iPhone Air Work arounds for iPhone Air “deficiencies”

[profmjh]

I bought the iPhone Air and absolutely love it, but there are three common criticisms of its deficiencies.

First, battery life. I don’t care. I think it’s better than people have expected, I have the MagSafe battery pack, and many top-up charging opportunities.

Second, only one speaker. I don’t care. The one speaker is loud enough for my use-cases.

Third, only one camera. OK, you got me there.

BUT

If you use the video setting you get a virtual macro mode that covers my need to zoom in super close to something (tiny text on the back of the MagSafe battery, for example).

And if you use the front camera in landscape mode you get a wide-angle of sorts.

I have considered keeping 16 (as well as the Air) but these workarounds might be enough to ditch it and have just one phone again.

Anyone else having similar thoughts or have other work-arounds?

 

[joefrank64k]

I do miss macro a bit (I've been on Team Max - XS Max through 16PM)...but I use the Apple Magnifier app for when I need to see small text. Works great.

Magnifier App - App Store

Download Magnifier by Apple on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like Magnifier.

apps.apple.com

 

[Johnny Steps]

I’ll be accused of massive coping for saying this, but I like how there’s only one camera. Looks nice and simple to me.

 

[Webcat86]

Have you tried the magnifier app for zooming in?

 

[bill-p]

Anyone else having similar thoughts or have other work-arounds?

It's been 29 hours for me since I last charged my Air. It's still going. I am outside now so I just put the phone into low power mode. Seems like it'll easily push another hour or two. Grand total of 6 hours of screen on time for me since yesterday. Battery life has not really been an issue. It's more that I may forget to charge for a night and the phone may die soon.

Anyway, workarounds:

1. I guess many people forget but Pano mode exists and can help get a wider field of view with the rear camera.

2. For close-ups, use 2x mode. It can get a pretty good 12MP shot if you don't care to enable 48MP mode and then crop. I bet macro lens attachments for iPhones will rise again thanks to Air. I'm surprised people forget those. Maybe it has really been that long since they were last needed (iPhone 6, anyone?).

3. Cupped hand over the front facing camera will help center the speaker in landscape.

4. I guess it goes without saying but Low Power Mode really can extend battery life by another hour or two as needed. The screen will be locked to 60Hz but otherwise I don't feel the phone being any slower.

 

[Nom4d]

I bought the iPhone Air and absolutely love it, but there are three common criticisms of its deficiencies.

First, battery life. I don’t care. I think it’s better than people have expected, I have the MagSafe battery pack, and many top-up charging opportunities.

Second, only one speaker. I don’t care. The one speaker is loud enough for my use-cases.

Third, only one camera. OK, you got me there.

BUT

If you use the video setting you get a virtual macro mode that covers my need to zoom in super close to something (tiny text on the back of the MagSafe battery, for example).

And if you use the front camera in landscape mode you get a wide-angle of sorts.

I have considered keeping 16 (as well as the Air) but these workarounds might be enough to ditch it and have just one phone again.

Anyone else having similar thoughts or have other work-arounds?

IMHO if one has to think of workarounds the the phone isn’t really the type of phone they should have or put up with. Yes it’s a beautiful phone but maybe it’s not the right phone for you and you be best looking at other phones.

 

[ZipZap]

IMHO if one has to think of workarounds the the phone isn’t really the type of phone they should have or put up with. Yes it’s a beautiful phone but maybe it’s not the right phone for you and you be best looking at other phones.

Well the issues mentioned are minor but still I think the goal was perhaps settings changes to make things better.

 

[Andeddu]

I need around 7-8 hours of SoT per day and I don’t like power-saving modes. I wouldn’t complain though as, if I had an Air, I’d pick up a MagSafe battery pack.

 

[danpass]

Similar thoughts, yes.

I’m not convinced … yet … about using the front camera for wide angle photo and video.

And no ProRAW? That’s … weird, doubly so in not having that option for, at least, photos.

RAW is a software setting, literally NOT processing into a JPEG.

-

 

[4sallypat]

Air battery life is phenomenal compared to the 16 Pro I had.

All day at work, 1 bar cell signal - used it as normal day.

70% at the end of the day when I left - compare that to 40% on my 16 Pro.

Air battery is definitely much better at battery management and probably due to the C1X 5G modem.

I can go 2 days without a charge which is amazing.

Speaker is loud enough for me and the camera - haven't used it.

 

[Thor_9]

Workarounds for a brand new device. Sounds about right.

 

[aperfectcircle]

Third, only one camera. OK, you got me there.

My workaround 😉 but in all seriousness, I’ve been suitably content with the single camera on the Air. It’s decent enough for most situations.

