iPhone Air Why Do People Dislike the iPhone Air?

[Andeddu]

I have yet to experience this.

There are benchmarks which show that under stress the Air throttles a lot earlier than the Pro under sustained load. A lot of people aren’t going to notice this if they don’t push their phones by playing either AAA games or carrying out heavy video editing/processing.

 

[shady16]

My problem with the Air has to do with the number 1. 1 speaker, 1 camera, 1 thousand bucks. Are you kidding me?

well titanium isn't cheap and neither is R&D with the air your paying for the material cost more so then the functions

 

[shady16]

There are benchmarks which show that under stress the Air throttles a lot earlier than the Pro under sustained load. A lot of people aren’t going to notice this if they don’t push their phones by playing either AAA games or carrying out heavy video editing/processing.

exactly, i dont do either of these on my phone, i would love to play games but i get a headache if playing a game on a small screen for over 30 mins and not even the 6.9 of the pro max solves this for me. its not PWM either because i can watch videos or anything for an indefinate amount of time. its just something with gaming on a small screen which has plagued me my whole life.

 

[BigMcGuire]

exactly, i dont do either of these on my phone, i would love to play games but i get a headache if playing a game on a small screen for over 30 mins and not even the 6.9 of the pro max solves this for me. its not PWM either because i can watch videos or anything for an indefinate amount of time. its just something with gaming on a small screen which has plagued me my whole life.

My limited experience, you haven’t missed much. Maybe I’m old but I much prefer PC games to the Pay to Win mobile games that have no thought other than to get you to spend $ on them.

 

[GioGiusi]

I can explain it quite easily. Some people who have been Pro users for a long time are jealous of the form factor, and either can't live without the battery, or the cameras, so they can't switch to Air. They are legitimately condescending of other Pro users (like me) who have gladly ditched the Pro for the Air and not looked back once.

Beyond that you just have usual noise post-iPhone launch from Samsung bots who have to try to hurt Apple sales anyway they can.

 

[Andeddu]

My limited experience, you haven’t missed much. Maybe I’m old but I much prefer PC games to the Pay to Win mobile games that have no thought other than to get you to spend $ on them.

I was referring to AAA games which are direct ports from the Xbox, PS4 and PC.

I don’t like mobile games either and refuse to play them. My phones haven’t really been gaming machines however if I get a 17 line device I’ll pick up a few of these high budget titles.

 

[NVDA]

Why do people care if people dislike their phone. Buy what you want, enjoy and move on with life!

they're not even sold that they like their own phone so they constantly seek reassurance and are obsessed with "haters"

 

[vvvvvv]

I think it looks ugly as hell with the stupid camera bump. It sacrifices too much just for the sake of being thin. Silly looking camera bump, lower quality camera, lower battery capacity, lower quality speaker.

All for what? Oh it’s the thinnest iPhone ever…as long as you ignore the camera bump that sticks out like a swollen sore thumb.

And then there are all the fanboys who pretend it is the best iPhone ever. It’s just annoying. It goes both ways. You have people hating on the Air and you have people hating on the Pro.

Nobody wants the Air. Maybe the people gushing about it are just having buyers remorse (they’ll no doubt come in here and say oh no not me! I looove my Air!).

The Air is a disappointment. Nobody asked for it. People are saving money and getting the standard iPhone 17 or spending a little bit more and getting the full iPhone experience with the best cameras, best performance, best battery life, stereo speakers, etc.

The way things are going it looks like Apple will scrap the Air or at least give it a redesign.

I’ve never seen such vitriol for a cell phone that you just don’t fit the demographic for.

“I don’t like it so no one else should either” mentality. Posts like this are just wild.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

There are so many threads discussing, defending, and justifying the purchase of the Air that I think it's less about non-Air users hating the air, and moreso being over the continuous references to the pro series being ugly, being less premium, being too heavy or "bricks" as so many put it, etc. If you read enough condescending comments from people about the phone you prefer (yes, just like Air users have had to endure), it can cause you to dislike the phone they are defending. No part of me believes the reasons for Air distaste are as deep as some of the reaches in this thread. The Air is a nice phone for all of the reasons Air lovers list and while it isn't the phone for me, I think it is a fine offering by Apple. That said, once someone starts going on about how the Air is this and that while bashing the pro models, well then it's fair game lol.

