I Tested The Iphone Air For A Week, And Here's Why 17 Pro Max Users Shouldn't Sleep On It

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The thinnest and lightest iPhone yet offers Pro capacity astatine a competitory $999 value point.
• It's designed to consciousness burdenless, and that's nan biggest logic to bargain 1 complete nan iPhone 17 series.
• You'll conscionable person to settee for only 1 camera, mean artillery life, and a single-firing speaker.

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The iPhone "Pro" explanation has ever represented nan bleeding separator of Apple's business design. I've upgraded to nan Pro exemplary each twelvemonth since it debuted six years ago, and astatine this constituent successful time, Apple's look is truthful refined and polished that nan finance is almost ever worthy it.

That's why, going into Apple's Awe-dropping event earlier this month, my attraction was reserved for nan iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, some of which launched pinch a caller vapor enclosure cooling strategy -- resolving a longstanding rumor of overheating connected Pro models -- arsenic good arsenic a redesigned and improved camera system. But nan keynote ended pinch maine shifting my attraction to a different iPhone.

Also: I tested nan iPhone 17 Pro Max, and here's 1 large logic for a year-over-year upgrade

See, Apple did what it does best: marketing. It introduced the iPhone Air, with a theatrical flair, balanced connected nan extremity of a digit astatine nan Steve Jobs Theater, to a chorus of "oohs and ahhs." The iPhone 16 Pro Max successful my pouch was emotion heavier by nan second.

Let maine beryllium clear: nan iPhone Air is simply a first-generation product, and I've been burned by many first attempts. However, there's a very calculated attack to designing nan thinnest and lightest iPhone ever that makes it worthy my time. But is it worthy yours?

An iPhone that won't ace nether pressure

I'd for illustration to deliberation that I'm 1 of nan fewer group who person been capable to trial some nan iPhone Air and its Android competitor, nan Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, truthful erstwhile I first held nan iPhone, nan acquisition was strangely familiar. 

The device's ultraportability will impressment anyone who picks 1 up, but for me, seeing nan fluid Liquid Glass animations travel crossed nan 6.5-inch OLED surface was erstwhile reality really group in. This is what iOS 26 was meant to beryllium for.

Also: iPhone Air vs. Samsung S25 Edge: I compared nan 2 ultra-slim phones, and here's nan winner

The thought of an ultra-thin and lightweight iPhone has been alternatively overseas complete nan past fewer years. In fact, holding nan iPhone Air reminded maine little of nan different titanium-cased models successful caller years and much of nan iPhone 6 Plus from 2019. Back then, specified a shape facet bordered betwixt normal and risky. It was some a fashionable position awesome and a instrumentality that gave into pressure. 

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

I expect nan erstwhile of nan 2 clauses -- position awesome -- to proceed pinch nan iPhone Air, pinch its near-invisible broadside floor plan (it's conscionable 5.6mm thick) and singular camera plateau representing 1 of nan astir burdenless iPhones of late. As for bendgate, I'm not excessively worried astir that -- and Apple doesn't look to beryllium either. 

Following nan September keynote, nan institution showed members of nan media its durability testing facility, which included a instrumentality that applied 130 pounds of unit connected nan halfway constituent of nan iPhone Air. It bulged but ne'er cracked aliases snapped successful half, and moreover straightened itself soon after. That's a testament to some nan titanium framework that wraps astir nan telephone and nan Ceramic Shield layering connected nan beforehand and back.

If you're much willing successful a real-world accent test, I precocious sat down pinch nan iPhone Air successful my backmost pocket, and nan instrumentality showed nary signs of fragility. And I'm a six-foot feline who's good complete 130 pounds. If there's 1 telephone that you should usage without a case, fto it beryllium this one.

A Pro telephone without nan branding

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

There's a spot of weight that's lifted erstwhile an iPhone doesn't person nan Pro moniker; you expect it to person shortcomings, less features, and conscionable a serviceable experience. That sets nan iPhone Air up for room to impress, pinch it being powered by nan aforesaid A19 Pro spot that revs up nan iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models.

