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 truth — I already knew, based mostly on leaks, that it will 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 will appear like. Not that there was a lot Apple may’ve finished about that — accent makers wanted blueprints to have merchandise prepared on time.

The cellphone is extra tempting than I believed it will be, however I am additionally fairly comfy about skipping it. Try to be as nicely, and there are a selection of the reason why. Here is hoping that Apple types issues out by the point the Air 2 rolls round.

4

Thinness comes on the expense of battery life

Kind 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 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, in fact — however it is best to be capable to get by means of a day on a single cost in case you’re not enjoying Resident Evil or taking pictures a number of 4K video.

What Apple does not let you know 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 — that means that with mild exercise, it may legitimately be a two-day cellphone.

None of this could matter if it weren’t for the Air’s $1,000 entry value. You will get a longer-lasting machine 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 provide larger power density.

3

You are sacrificing digicam performance

Think twice about the way you shoot images and movies

Apple / Pocket-lint

The Air sports activities a 48-megapixel wide-angle digicam, just like the one on the iPhone 17, with the choice of 2x zoom for filling the body a little bit higher. For some folks, this can be greater than ok, permitting them to snap associates, 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 may’t shoot in cramped areas, and even take macro images, 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.

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 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 digicam with 8x zoom. When you’re contemplating an Air, you’d higher suppose lengthy and arduous about your digicam wants — you do not need 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 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 — not like the iPhone 17 and 17 Professional, which use aluminum — however Ceramic Defend glass on each the entrance and the again, meant to scale back the specter of scratches and cracks. The entrance particularly makes use of Ceramic Defend 2, claimed to have thrice the scratch resistance of its predecessor.

None of this instantly addresses the largest concern with ultra-thin telephones: bending. Titanium could also be stiffer than aluminum, however 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 realized the teachings of Bendgate, which plagued the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus — but it isn’t arduous 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 after I say that I would moderately 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 realized 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 illustration, I needed to delve into specs to verify that this permits always-on show (AOD) features like lockscreen widgets and StandBy. I suppose Apple considers this all commonplace now, despite the fact that you continue to get a locked 60Hz with out AOD in case you purchase an iPhone 16 or 16e.

When you’re weighing an Air in opposition to a 17 Professional, it’s possible you’ll be stunned 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 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 is not any excuse for any iPhone to have it at this time, given the sizes of recent music, video, and backup information. USB 3.1 ought to 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 today, however that is no excuse for leaving USB customers within the Darkish Ages.