 

[ArchEtech]

Had a 16 pro max. Had the 17 pro max, it’s just too much of a brick.

The Air impressed me by being so light, easy to hold, no pocket weight, it just disappears.

I got a 17 Pro and have been using it side by side with the Air day to day, half days. I was pretty sure I was going to keep the 17 pro, as I like the battery life and cameras.

The problem is every time I pick up the Air, it’s a breath of fresh ….Air. It’s a better looking phone. It’s a better overall design. I appreciate the minimalistic look and I prefer the materials that the case is made out of over the pros. Holding it to text, scroll, type is just so much more comfortable. As someone who
Lived with a mini 12 for 3 years, I had no problem with giving up some things for form factor.

The Air gives up much less than the Mini. While not as compact, its lightness, with the thinness is more than gimmick. It’s just feels better to use.

I could afford to have both a pro and an Air but there really isn’t any reason to.

The Air doesn’t get as hot as the 16 pro max. The 17 pros are cooler. The air is not uncomfortable to hold while it’s charging with a battery pack like my 16 pro max. Sometimes that would almost smell hot if that makes sense.

I’ve had no issues with reception. Battery life with my use is great. It’s not insane like a Pro Max, but I get 15 hours of full use screen time. It tops off 5-10% with short drives. It does drain faster under heavy use with games and streaming at the same time as compared to the 17 pros but it’s better than my past phones and significantly better than the mini.

I think part of it is the Air feels like something new and different, rather than the same old brick. Even with a Dbrand ghost case is still feels like a caseless phone. To be honest I’ve been most impressed with the Fold 7. That is just so well done and so light for what it is. I just like the Apple ecosystem as a whole more. I love the folding phones though…

Are people really hating on the Air that much? There’s complaints that it could’ve been better and sacrifices too much more than it was an almost per a perfect phone. Maybe hey wait for the Air 2? But hate?

There are always a few people overreacting about everything about phone design, justifying their purchase, but I don’t in general your people hating on the Air. I’ll tell you what every person that I’ve showed it to in person thinks it’s awesome. I hope it sells well enough that we get an Air2

 

[whizkid11]

If you’re an iPhone Air hater or someone who looks down on iPhone Air users, this thread is for you. Let’s have a constructive discussion about your feelings and thoughts and why you feel this way.

The iPhone Air just cuts corners for design. No one hates it or looks down on it.

 

[whizkid11]

Yeah people really lose sight of what the actual performance is. The iPhone Air outperforms my 15PM in sustained performance in 20 minute stress tests. Was the iPhone 15 Pro Max incapable of gaming? No.

A Mac example - the M2 Air had worse throttling than the M1, and people complained - but what they were missing was the M2 fully throttled still performed better than an M1 that wasn't throttling at all.

People see the word "throttle" and they just stop thinking.

People also lost sight of what "overheating" actually means. Overheating doesn't mean "the device feels hot to me", it means "the device shut down to prevent itself from thermal damage".

No. In typical benchmarks and real-world gaming, the iPhone 15 Pro Max should outperform any recent Air in sustained loads, especially GPU workloads, thanks to extra GPU core and better thermal headroom.

 

[teh_hunterer]

No. In typical benchmarks and real-world gaming, the iPhone 15 Pro Max should outperform any recent Air in sustained loads, especially GPU workloads, thanks to extra GPU core and better thermal headroom.

What do you mean by "any recent Air"? There is only one Air. I also ran the 3DMark 20 minute stress tests myself, side by side, so yes.

 

[eoblaed]

When power users see it's missing something they want, they see it as a slight against them.

I'm a power user, the Air is missing things that I want/depend on, and I don't see the Air as a slight against me.

I love my 17PM. I also think the Air is a great piece of engineering and a joy to hold... it just doesn't do what I need. No dislike here!

 

[whizkid11]

What do you mean by "any recent Air"? There is only one Air. I also ran the 3DMark 20 minute stress tests myself, side by side, so yes.

It is implausible that in sustained 20-minute full GPU load the Air would outperform the Pro Max. It might come close in some mixed or CPU-heavy loads under favorable conditions (cool ambient, lower resolution settings, light throttling), but to claim it “outperforms” in a stress test is almost certainly false or misleading.

