Two Weeks With the iPhone Air: Is Ultra-Thin Worth the Compromises?

[mlayer]

I casually whipped out my Air during a work huddle today. It was wearing the TPU bumper, so I took it off to show the team and let them hold it. I'm certain I sold at least one even without pitching how durable it is. As for my own usage, I hope my phones from here on out continually decrease in weight from 5.82 oz/165 g downward. Maybe a smaller future Air.

I was also initially hesitant about one-handing the Air because of the larger screen. And in fact I noticed I will two-hand it more frequently than my previous iPhones. At the same time, it is much easier than expected to work with one-handed due to the combination of the light weight and thinness. There's even an unexpected use case where the bumper acts as a sort of "handle" for the rest of the phone so I can rest it on my index finger with my middle and ring fingers curled in while I manipulate the screen with my thumb. It's an adaptation.

I've dropped it now twice: once when it jumped out of a shallow jogger pocket while running, and again when I knocked into my new (used) car door and it fell to the ground. Speaking of which, the car doesn't have CarPlay, and while I am considering a large external wireless screen to handle that I'm just going to try to MagSafe the Air above the radio to see how that works. I mean, the screen isn't exactly small.

 

[alexonline]

Interesting note about the width. Did you have an iPhone 11 back in the day, by any chance? I went from a 6 to the 11 in 2019 and after about 2 years upgraded to the 13 Mini because the 11’s width caused me regular hand pain. The 13 mini solved it. I now have a 16 Pro but haven’t had any pain issues. I don’t know if the 11 was unusually wide or anything.

Try a magnetic pop socket. No need to hold the phone by its width. I love the magnetic pop socket because you can remove it as needed.

 

[SouthPalito]

"but some people may be able to get through the day without needing to recharge"

It's simply insane that people find it acceptable that a phone can't make it through an entire day without charging. I so miss the days when a phone could go several days if needed. Yeah, they didn't do as much, but seriously. Give us a phone that can make it a week. Make the screen small enough so it can fit in the pocket. No, it doesn't have to be as thin as a piece of paper.

The iPhone mini 13 is so much the ideal size phone, why doesn't Apple offer that? Smaller is far more important than thinner!!!!!

Back in those days, algorithm-driven social media was in its infancy. Now, it’s so addictive that people are spending 6–10 hours or more daily browsing TikTok or IG Reels.

 

[Tozovac]

The "awe" feeling of using a lightweight, compact iPhone doesn't go away over time, and it's still a delight to use such a thin device.

Awe feeling or Déjà vu feeling? The 6 wasn’t much thicker!

Few seem to embrace this idea but I think many “are shopping wrong” for devices like the iPhone air and Apple Watch Ultra.

Those devices are PERFECT for a certain niche/demographic but not necessarily EVERYONE and ANYONE.

A hefty watch with hefty battery and other extreme features may be PERFECT for an extreme explorer but not be good for an office-dweller who just wants “Apple’s best watch" (or the watch with the biggest screen at the moment).

An uber thin watch may be great for mobile businessman but gimped for an average user?

 

[cardinalryan]

Just sharing my personal hands on experience with the Air. I thought the experience was awful and couldn’t box it up fast enough to get the Pro back. It’s gimped in every way and IMO the worst of the iPhone lineup this year. I guess I can see its appeal to a very small niche, but there’s a reason why you can simply walk into an Apple Store and easily get one as opposed to the Pro and Pro Max which are constantly sold out within hours. Just my experience, I realize many like it, but it’s not for me.

 

[youteonduty]

In theory, yes. That is because 6.5-inches is the size of the screen diagonally, so the depth of the Air has nothing to do with the screen size.

You can be thankful the Air is not 6.5-inches thick.

The phone is 5.64mm thick. That thickness/thinness does NOT including the camera bump/plateau, where all of the motherboard also resides.

the amount of money apple is asking for such a phone with low features, to be thankful will be a stretch

 

[bbates123]

I love the Air, but heat management kinda sucks. It's the only thing holding me back.

Honestly, I find it to be much more cool in the hand under load than my 16 Pro. Just sitting outside on cellular only reading Apple News, my 16 Pro would get uncomfortably warm, not so with the Air.