 

[kamikazeeMC]

The iPhone is a tool and a luxury purchace when upgrading from a 16, if it doesn't meet your needs and you need to go out of your way to make it work, it's the wrong tool.

 

[mikedickson161]

I bought the iPhone Air and absolutely love it, but there are three common criticisms of its deficiencies.

First, battery life. I don’t care. I think it’s better than people have expected, I have the MagSafe battery pack, and many top-up charging opportunities.

Second, only one speaker. I don’t care. The one speaker is loud enough for my use-cases.

Third, only one camera. OK, you got me there.

BUT

If you use the video setting you get a virtual macro mode that covers my need to zoom in super close to something (tiny text on the back of the MagSafe battery, for example).

And if you use the front camera in landscape mode you get a wide-angle of sorts.

I have considered keeping 16 (as well as the Air) but these workarounds might be enough to ditch it and have just one phone again.

Anyone else having similar thoughts or have other work-arounds?

1) Agree on battery life. No issue so far.
2) I’ve had mine for 2 weeks and hadn’t even noticed single speaker. If I focus on hearing only 1 speaker, I can. But IMHO Cell Phone Speakers will only ever be so good compared to good Ear Buds, Headphones, or Media Center speakers. Non-issue. Watch movies on the big screen like normal people.
3) I was trying to take photo of Micro-SD card tonight for an ad and it was sort of potato like when zoomed in. But I put on my thinking cap and used Magnifier. C’est Magnifique.

 

[Ctrlos]

I bought the iPhone Air and absolutely love it, but there are three common criticisms of its deficiencies.

First, battery life. I don’t care. I think it’s better than people have expected, I have the MagSafe battery pack, and many top-up charging opportunities.

Second, only one speaker. I don’t care. The one speaker is loud enough for my use-cases.

Third, only one camera. OK, you got me there.

BUT

If you use the video setting you get a virtual macro mode that covers my need to zoom in super close to something (tiny text on the back of the MagSafe battery, for example).

And if you use the front camera in landscape mode you get a wide-angle of sorts.

I have considered keeping 16 (as well as the Air) but these workarounds might be enough to ditch it and have just one phone again.

Anyone else having similar thoughts or have other work-arounds?

On the first point, the battery is as good as my old iPhone 16. Magsafe exists for the phone addicts in the audience.

On the second all phone speakers are crap, its just the Air has one instead of two.

On the third, use a manual camera app like Halide. On macro mode it takes images like this from a distance of about 4":

 

[mikedickson161]

On the first point, the battery is as good as my old iPhone 16. Magsafe exists for the phone addicts in the audience.

On the second all phone speakers are crap, its just the Air has one instead of two.

On the third, use a manual camera app like Halide. On macro mode it takes images like this from a distance of about 4":

View attachment 2578271

Seems like tire agreeing with me on 1 and 2, same thoughts different words?

Why not just use native magnifier? Worked beautiful in capturing details of 3/4 x 3/8” memory card. Is Halyde free and not ridden with ads? Are you a shill for them?

 

[GDF]

Seems like tire agreeing with me on 1 and 2, same thoughts different words?

Why not just use native magnifier? Worked beautiful in capturing details of 3/4 x 3/8” memory card. Is Halyde free and not ridden with ads? Are you a shill for them?

That is a really good idea to use magnifier. So do you use this for the missing macro mode and does it work as well?

 

[mikedickson161]

I’ve only used it once, but so far so good. I believe it’s a software zoom so will not be as crisp as a true macro using separate lens on Pro Max. I never used macro that much on older iPhones, so hard to compare. I know just trying to zoom in using 2x lens will get you a nice potato picture. Magnifier should be on your iPhone as default, so check it out and let us know.

 

[Ctrlos]

Seems like tire agreeing with me on 1 and 2, same thoughts different words?

Why not just use native magnifier? Worked beautiful in capturing details of 3/4 x 3/8” memory card. Is Halyde free and not ridden with ads? Are you a shill for them?

I bought their first app for $5 so long ago that I can use most of the functionality without needing the stupidly over-costed subscription.

 

[Brettka7]

It's been 29 hours for me since I last charged my Air. It's still going. I am outside now so I just put the phone into low power mode. Seems like it'll easily push another hour or two. Grand total of 6 hours of screen on time for me since yesterday. Battery life has not really been an issue. It's more that I may forget to charge for a night and the phone may die soon.

Anyway, workarounds:

1. I guess many people forget but Pano mode exists and can help get a wider field of view with the rear camera.

2. For close-ups, use 2x mode. It can get a pretty good 12MP shot if you don't care to enable 48MP mode and then crop. I bet macro lens attachments for iPhones will rise again thanks to Air. I'm surprised people forget those. Maybe it has really been that long since they were last needed (iPhone 6, anyone?).

