4 causes I am blowing previous the iPhone Air, and why it is best to 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 reality — I already knew, primarily based 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 Pro. I even knew what it might appear to be. Not that there was a lot Apple may’ve executed 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 comfy about skipping it. You ought to be as nicely, and there are a selection of the explanation why. This is hoping that Apple types issues out by the point the Air 2 rolls round.

4

Thinness comes on the expense of battery life

Type over perform

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 gadget 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, in fact — however it is best to have the ability to get by means of a day on a single cost when you’re not enjoying Resident Evil or taking pictures numerous 4K video.

What Apple would not let you know is that the Air charges beneath every 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 — that means that with mild exercise, it may legitimately be a two-day cellphone.

None of this may matter if it weren’t for the Air’s $1,000 entry value. You may get a longer-lasting gadget for much less cash, which is the alternative of how issues usually work. Possibly Apple will slender the hole subsequent yr by switching over to silicon-carbon batteries, which supply larger power 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 ok, permitting them to snap mates, household, and plenty of different topics in excessive element. However not like the 17, there is not any ultrawide digital camera to talk of. Meaning you possibly can’t shoot in cramped areas, and even take macro images, which may very well be a dealkiller when 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’ll be able to really save $200 and get an ultra-wide again when 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. If you happen to’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 recollections as a result of your cellphone lacks fundamental gear. Even the similarly-designed Galaxy S25 Edge has twin cameras.

2

Sturdiness is a huge 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 — not like the iPhone 17 and 17 Professional, which use aluminum — however Ceramic Protect glass on each the entrance and the again, meant to cut back the specter of scratches and cracks. The entrance particularly makes use of Ceramic Protect 2, claimed to have 3 times the scratch resistance of its predecessor.

None of this instantly addresses the most important concern with ultra-thin telephones: bending. Titanium could also be stiffer than aluminum, but it surely’s not proof against 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 chance sitting on it. We’ll have to attend for reviewers to show issues a method or one other.

I believe I converse for lots of people once I say that I would fairly have a thicker, heavier cellphone that is rugged than one which (briefly) impresses me with how slim and light-weight it’s. For the sake of patrons, I sincerely hope that Apple’s advertising 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 at all times clear with its forward-facing press supplies. Whereas it brags concerning the iPhone 17 having a 120Hz adaptive refresh price, as an example, I needed to delve into specs to substantiate that this permits always-on show (AOD) capabilities like lockscreen widgets and StandBy. I assume Apple considers this all commonplace now, although you continue to get a locked 60Hz with out AOD when you purchase an iPhone 16 or 16e.

If you happen to’re weighing an Air towards a 17 Professional, you could 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 may damage its efficiency in some video games. It additionally would 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 yr 2000, so there is not any excuse for any iPhone to have it at the moment, given the sizes of contemporary music, video, and backup recordsdata. USB 3.1 needs to be handled at the least — not a Professional luxurious.

Think about this: the bottom Air is provided with 256GB of storage. USB 2.0 may 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 today, however that is no excuse for leaving USB customers within the Darkish Ages.