4 causes I am blowing previous the iPhone Air, and why it’s 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, actually — 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 digicam, 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 carried out about that — accent makers wanted blueprints to have merchandise prepared on time.

The telephone is extra tempting than I assumed it might be, however I am additionally fairly snug about skipping it. You need to be as nicely, and there are a selection of explanation why. This is hoping that Apple kinds issues out by the point the Air 2 rolls round.

4

Thinness comes on the expense of battery life

Type 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 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 gadgets. Apple’s benchmarks by no means correspond on to actuality, in fact — however it’s best to have the ability to get by way of a day on a single cost in case you’re not taking part in Resident Evil or taking pictures a number of 4K video.

What Apple does not let you know is that the Air charges under 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 — that means that with gentle exercise, it may legitimately be a two-day telephone.

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

3

You are sacrificing digicam performance

Think twice about the way you shoot photographs and movies

Apple / Pocket-lint

The Air sports activities a 48-megapixel wide-angle digicam, much like the one on the iPhone 17, with the choice of 2x zoom for filling the body a little bit higher. For some individuals, this can be greater than adequate, permitting them to snap pals, household, and lots of different topics in excessive element. However not like the 17, there is not any ultrawide digicam to talk of. Meaning you’ll be able to’t shoot in cramped areas, and even take macro photographs, which might be a dealkiller in case you like to make use of your telephone to take group pics, or save pairing codes and serial numbers.

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

2

Sturdiness is a big query mark

There’s solely to date materials selections can go

Apple / Pocket-lint

Apple went to nice lengths to emphasize the toughness of the Air throughout its press occasion. The telephone 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 thrice the scratch resistance of its predecessor.

None of this immediately addresses the most important concern with ultra-thin telephones: bending. Titanium could also be stiffer than aluminum, nevertheless it’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 is not 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 technique or one other.

I believe I converse for lots of people after I say that I might quite have a thicker, heavier telephone 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 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 at all times clear with its forward-facing press supplies. Whereas it brags in regards to the iPhone 17 having a 120Hz adaptive refresh fee, as an illustration, I needed to delve into specs to verify 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 in case you purchase an iPhone 16 or 16e.

For those who’re weighing an Air in opposition to a 17 Professional, it’s possible you’ll be shocked by a few of its compromises, which transcend digicam 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 does not assist the quickest model of 5G, mmWave, and may 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 is not any excuse for any iPhone to have it at this time, given the sizes of recent music, video, and backup recordsdata. USB 3.1 must be handled at the least — not a Professional luxurious.

Think about this: the bottom Air is supplied 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 nowadays, however that is no excuse for leaving USB customers within the Darkish Ages.