get the 17 Pro than that. For me either the 17 Pro, which always get the Pro Series or the Air. Never consider the regular one.
No "all day battery life?" It lasts *me* from 7am - 11pm no problem. OTOH, I don't spend all day scrolling tik-tok and playing video games. If I did, I guess I'd get one of the Pros. But I don't, so I'll take the thinner lighter phone.
I liked the Air but ultimately returned it. I could not justify paying a lot more for a worse phone than the base iPhone 17 just for a slightly thinner profile and negligible weight loss. Also, the speakerphone was horrendous. I commonly use the speakerphone to talk to people on FaceTime especially with a group, and the Air does a terrible job with ambient noise cancellation/seperation which makes conversations difficult. I do feel that Apple held back a lot just so they could "save it" for next year. It should have the same camera capabilities and speaker/mic in gen 1, as the base 17 OR be same price as the base. But that's just me. I'm convinced that the throttled A19 Pro, was just a throw in for no reason but for pricing it higher and marketing. Glad it's here, and glad many are enjoying it but not for me until the camera/speakerphone-mic is at least the same as the cheaper base model.
I absolutely love my Air. I have always has Max's and I'm not in the least dissapointed with the phone. I'm NOT a pro photographer so the cameras are more than fine, and quite honestly my battery is better or on par with the Max's I've had. This is the way...
The width issue combined with the camera compromises were the primary reasons I decided to return my iPhone Air and go back to my iPhone 16p. I have no interest in the 17 pro models because they are butt ugly IMO.
I'm amazed how polarizing the design of the 17 Pro is this year. I think it's the best/most appropriate looking Pro phone to date. I like the balanced placement and shape of the plateau. And even more so that it serves a function, similar to the Air. The left sided camera bumps always seemed a bit off to me on other iPhones. But I respect the opinion of those that don't like it.
I use it for about an hour/day. I have no reason to buy another phone.
I use it for what I need it for; music, calls/messages and GPS.
Since day one I have said that I wouldn’t buy it. I personally don’t care about thin and light over the features. I’d buy the regular 17 and for me the compromises aren’t worth it. In fact, I have the 16 Plus, which I chose over the regular 16 due to the screen size and battery life. I don’t mind the added weight and larger size now that I’ve gotten used to it.
But who cares about my opinion to make their own purchases, anyway? I’ll never understand the criticism towards those to buy the Air from those who dislike it. “You’re overpaying for a compromise”. No, you aren’t. You are paying for what you want: a light phone. Maybe you don’t care about its compromises. And that’s okay. Nothing wrong with that.
But who cares about my opinion to make their own purchases, anyway? I’ll never understand the criticism towards those to buy the Air from those who dislike it. “You’re overpaying for a compromise”. No, you aren’t. You are paying for what you want: a light phone. Maybe you don’t care about its compromises. And that’s okay. Nothing wrong with that.
Putting these two statements together, does this mean hardly anyone got through the day with an iPhone 16? Sounds like BS to me.
Apple specs are presumably with heavily optimised video playback.
They quote iPhone 16 Plus-like battery life.
Real-world scenarios show that it has about 2/3 the battery life of a 16 Plus on iOS 18.
It is slightly worse than a regular 16 and 17. It collapses with heavy use when compared to its light to moderate use capabilities. It falls far more than other large battery iPhones, including the Plus and Pro Max.
I’ve had mine for a week and a half. My only complaints are that the screen is too big and the back is too smooth.
It’s been difficult to keep in my pants 🤭
Seriously, it’s been flying out of my pocket while driving and it doesn’t have enough weight to sink confidently into my pocket. I just generally have a difficult time holding and using the thing. I put a slickwraps skin on the back for more stickiness but it’s only added about 10% more stick.
The OS places too many buttons and menus at all corners of the screen without any intelligence so I’m constantly shifting hands and stretching fingers. Wish it were stickier. And smaller.
I do think the Air is sufficient enough to replace my iPad but I’m still keeping my iPhone 12 mini as a back up. I’ve been flipping back and forth this week and the mini still holds up just fine.
Zero concerns with the battery or camera.
It’s been difficult to keep in my pants 🤭
Seriously, it’s been flying out of my pocket while driving and it doesn’t have enough weight to sink confidently into my pocket. I just generally have a difficult time holding and using the thing. I put a slickwraps skin on the back for more stickiness but it’s only added about 10% more stick.
The OS places too many buttons and menus at all corners of the screen without any intelligence so I’m constantly shifting hands and stretching fingers. Wish it were stickier. And smaller.
I do think the Air is sufficient enough to replace my iPad but I’m still keeping my iPhone 12 mini as a back up. I’ve been flipping back and forth this week and the mini still holds up just fine.
Zero concerns with the battery or camera.
The new Air gets much better battery life than that 13 Mini.
Why would I need a phone that lasts a week on a charge? It would either need to do almost nothing or be as fat as a literal brick. From what I see, it looks like the Air has much more battery life than my current 15Pro which only rarely gets below 40% of charge by end of day. Of course some people can burn through any battery, but we don’t all do that.
For you. Ideal for you. My Air fits in my pockets fine and I’d rather not give up any more battery life for it to have a 1 inch smaller screen