 

[Zensō]

Honestly, I find it to be much more cool in the hand under load than my 16 Pro. Just sitting outside on cellular only reading Apple News, my 16 Pro would get uncomfortably warm, not so with the Air.

Same here. My Air doesn’t get nearly as warm as my 16PM.

 

[bbates123]

The significantly larger battery of the lighter and slim Edge demonstrates what’s possible.

Even has two speakers and two cameras… was Apple asleep at the wheel?

Perhaps they remain hyper focused on profit taking.

Had Apple created a true competitor matching the well equipped Galaxy Edge, I’d be all-in.

Actual battery life similar between the two. Weight similar, thickness similar. Edge noticeably larger dimensionally so not as easy to hold in the hand. For a lifelong iPhone user I don't see a need to switch to the Edge and boring Android and OneUI. If you absolutely have to have the 2 cameras and the better external speakers get the base 17.

 

[mlayer]

Just sharing my personal hands on experience with the Air. I thought the experience was awful and couldn’t box it up fast enough to get the Pro back. It’s gimped in every way and IMO the worst of the iPhone lineup this year. I guess I can see its appeal to a very small niche, but there’s a reason why you can simply walk into an Apple Store and easily get one as opposed to the Pro and Pro Max which are constantly sold out within hours. Just my experience, I realize many like it, but it’s not for me.

How long did you play around with it? If "the experience was awful and you couldn't box it up fast enough" it sounds more like you were predisposed to not liking it, in which case you chose properly with the Pro Max and you probably shouldn't have even considered the Air in the first place. You should've simply messed with it in the store for five minutes and picked the Pro Max, tbh. Good thing the 14-day window exists.

 

[zenmacx]

Edge noticeably larger dimensionally so not as easy to hold in the hand.

Noticeably larger?

Facts:
156.2 x 74.7 x 5.6 mm - Air
158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8 mm - Edge

 

[d.pedro]

As much as I like the cameras on my 16 Pro, the Air is the leap forward we’ve been waiting for some time.
There are a couple of compromises ( as above mentioned), but I won’t be going back to bulky, overpriced photo/video cameras, when all is needed is a powerful ultra thin laptop.

 

[d.pedro]

Awe feeling or Déjà vu feeling? The 6 wasn’t much thicker!

Few seem to embrace this idea but I think many “are shopping wrong” for devices like the iPhone air and Apple Watch Ultra.

Those devices are PERFECT for a certain niche/demographic but not necessarily EVERYONE and ANYONE.

A hefty watch with hefty battery and other extreme features may be PERFECT for an extreme explorer but not be good for an office-dweller who just wants “Apple’s best watch" (or the watch with the biggest screen at the moment).

An uber thin watch may be great for mobile businessman but gimped for an average user?

Actually, the Air is “the” mobile phone for the average user. A perfect substitute for a laptop, or iPad.

 

[kyykesko]

I've bought Pro Max models simply for the battery life. Even with those I barely get by most of the days. Sometimes I need to charge during the day, and some I'm down to 10% or so at 9pm. Battery hasn't degraded much, it's always been just as lousy. I tried briefly the smaller ones and found pretty quick if you actually use the phone during the day you need to carry with you a separate extra battery. I've got Apple's magsafe battery to help me keep the charge up but it doesn't seem to do it's job fast enough.

I don't care about cameras, the quality just isn't what I want and degrades to useless pixel mush as soon as you go beyond 3x anyway.

I wouldn't mind a thin iPhone, but that's not going to happen until they put an actual battery on one.

 

[Isamilis]

The iPhone Air features the first redesigned form factor that Apple has come out with in several years, but it's not without compromises because of its thin design. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been using the iPhone Air as his main device for the last two weeks to see if those compromises are worth dealing with day-to-day.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

The "awe" feeling of using a lightweight, compact iPhone doesn't go away over time, and it's still a delight to use such a thin device. 6.5 inches is an ideal screen size, and even though it's a large phone, it's not heavy. If you've ever had hand strain from using a brick-like iPhone Pro or Pro Max, the Air will be a relief. It's just all-around easier to hold than Apple's heavier iPhones.