3. Cupped hand over the front facing camera will help center the speaker in landscape.

4. I guess it goes without saying but Low Power Mode really can extend battery life by another hour or two as needed. The screen will be locked to 60Hz but otherwise I don't feel the phone being any slower.

Point two is the best thing I’ve learned about my phone! I have been struggling without a macro lens sometimes, and 2x zoom gets plenty closer than you’d for my needs.

 

[rui no onna]

I bought the iPhone Air and absolutely love it, but there are three common criticisms of its deficiencies.

First, battery life.

Second, only one speaker.

Third, only one camera. OK, you got me there.


Anyone else having similar thoughts or have other work-arounds?

I'm coming from an iPhone SE 2022 as my daily driver. Honestly, the Air is better than the SE for #1 & #3.

For #2, the Air is loud enough for speakerphone (solo office or bedroom) and that's all I need the speaker for.

My biggest issue with the Air is the size is too big for me for one-handed use. I actually returned my Sky Blue Air due to the large size but found myself missing it so I ordered one again (black this time around). Got a good carrier deal, too - $4.99/mo for 36 months with no trade-in required. I'm actually waiting for delivery today.

This is going to be my workaround for one-handed use.

Deal: SUPERONE for MagSafe Phone Grip with Finger Strap, Removable Magnetic Ring Holder with Kickstand Finger Loop, MagSafe Accessories for iPhone 17/16/15/14/13/12 Series, Black

superone magsafe phone grip iphone magsafe phone grip magnetic phone strap grip magsafe strap grip iphone magsafe grip iphone magsafe grip superone magsafe grip magsafe phone grip for iPhone 17 16 15 14 13 12 magsafe stand magsafe grip magsafe ring holder magsafe kickstand magsafe phone stand mag...

www.amazon.com

 

[ab2c4]

I haven’t noticed any deficiencies in those areas with my Air. Battery life is about the same as my 16 Pro, speaker is perfectly fine for calls and the occasional video, and I’m getting good pics (granted I’m not a heavy picture taker).

Where I think the Air could do better is in the physical design. Give it rounded sides for a comfortable hold, and make it smaller and thus lighter.

Unrelated to the Air specifically but give us an optional on screen navigation bar like Android has so we don’t have to use the stupid gesture navigation system.

Make these changes and the phone would be perfect to me. I guess this is why I plan to switch everything back to Android for my next phone as I can get all these things already when I switch. Maybe Apple’s next boss will make these changes, who knows. I don’t have faith in Tim doing any of these things, he seems content on putting out the same phones year after year.

 

[kellen]

My only work around has been to put cheap usb a to c adapters in all the ORs to ensure I can charge. Bought some floor nightlights and each came with 2! Perfect solution.

 

[subjonas]

The only two things that the Air lacks that I care about and don't have great solutions for are:
- telephoto
- DisplayPort

Both are infrequent needs though.

I basically only need the telephoto for some events and trips, so my workaround was to buy a dedicated travel compact camera with powerful zoom (way more than the Pro) and keep it in a fanny pack during said events/trips. I say it's a decent but not great workaround because it's another device to carry and because there's the small chance that I'll want it unexpectedly and won't have it on me. But the crazier zoom it offers me over the Pro maybe makes up for that.

I basically only need the DisplayPort to use my MR glasses while traveling sometimes. Unfortunately, there's no decent workaround. I can use the glasses with my iPad instead of my iPhone Air, but the iPad is huge and doesn't have cellular, so it's not as useful in many situations. So that's a bummer. But again it's an infrequent need, and very much just a luxury, so it doesn't make me consider getting a different phone.

I don't care about the other things the Air lacks. Battery life is plenty, and if I go on an day trip and think I need more, I can bring a MagSafe battery. The single speaker is loud enough, but if not and if I can't put the phone to my ear, I almost always have my headphones or a wireless speaker around. I'm not much of an ultrawide lens user so the pano function is fine for me if I ever need a wider angle.

The Air's deficiencies, even without the workarounds, are still "outweighed" by the heavier thicker phones' deficiencies for me. I just hate carrying around and using thick heavy phones. But the workarounds/solutions make the Air even more clearly the best choice for me.

 

[stanza.richi]

I bring my Air with me in a 3 days trip to London: from 5.30 of the first day with the plane from Italy to the last day with the plane back, I never used my MagSafe battery. Some complaints only about ultrawide or telephoto, most of that was nothing that I can obviate changing from where I take the pictures.