 

[whizkid11]

1 pound instead of 4 pound Pro’s and just as powerful….best numbers!

But it’s not as powerful.

 

[teh_hunterer]

It is implausible that in sustained 20-minute full GPU load the Air would outperform the Pro Max. It might come close in some mixed or CPU-heavy loads under favorable conditions (cool ambient, lower resolution settings, light throttling), but to claim it “outperforms” in a stress test is almost certainly false or misleading.

I'm confused man, you can just run for example the 3DMark Steel Nomad 20 minute stress test on an iPhone Air and even a 16 Pro Max and look at the result. The Air wins.

 

[whizkid11]

I'm confused man, you can just run for example the 3DMark Steel Nomad 20 minute stress test on an iPhone Air and even a 16 Pro Max and look at the result. The Air wins.

You’re misinterpreting or overgeneralizing the data. There’s no credible benchmark showing the iPhone Air outperforms the 16 Pro Max in sustained GPU workloads. The A19 Pro chip in the Air uses a five-core GPU, while the 16 Pro Max’s A18 Pro has a six-core GPU and a larger thermal envelope with a vapor-chamber cooling system.

Independent tests like Tom’s Guide and Notebookcheck show that in 3DMark and Wild Life Extreme stress runs, the Pro Max maintains higher average and peak frame rates with better stability over 20 minutes. UL’s public 3DMark Steel Nomad results list the Pro Max with a higher median score and better sustained throughput.

 

[NotApplicable]

the 16 Pro Max’s A18 Pro has a six-core GPU and a larger thermal envelope with a vapor-chamber cooling system

The 16 pro max had a vapor chamber? This sounds like an AI hallucination

 

[teh_hunterer]

You’re misinterpreting or overgeneralizing the data. There’s no credible benchmark showing the iPhone Air outperforms the 16 Pro Max in sustained GPU workloads.

There literally is if you take 10 seconds and go look. I told you what it was called. 3D Mark Steel Nomad.

The A19 Pro chip in the Air uses a five-core GPU, while the 16 Pro Max’s A18 Pro has a six-core GPU and a larger thermal envelope with a vapor-chamber cooling system.

No it doesn't.

Independent tests like Tom’s Guide and Notebookcheck show that in 3DMark and Wild Life Extreme stress runs, the Pro Max maintains higher average and peak frame rates with better stability over 20 minutes. UL’s public 3DMark Steel Nomad results list the Pro Max with a higher median score and better sustained throughput.

Attached is someone's 16PM Steel Nomad stress test run, and also attached is the one that just finished on my Air 2 minutes ago.

 

[BigMcGuire]

There literally is if you take 10 seconds and go look. I told you what it was called. 3D Mark Steel Nomad.



No it doesn't.



Attached is someone's 16PM Steel Nomad stress test run, and also attached is the one that just finished on my Air 2 minutes ago.

YouTube reviewers were showing this too. Hard to believe but you’re right.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I’ve never seen such vitriol for a cell phone that you just don’t fit the demographic for.

“I don’t like it so no one else should either” mentality. Posts like this are just wild.

(The iPhone mini has entered the chat)

 

[vvvvvv]

(The iPhone mini has entered the chat)

Haha I was on the receiving end of that for the better part of 4 years, and same thing- if you don't open these threads and enjoy the real world outside of the internet, no one actually cares

 

[BigMcGuire]

Haha I was on the receiving end of that for the better part of 4 years, and same thing- if you don't open these threads and enjoy the real world outside of the internet, no one actually cares

Meanwhile, as a Pro Max user, I'm insanely jealous of those who got to use the mini. I wish I had the willpower to do the same - I think I would have been happier (with how I use my iPhone). I have the same feeling with the Air - while I love my battery life, my cameras - I think using the Air would be far more pleasant - and I'd actually use it more if I had it vs my heavy Pro Max.

Always looked at mini users with jealousy - those phones had to feel great in the hand.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Always looked at mini users with jealousy - those phones had to feel great in the hand.

I salute you brother.
There's a lot to be said for "feels great in the hand", especially for a phone.

Respect