iPhone Air Review: Beauty is Pain

Summary

The iPhone Air is an impressively thin and lightweight phone with a focus on design and portability, boasting a titanium frame and improved durability. However, it comes with several trade-offs, such as a single camera, lack of millimeter wave 5G, limited speaker quality, and a subpar battery life. While it performs well with its new modem and A19 Pro chip, the battery struggles to last for heavy users, and its charging speed is slower than other models. Ultimately, the iPhone Air is great for those prioritizing thinness and aesthetics, but its performance limitations make it less ideal for power users.

Takeaways

• 😀 The iPhone Air is incredibly thin, thinner than previous iPhones, and even thinner than a number two pencil.
• 😀 Apple made significant internal changes to achieve the thin design, including rearranging components and adding a 'plateau' for the battery.
• 😀 The titanium frame is both durable and sleek, though it attracts fingerprints, but it is much more durable than anticipated.
• 😀 The iPhone Air is eSIM-only, which saves space for the battery, but this could be a concern for people who still rely on physical SIM cards.
• 😀 The iPhone Air does not support millimeter-wave 5G, which may not be a major issue for most users but could be limiting in some rare cases.
• 😀 The USB-C port only supports USB 2 transfer speeds, which is a drawback for those who need faster data transfer.
• 😀 The iPhone Air has less cooling capacity compared to thicker Pro models, leading to occasional overheating during heavy usage.
• 😀 The single camera in the iPhone Air lacks ultrawide and zoom features, which may be a dealbreaker for heavy camera users, but is still sufficient for casual photography.
• 😀 The iPhone Air is surprisingly durable, with its titanium frame and ceramic shield offering high levels of protection against scratches and bending.
• 😀 The battery life is a weak point, with the iPhone Air's battery being similar to older iPhone models, leading to shorter usage times and slower charging.
• 😀 Apple's MagSafe battery pack for the Air is not particularly effective, charging the phone only to about 65% due to heat loss during wireless charging.
• 😀 The iPhone Air represents a potential preview of a future foldable iPhone, with the thinness and internal reorganization pointing toward foldable designs in the future.

Q & A

What is the main design philosophy behind the iPhone Air?

The iPhone Air emphasizes extreme thinness and lightness, prioritizing form while making trade-offs in other areas like battery size and camera versatility. Apple reorganized internal components to achieve a slim profile without compromising core functionality.

How did Apple make the iPhone Air thinner than previous models?

Apple miniaturized and rearranged internal components, placing most compute and memory at the top and leaving the bottom mostly for battery. They also removed the SIM card slot, reduced cooling hardware, and used a slim titanium frame.

What are the small concerns mentioned with the iPhone Air?

Small concerns include: a single earpiece speaker which limits bass and stereo sound, eSIM-only support which can inconvenience some users, no mmWave 5G support, and USB-C limited to USB 2 transfer speeds.

How does the iPhone Air handle medium-level concerns?

Medium concerns include less effective cooling, which can make the phone warm under heavy use, and the single 12MP camera, which lacks ultrawide and high-quality zoom options, though the camera performs well for casual photography.

What makes the iPhone Air notably durable despite its thin design?

The titanium frame provides exceptional resistance to bending, scratches, and impact. The front and back ceramic shield glass is highly scratch-resistant, and the phone maintains IP68 water and dust resistance.

What are the main battery limitations of the iPhone Air?

The battery is relatively small, comparable to the iPhone 11, resulting in moderate daily endurance. Heavy usage or intensive tasks can drain the battery quickly, and charging speeds are slower compared to other iPhone 17 models.

Why might the iPhone Air be considered a precursor to a foldable iPhone?

Apple’s efforts in miniaturization, component reorganization, and efficiency optimizations suggest that the Air’s design serves as a testing ground for ultra-thin form factors, likely in preparation for a future foldable iPhone.

How does the iPhone Air compare to other iPhones in terms of performance?

Despite its thin form, the iPhone Air uses the A19 Pro chip and the new N1 networking chip, delivering performance comparable to thicker Pro models. Heavy sustained workloads may cause some throttling due to limited cooling.

What trade-offs did Apple make to increase battery efficiency in the iPhone Air?

Apple eliminated the SIM card slot in favor of eSIM, saving space for about 200 mAh of extra battery. Other efficiency gains come from optimized chips and adaptive display technology, but battery life remains a limitation.

Who is the ideal user for the iPhone Air?

The ideal user values portability, thinness, and premium design, and is a light to moderate phone user. Casual photographers or those satisfied with a single main camera will also find it suitable, while heavy users may struggle with battery and camera limitations.

What is Apple’s approach to accessories for the iPhone Air, specifically regarding battery solutions?

Apple offers a MagSafe battery pack, but it charges the phone only up to about 65% due to heat loss, which is less efficient. Alternative solutions like Ridge’s power bank provide higher capacity and versatility for charging multiple devices.