I used the iPhone Air for six months — here are 5 things I learned

Every year when Apple drops a new iPhone, I’m usually tempted to upgrade to the Pro model. This year, though, I skipped the iPhone 17 Pro. It’s not that I didn’t like the upgrade, I just didn’t find the design or colors that appealing, and instead I picked up the iPhone Air.

Now that I’ve been using the iPhone Air for a little over six months, I’ve got a pretty good sense of how it holds up. And honestly, I didn’t expect to be this satisfied with a more standard iPhone, but over time, the iPhone Air has really grown on me.

I love the iPhone Air more for its size, not design

The 6.5-inch screen makes it far more enjoyable to use daily

When the iPhone Air came out, all the hype around it, and even Apple’s key USP, was the design. Apple positioned it as a super slim, lightweight iPhone that’s easy to carry while still delivering a full iPhone experience.

And to be honest, when I first held it, I didn’t really notice it that much. But now, whenever I pick up another iPhone, I’m reminded how thin and easy this one is to use.

However, that’s not the main reason I like the iPhone Air. I’ve used the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Pro as my daily drivers over the past few years, and while I moved away from the Pro Max because it felt too bulky, the regular Pro started feeling a bit small after a while.

The iPhone Air hits that middle ground perfectly. It has a 6.5-inch display, which sits right between the 6.3-inch Pro and the 6.9-inch Pro Max. For me, this is the sweet spot. It’s big enough for watching content comfortably, but still compact enough to carry around every day without feeling bulky — and the slim design definitely helps with that.

I haven’t missed the cameras one bit — but that doesn’t mean you won’t

The setup works for me, but may not suit everyone

One of the reasons I was a bit hesitant about switching to the iPhone Air was the lack of a telephoto lens. I’m not a huge fan of ultra-wide cameras, but I do rely on telephoto quite a bit. The iPhone Air only comes with a single 48MP Fusion camera, similar to the other iPhone 17 models.

To be honest, I do miss having a telephoto lens. It’s something I actually rely on. But in my case, it hasn’t been a dealbreaker.

The main reason is that I test a lot of phones, so I’m usually carrying an Android device alongside my iPhone. Whether it’s something like the Pixel 10 Pro or the Oppo Find X9 Pro, most of these phones have great telephoto cameras.

So, whenever I need that lens, I end up using my secondary phone. That’s why I haven’t missed it as much, but it doesn’t mean you’ll feel the same if you’re only using the iPhone Air.

Having just one speaker makes a bigger difference

I miss having a dual-speaker system on my iPhone

Unlike the other iPhones in the iPhone 17 lineup, the iPhone Air only comes with a single speaker. All other iPhones use a dual-speaker setup for stereo sound, but on the iPhone Air, the single speaker doubles as both the main output and the earpiece.

I’m someone who really cares about audio, and after using phones like the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, which have excellent speakers, this is something I definitely miss on the iPhone Air.

It hasn’t been a dealbreaker, but it does take away a bit from the overall media experience, especially when watching videos or scrolling through apps like Instagram.

I was worried about battery life, but it hasn’t an issue

It holds up better than I initially assumed

Going into this, I was definitely skeptical about the battery life on the iPhone Air. It has a smaller battery compared to other iPhones, especially the Pro models, so I expected it to struggle.

But after using it as my primary device for the past six months, I haven’t really felt that the battery has been a major issue.

My iPhone 16 Pro’s battery actually degraded quite a bit over the year I used it, and that was one of the most frustrating parts of that phone. Despite being thicker and having a larger battery, it didn’t hold up as well as I expected, especially compared to the Android phones I was using alongside it.

The iPhone Air, on the other hand, has held up surprisingly well. It doesn’t last as long as I’d ideally want, but considering I usually carry another Android phone with me that shares some of the load, it hasn’t really bothered me.

The slim design, lighter weight, and the overall size balance things out enough that I don’t end up judging the battery life too harshly.

The price still feels hard to justify even now

It’s a great phone, but it still feels too expensive

Six months later, I still can’t get over the fact that this phone starts at $1,000. Don’t get me wrong, I love using the iPhone Air. The slim design, the size, the overall feel, it’s probably one of the most comfortable phones I’ve used in a long time. But at this price, it just doesn’t make complete sense.

Had Apple priced this closer to the base iPhone 17, I genuinely think this would’ve been a massive hit. It still works for me, but every time I think about what I paid for it, I can’t help but feel it’s just a bit too expensive for what it offers.

Brand

Apple

SoC

A19 Pro 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU

Display

6.5-inch 2736 x 1260 pixel resolution Super Retina XDR display

RAM

N/A

Storage

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Ports

USB-C (supports USB 2)

The super thin iPhone Air is just 5.6mm thick and features a single 48-megapixel camera lens. Its display comes in at 6.5-inches with supports for ProMotion 120Hz, and its front and back features ceramic shield construction.