It’s been a month since the launch of the iPhone Air, and I’ve been using it as my daily driver after replacing the iPhone 14 Pro. Now after a month in, I believe I can give a better reflection of my experiences and perspectives. One thing is for sure, it’s a keeper.
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Smooth sailing so far is really the best way I could put – it given the phone is blazing fast, great to hold in the hand, doesn’t overheat the way I use it compared to the iPhone 14 Pro, and so far the battery life isn’t anything to worry about.
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Battery Life

When I first picked up the iPhone Air, I felt like I was making a leap of faith with the battery life, and this was partly due to the increase in screen size whilst simultaneously keeping the battery at around the same mAh as my older device when new. I even considered picking up a battery case as a backup, as I did later into the life of the iPhone 14 Pro – but I didn’t.

• On work days: The phone is often over 75-50% by the time I’m home.
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• On off days or when it needs to be used for Production/Low End Mac articles: there’s a charger nearby.
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One of the greatest strengths of the iPhone Air is certainly the standby time, this isn’t something I was expecting. When powered off, it managed to stay at the same battery percentage for much longer than my iPhone 14 Pro did. This is particularly useful when working and/or you have long periods of time where you can’t be on your phone alot. Conversely, I also know this is a very powerful device so there are days I use it far more, too. It just depends on the day.

Every one of us can relate to a moment where we forgot to charge our phones – this one can charge wired or wirelessly to 50% in just 30 minutes. It’s saved me a couple times so far before heading off to work. I’ll admit I still used the iPhone 14 Pro a bit for a week before sending it back out, so it probably reflects in a few less charge cycles than days, but overall I’m charging this more or less everyday. Battery life on Zoom calls is better than expected, especially over the old device.
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Performance

You’d sound like a broken record for saying this every year: “Never have I ever held a device so fast”, as it’s a given with technological iteration. But it has to be said aloud, the A19 Pro is FAST. We’re talking about how the A19 Pro trades blows with iMac Pro, RX 570, and even the M4 Chip.
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Less about the specs, more about the experiential factor – it’s fast all-around and in every way I would want it. Apps launch super fast (and faster than on the iPhone 14 Pro), the iPhone Air handles web pages like it breathes – light as air, and browsing Low End Mac on it is so responsive it feels like sort-of using an app rather than a website. The phone hardly takes any time getting to and past the Lock Screen if you ever need to power cycle it.
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Geekbench 6

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Using it with a clear case

The Air tends to feel like a slippery phone, so this clear case provides good grip. It provides a peace of mind being able to have a better hold on your phone versus pinching a glass sandwich, whilst simultaneously being a buffer against direct impacts and scratches.
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A case like this doesn’t totally prevent the device from being scratched, nor does it stop from dust getting underneath the case. You’ll have to clean it out fairly frequently so it doesn’t get gunked up, but it does the job and hangs in there with the accidental drops.
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Camera

Going from three cameras to one is certainly an adjustment, and this single camera is a slightly different setup than I’m used to. I’m definitely not gonna complain about the quality of this camera, it’s phenomenal and captures tons of details – but you can’t just switch to another lens if this one just doesn’t focus up-close.

• Pros: Produces spectacular quality images, excellent colors, does really well in low light, optical blur is very useful in up-close shots when used correctly.
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• Cons: You have to work with the camera a little more than with a multi-camera setup, but one thing stood out to me: less flexible zooming in on objects close to the camera. If it’s too close, you have to physically relocate the iPhone to get a better snap.

This is a phenomenal overall single lens/sensor rear camera. Even still, a professional user can get by and enjoy very high quality photos regardless. The Front Camera zooms out more now, and I like it.
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It starts at 256 GB

Coming from a 128 GB Deep Purple iPhone 14 Pro it’s a nice step up, and to think 256 GB is the starting capacity for the device, also. Plenty for all the apps, photos from over the years, OS emulators, and even more.

This one will be divisive, but 256 GB will last you a long time if this isn’t a production machine, and in many cases for many people. It’s a good amount of room for the everyday smartphone in 2025, and a fair amount to start with for an iPhone Air.
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Some more thoughts

• Speaker: It has a mono speaker? Of course it does.. but did I start hearing it differently versus the 14 Pro once I started using it more? Not really. If you raise the volume all the way up or put it next to a different iPhone, sure, it will be noticeable, but it’s something you tend to forget especially if you use headphones more.
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• The Sky Blue: It’s color-shifting, just like the Sky Blue on the M4 MacBook Air. It can be easily mistaken for a white iPhone Air in a well-lit room, although holding it up to white light and/or backgrounds shows a contrast.
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• Action Button and Camera Buttons: I keep forgetting they’re even there, and it would behoove me to customize the action button at some point. The Camera button is a nice addition, reminiscent of the Motorola Droid X I used to have way back in 2011.
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• More comfortable metal side band: Major improvement over the sharp 90 degree angle of prior models.
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• Using the phone without a case: The phone can withstand it, it’s extremely tough, and many say it ruins the aesthetic quality of the device putting a case on it. The clear case I have ensures the phone is quite visible, while making it more wieldy.
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Deciding for myself

When the iPhone 17 dropped I was already hanging onto my iPhone 14 Pro for three years, and I genuinely gave it some thought considering it looked like a few different options could suit me:

• If I wanted another purple iPhone: Get the Lavender iPhone 17, it’s good enough.
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• Or get the iPhone air, the frame is sleek and shiny like how iPhones should be.
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• Or.. get the Deep Blue iPhone 17 Pro because it most closely spiritually resembled my 14 Pro?
  

Coincidentally when I arrived at the T-Mobile store, these were the exact choices laid out in front of me on the phone displays (except for the Sky Blue Air, the display model was Space Black). I even had a chance to see the purple iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 models directly next to one another, along with an iPhone 16e and a Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro Max.

I had somewhat made up my mind before coming to the store, but also wanted a little time to see what else was there. Apparently the other colors were more popular, gold being one of the favorites from what I was told.
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After channeling out all the noise, other reviews, suggestions, etc; just using the phone for a month and leaving my thoughts “up in the air”.. I think I really like this iPhone Air.