Unfortunately, the matte black iPhone Air accumulates fingerprints and smudges, which is a problem when you're using it without a case. The lighter colors like white, gold, and blue look less grimy over time. In practice, Apple's new sky blue color is such a light shade that it's almost white with just a hint of blue.

The iPhone Air's strong titanium frame isn't going to bend, based on multiple tests. The Ceramic Shield 2 at the front is more resistant to scratches, and the Ceramic Shield at the back also holds up better to drops. It's more durable, which is a good thing for a device you might not want to put a case on.

Apple swapped titanium for aluminum in the iPhone 17 Pro models because aluminum is better at dissipating heat, but the iPhone Air still uses titanium for durability. Like the titanium iPhone 16 models, the iPhone Air can get warm to the touch. There is a noticeable difference between the A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro and the A19 Pro in the iPhone Air when it is under heavy load, and there is occasionally some throttling on the Air.

The iPhone Air has the smallest battery of the 2025 iPhone lineup, but some people may be able to get through the day without needing to recharge. The battery lasts longer than the iPhone 16 battery, but it doesn't come close to the battery life you can get with the iPhone 17 Pro Max or even the 17 Pro.

Another major compromise is the camera. The iPhone Air has a single-lens Fusion camera, which is basically the same as the main wide-angle camera in the other iPhone 17 models. You don't get ultra-wide images, Telephoto images, or macro photos, plus there's no option to capture spatial photos and videos for the Vision Pro. If you're someone that uses more than the wide-angle lens, you might miss the versatility you get with other iPhones.

At $999, the iPhone Air is $200 more than the iPhone 17 and $100 less than the iPhone 17 Pro, so it's an expensive device that does cause you to lose out on some features. It's the iPhone to get if you want to prioritize thin and light over everything else, but you can get more functionality by spending $200 less or $100 more.

Article Link: Two Weeks With the iPhone Air: Is Ultra-Thin Worth the Compromises?

So, is it worth or not? Where can I find in the article, lol.

 

[jjp007]

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 don't use may phone all day, no games no videos no tick tok i do scroll IG from time to time during the day but mostly working and my battery life isn't great. I have always on screen turned off and the battery is as bad as the 15 pro max + i traded in. Enjoying the phone, I do miss the micro zoom a bit but not a deal breaker but when I use the mag charger the phone gets hot. Meh, I'm out of time to exchange so I will have to learn to live with the phone.

 

[jjp007]

Nothing to worry about. Give it a try.

Heat issues are worrying for prolonged battery life on an already shot life to begin with.....I am experiencing it already. Using mag safe charger they advertised and phone gets hot. My own fault.

 

[GDF]

I have an Air and a 17 Pro and for some reason the 17 Pro seems to get hotter. Makes no sense if it has the Vapor Chamber, unless that is just a gimmick.

I keep going back and forth between the two on which one to keep. Guess I could just flip a coin, as both have their pluses. Really like how light the Air is though compared to the other Apple phones.

 

[ChrisMac47]

"it's not heavy"

Well, it's not light either, at 165 grams it's 30 grams (a little over an ounce) heavier than the 5 year old iPhone 12 mini !

Bring back the Minis!

In fact, let's go further: the iPod Nano weighed 31g (1.1oz) and the iPod Touch 88g (3.1oz). Remember there were 4 different families of iPod: the Classic, Nano, Touch and Shuffle, all with different form factors and each one a mastery of design, usability and price point.

Apple needs to bring the variety of iPod design to iPhone!

 

[SactoGuy18]

I am still hoping that Apple offers a true battery case like what they did with the iPhone 6S. That way, you charge both the battery case and iPhone batteries together from one USB Type C charging connection and then when using the phone in the case, it discharges the battery case battery first before discharging the iPhone battery.

 

[Quackington]

I am still hoping that Apple offers a true battery case like what they did with the iPhone 6S. That way, you charge both the battery case and iPhone batteries together from one USB Type C charging connection and then when using the phone in the case, it discharges the battery case battery first before discharging the iPhone battery.

I miss the battery case. Hope it makes a comeback.