4 causes I am blowing previous the iPhone Air, and why you must too

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 truth — I already knew, primarily based on leaks, that it could 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 Pro. I even knew what it could seem like. Not that there was a lot Apple might’ve carried out about that — accent makers wanted blueprints to have merchandise prepared on time.

The cellphone is extra tempting than I assumed it could be, however I am additionally fairly snug about skipping it. Try to be as nicely, and there are a number of explanation why. Here is hoping that Apple kinds issues out by the point the Air 2 rolls round.

4

Thinness comes on the expense of battery life

Kind over operate

Apple / Pocket-Lint

The most important shock is that the battery life on the Air is not as dangerous as rumors predicted. Apple claims that the machine can deal with as much as 27 hours of video playback, placing it on par with my iPhone 16 Pro. 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 must have the ability to get by means of a day on a single cost in case you’re not taking part in Resident Evil or capturing a number of 4K video.

What Apple does not inform you is that the Air charges beneath every part 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 — that means that with gentle exercise, it might legitimately be a two-day cellphone.

None of this may matter if it weren’t for the Air’s $1,000 entry worth. You may get a longer-lasting machine for much less cash, which is the alternative of how issues usually work. Possibly Apple will slim the hole subsequent 12 months by switching over to silicon-carbon batteries, which supply larger vitality density.

3

You are sacrificing digital camera performance

Think twice about the way you shoot images and movies

Apple / Pocket-lint

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 just a little higher. For some folks, this can be greater than adequate, permitting them to snap mates, household, and lots of different topics in excessive element. However in contrast to the 17, there isn’t any ultrawide digital camera to talk of. Meaning you possibly can’t shoot in cramped areas, and even take macro images, which could possibly be a dealkiller in case you like to make use of your cellphone to take group pics, or save pairing codes and serial numbers.

As soon as once more, the Air’s pricetag comes into play. You may really save $200 and get an ultra-wide again in case you purchase an iPhone 17. Alternately, by spending $100 extra you possibly can improve to the 17 Professional, which incorporates each an ultra-wide and a 48-megapixel telephoto digital camera with 8x zoom. In case you’re contemplating an Air, you’d higher suppose lengthy and laborious about your digital camera wants — you do not need to end up lacking key reminiscences as a result of your cellphone lacks fundamental gear. Even the similarly-designed Galaxy S25 Edge has twin cameras.

2

Sturdiness is a big query mark

There’s solely to this point materials selections can go

Apple / Pocket-lint

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 — in contrast to 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.

None of this immediately addresses the largest concern with ultra-thin telephones: bending. Titanium could also be stiffer than aluminum, but it surely’s not proof against stress, 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 is not laborious to think about somebody warping or cracking their Air by unintentionally sitting on it. We’ll have to attend for reviewers to show issues a method or one other.

I feel I converse for lots of people after I say that I would quite 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 over time is to pay shut consideration to Apple’s specs sheets, as a result of the corporate is not all the time clear with its forward-facing press supplies. Whereas it brags in regards to the iPhone 17 having a 120Hz adaptive refresh price, for example, I needed to delve into specs to verify that this allows always-on show (AOD) capabilities like lockscreen widgets and StandBy. I assume Apple considers this all normal now, despite the fact that you continue to get a locked 60Hz with out AOD in case you purchase an iPhone 16 or 16e.

In case you’re weighing an Air towards a 17 Professional, it’s possible you’ll 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 harm its efficiency in some video games. It additionally does not assist the quickest model of 5G, mmWave, and may solely sync wired information at sluggish USB 2.0 speeds. That final level is pathetic, frankly. The two.0 spec dates again to the 12 months 2000, so there isn’t any excuse for any iPhone to have it at present, given the sizes of recent music, video, and backup information. USB 3.1 needs to be handled at least — not a Professional luxurious.

Contemplate this: the bottom Air is supplied 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 as of late, however that is no excuse for leaving USB customers within the Darkish Ages.