I Want To Love Apple’s New Iphone Air, But The Iphone 17 Is A Better Deal

My hubby is simply a gadget enthusiast. He’s already connected his second folding smartphone — a Galaxy Z Flip7 — aft having a Motorola Razr erstwhile it first came out. I’m much of a “convince me” benignant of gadget lover. If I spot a logic to get excited, I’m in. Otherwise, I’ll instrumentality pinch what I’ve sewage until I person a logic to upgrade. I still retrieve erstwhile Apple came retired pinch Touch ID to extremity password fatigue. I bought 1 immediately.

I’ve been successful nan Apple ecosystem for much than a decade because my activity machine is simply a Mac and having my telephone and Watch each activity together is some applicable and helpful. Yes, that’s nan meaning of nan Apple moat. But I wouldn’t see myself a fangirl. For nan record, my individual machine — meaning nan 1 I bought myself for non-job-related uses — is an HP Spectre connected Windows. And I emotion it.

So, I’m still utilizing an iPhone 13. As overmuch arsenic I for illustration really hubby’s telephone fits truthful nicely successful a pocket, I for illustration practicality complete novelty. But my phone’s artillery and touchscreen are aging, and it doesn’t person a spot powerful capable to tally nan promised Apple Intelligence AI future. So it’s clip for an upgrade.

Today, I was wrong a heartbeat of preparing to preorder nan caller iPhone Air. It looked for illustration nan champion of each worlds to me: bigger surface yet mini capable to fresh successful my mini hand, champion chip, and only $200 much than a 17, but still cheaper than a Pro. I’ve ne'er been a Pro user. I don’t movie Hollywood-esq movies, person nary societal media-creator hobbies, truthful I’ve ever opted for nan amended price.

But arsenic I dive into nan specs, the iPhone 17 looks for illustration a amended deal.

In nan Air’s favor, it has a 6.5-inch screen, compared to nan 17’s 6.3-inch, yet is lighter to hold. It besides has nan A19 Pro chip, alternatively than A19 chip. But oddly, this isn’t nan aforesaid Pro spot that’s successful nan Pro phone. It has a 6-core CPU pinch a 5-core GPU. That’s akin to nan A19 successful nan 17. (The Pro exemplary has a 6-core CPU and 6-core GPU.)

The 17 thumps nan Air connected artillery life, too, promising 30 hours of video playtime versus nan Air’s 27 hours, according to Apple. And while different $99 will bargain a artillery battalion for nan Air, bringing artillery life up to 40 hours, that battalion defeats nan intent of a lighter, thinner phone.

The Air is utilizing a caller and absorbing computational photography camera, meaning camera features powered by software. This allows a azygous lens to enactment for illustration aggregate lenses — including a delightful caller characteristic that allows simultaneous beforehand and rear camera shots. That’s bully for filming reactions to nan world and would beryllium nosy to own! But nan Air lacks nan 48-megapixel Fusion Ultra Wide lens nan 17 has. 

The Air’s retention options are acold better — up to 1TB — but for a price. The 1T action costs $1,400, which makes it only $100 little than a 1T retention connected a Pro astatine $1,500.

All successful all, arsenic overmuch arsenic I want to emotion nan larger-screen, lighter Air, if I were to dainty myself and get a higher-end phone, I’d conscionable spell up and bargain a Pro. 

If nan Air becomes Apple’s folding phone, arsenic immoderate suspect, I whitethorn ditch my 17 for a stunning folding iPhone astatine that point. Until then, for regular Joe users for illustration me, nan 17 still seems for illustration a amended deal.