Abstract
- The iPhone Air has first rate battery life, however its longevity does not stack as much as the bottom iPhone 17, regardless of it costing $200 extra.
- A single rear digital camera means you may’t take ultra-wide or macro pictures. The aim could also be to nudge you in the direction of spending $100 extra on the triple-camera iPhone 17 Professional.
- Whereas titanium and Ceramic Glass ought to assist with sturdiness, it is nonetheless unproven whether or not such a skinny iPhone can resist bending.
As anticipated, the star product of Apple’s September 9 press occasion was the iPhone Air. There wasn’t a lot left for Apple to disclose about it, in actual fact — I already knew, based mostly on leaks, that it might be about 5.6mm thick with a 6.5-inch show, and sport a single rear-facing digital camera, regardless of the presence of two or three cameras on the iPhone 17 and 17 Professional. I even knew what it might seem like. Not that there was a lot Apple might’ve completed about that — accent makers wanted blueprints to have merchandise prepared on time.
The cellphone is extra tempting than I assumed it might be, however I am additionally fairly snug about skipping it. You have to be as properly, and there are a number of explanation why. This is hoping that Apple types issues out by the point the Air 2 rolls round.
- SoC
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A19 Professional 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU
- Show
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6.5-inch 2736 x 1260 pixel decision Tremendous Retina XDR show
- RAM
-
N/A
- Storage
-
256GB
- Ports
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USB-C (helps USB 2)
- Entrance digital camera
-
48-megapixel
The tremendous skinny iPhone Air is simply 5.6mm thick and contains a single 48-megapixel digital camera lens. Its show is available in at 6.5-inches with helps for ProMotion 120Hz, and its back and front options ceramic defend building.
4
Thinness comes on the expense of battery life
Type over operate
The largest shock is that the battery life on the Air is not as dangerous as rumors predicted. Apple claims that the gadget can deal with as much as 27 hours of video playback, placing it on par with my iPhone 16 Professional. That is partly attributable to the Air’s customized C1X modem, which is extra power-efficient than the third-party modems in earlier units. Apple’s benchmarks by no means correspond on to actuality, after all — however you need to be capable to get by a day on a single cost in case you’re not enjoying Resident Evil or taking pictures a number of 4K video.
You will get a longer-lasting gadget for much less cash, which is the other of how issues usually work.
What Apple does not inform you is that the Air charges beneath every little thing else in its 2025 lineup. The iPhone 17 is rated for 30 hours of playback, and the 17 Professional will get as much as 33. The 17 Professional Max delivers as much as 39 hours — which means that with mild exercise, it might legitimately be a two-day cellphone.
None of this could matter if it weren’t for the Air’s $1,000 entry worth. You will get a longer-lasting gadget for much less cash, which is the other of how issues usually work. Perhaps Apple will slender the hole subsequent yr by switching over to silicon-carbon batteries, which supply increased power density.
3
You are sacrificing digital camera performance
Think twice about the way you shoot photographs and movies
The Air sports activities a 48-megapixel wide-angle digital camera, just like the one on the iPhone 17, with the choice of 2x zoom for filling the body somewhat higher. For some folks, this can be greater than ok, permitting them to snap mates, household, and plenty of different topics in excessive element. However not like the 17, there isn’t any ultrawide digital camera to talk of. Meaning you may’t shoot in cramped areas, and even take macro photographs, which may very well be a dealkiller in case you like to make use of your cellphone to take group pics, or save pairing codes and serial numbers.
Even the similarly-designed Galaxy S25 Edge has twin cameras.
As soon as once more, the Air’s pricetag comes into play. You may truly save $200 and get an ultra-wide again in case you purchase an iPhone 17. Alternately, by spending $100 extra you may improve to the 17 Professional, which incorporates each an ultra-wide and a 48-megapixel telephoto digital camera with 8x zoom. In the event you’re contemplating an Air, you’d higher suppose lengthy and laborious about your digital camera wants — you do not wish to end up lacking key reminiscences as a result of your cellphone lacks fundamental tools. Even the similarly-designed Galaxy S25 Edge has twin cameras.
2
Sturdiness is a huge query mark
There’s solely up to now materials selections can go
Apple went to nice lengths to emphasize the toughness of the Air throughout its press occasion. The cellphone not solely sports activities a titanium physique — not like the iPhone 17 and 17 Professional, which use aluminum — however Ceramic Defend glass on each the entrance and the again, supposed to scale back the specter of scratches and cracks. The entrance particularly makes use of Ceramic Defend 2, claimed to have 3 times the scratch resistance of its predecessor.
I might reasonably have a thicker, heavier cellphone that is rugged than one which (briefly) impresses me with how slim and lightweight it’s.
None of this straight addresses the most important concern with ultra-thin telephones: bending. Titanium could also be stiffer than aluminum, but it surely’s not resistant to strain, and there is solely a lot structural rigidity Apple can present in a tool so skinny. Presumably Apple has discovered the teachings of Bendgate, which plagued the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus — but it isn’t laborious to think about somebody warping or cracking their Air by by accident sitting on it. We’ll have to attend for reviewers to show issues a method or one other.
I believe I communicate for lots of people once I say that I might reasonably have a thicker, heavier cellphone that is rugged than one which (briefly) impresses me with how slim and lightweight it’s. For the sake of patrons, I sincerely hope that Apple’s advertising and marketing is greater than hyperbole.
1
It skimps on 5G, graphics, and USB tech
The iPhone 16 Professional may very well be a greater deal
One thing I’ve discovered through the years is to pay shut consideration to Apple’s specs sheets, as a result of the corporate is not at all times clear with its forward-facing press supplies. Whereas it brags concerning the iPhone 17 having a 120Hz adaptive refresh charge, as an example, I needed to delve into specs to verify that this allows always-on show (AOD) capabilities like lockscreen widgets and StandBy. I suppose Apple considers this all commonplace now, though you continue to get a locked 60Hz with out AOD in case you purchase an iPhone 16 or 16e.
There isn’t any excuse for any iPhone to have USB 2.0 sync, given the sizes of recent music, video, and backup recordsdata.
In the event you’re weighing an Air in opposition to a 17 Professional, you might be stunned by a few of its compromises, which transcend digital camera and battery tech. Whereas each merchandise use an A19 Professional chip, the Air has one much less graphics (GPU) core, which might damage its efficiency in some video games. It additionally does not help the quickest model of 5G, mmWave, and might solely sync wired knowledge at sluggish USB 2.0 speeds. That final level is pathetic, frankly. The two.0 spec dates again to the yr 2000, so there isn’t any excuse for any iPhone to have it as we speak, given the sizes of recent music, video, and backup recordsdata. USB 3.1 ought to be handled at the least — not a Professional luxurious.
Contemplate this: the bottom Air is provided with 256GB of storage. USB 2.0 might make some backups take over an hour, whereas USB 3.1 would shorten that to lower than seven minutes. I get that most individuals depend on Wi-Fi and cloud sync nowadays, however that is no excuse for leaving USB customers within the Darkish Ages.