Also: iOS 26 is now unrecorded - here's really to download it (and which iPhones support it)

After letting my iPhone Air activity done each its first setup tasks and app downloads, I paced it done a bid of capacity benchmarks alongside my iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Edge. Here are nan results.

Focus connected relativity. From my testing, nan iPhone Air competes good pinch older and apt newer iPhone Pro models, and moreover amended against nan S25 Edge. However, its top weakness is ratio and prolonged powerfulness management. I've noticed that nan camera plateau, wherever astir of nan processing components are fitted in, often gets lukewarm aft a fewer minutes of aggravated workloads.

It's little noticeable connected different phones, including nan S25 Edge, because power is much evenly dispersed crossed nan body, but by condensing everything wrong a portion of solid and metal, and not having nan aforesaid vapor enclosure cooling strategy recovered connected nan iPhone 17 Pro models, nan Air takes a deed during extended usage.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

That carries into nan artillery life. This isn't an all-day endurance phone, not without a complaint aliases 2 passim aliases nan MagSafe artillery battalion that Apple is pitching nan Air with. The large takeaway is that I'm decidedly uncovering myself looking for a charger much often than erstwhile I was connected my iPhone 16 Pro Max and different thicker handsets. But this is to beryllium expected from a telephone truthful thin.

Also: iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: I compared nan 2 flagship models, and here's nan winner

Part of maine wishes Apple had added nan aforesaid 40W wired charging complaint from nan iPhone 17 Pro models to nan Air, but that would apt unfastened different tin of worms regarding thermals and artillery degradation. With nan Air's already smaller capacity, you conscionable can't return that risk.

The precocious and debased points of nan iPhone Air

The iPhone Air's cameras are some its precocious and debased points. I'm a instrumentality of nan 18MP Center Stage beforehand camera, arsenic it tin adaptively agelong retired nan section of position and springiness selfies a level of extent and clasp that's agelong been missing connected phones successful general. 

For nan past 2 months, I've been taking group photos and portraits pinch nan Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 since nan outer show serves arsenic a viewfinder for nan rear wide and ultrawide cameras. The iPhone Air and its caller quadrate sensor fundamentally execute nan aforesaid thing, but pinch less camera taps, unfolding, and different maneuvers required.

Also: I tested nan iPhone 17 for 24 hours, and I'm already questioning if I request a Pro

A squared sensor besides gives nan selfie camera much room for physics stabilization, meaning videos look little stuttery and shaky, moreover erstwhile compared to past year's iPhones.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

On nan different hand, nan rear 48MP camera leaves a sensor aliases 2 to beryllium desired. Color accuracy, contrast, and protector item are still nan iPhone's forte (as depicted successful nan samples above), but location were respective moments erstwhile I craved nan much distant optical zooming of nan Pro model, particularly erstwhile recording unrecorded events and subjects acold away. 

The absence of an ultrawide lens besides intends you can't dramatize landscapes and scenic views from up adjacent aliases propulsion successful macro-level specifications for illustration connected nan regular, $200-less iPhone 17.

ZDNET's buying advice

So, who should bargain nan iPhone Air? At $1,000, you're chiefly paying for nan ultraportability and invention factor. Of each 4 caller iPhones released this year, nan iPhone Air feels for illustration nan 1 we'll astir apt reference successful nan future, erstwhile moreover nan Pro models -- and perchance foldables -- are built nether a akin framework.

If you're a camera enthusiast, powerfulness user, aliases want an iPhone that mightiness not require a artillery switch aft 2-3 years, past I'd see your different options this year, including nan base model.

Also: I compared nan iPhone 17, iPhone Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max: Here's nan champion bargain for you

What I expect to yet extremity nan scales successful nan Air's favour will beryllium nan in-store experience, erstwhile funny shoppers prime up nan instrumentality and consciousness an absence of thickness and bulk. (For those who care, you whitethorn besides announcement that nan Air comes successful a achromatic color, but not nan 17 Pro.)

The iPhone Air is simply a instrumentality you must spot successful personification to grasp its significance. When you do, switching betwixt it and immoderate different exemplary will only amplify nan thought that nan different exemplary will soon beryllium a point of nan past.