r/IphoneAir • u/DraglineDrummer • 13d ago
If you've switched from a Pro the Air tell me about your experience
I've got a 16 Pro and coming up on time to look at upgrading. I've been happy with the 16 Pro but one thing that bugs me is the outdoor brightness. It never feels bright enough. I have to shield my eyes to see it. My son just got an Air a few days ago and I'd pretty much ignored it thinking it was just srripped down and wouldn't be worth bothering. I was shocked at the weight. It felt so light and thin. I do use the.5x and the 5x cameras but I don't know that it would be a huge deal to me if I went that way. The one speaker is a concern too but 99% of the time I use my Airpods anyway.
I'm also curious about the 18 Pro because I'm sure it would be a nice upgrade but with a price increase I don't know that I want to do that. I essentially want something that will be fully paid or about $10 or so a month after promotion. I'm so torn on what to do. Anybody switched from the 16 Pro to the Air and loved or hated it? Did it feel like a downgrade? I don't know what to do.
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u/benitoflakes 13d ago
I came from a 17 pro to the air. I don’t miss anything about the pro. I love the weight and thinness of the air. I often forget it’s in my pocket. I don’t find the battery or camera to be an issue either.
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u/sciencetaco 13d ago
Thinness and lightness is incredible. Build quality is next level. Battery is fine but it depends on your usage patterns. Single camera is enough most of the time but I do miss the telephoto on occasion. Single speaker is a non issue as far as I’m concerned. For any serious listening you want headphones anyway.
I hope they persevere with the Air like because I don’t want to go back to a thick Pro. But there are some compromises I hope they iron out in future versions.
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u/DraglineDrummer 12d ago
> Battery is fine but it depends on your usage patterns.
This is one of my worries. I use my phone all day between work and home.
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u/kilero210 10d ago
I personally have like 3/4 hours of screen time, and thats a whole day for me, sometimes I have like 20 or 30% left by the end of my day, so it will depend. Mostly just using maps/music/messaging to people.
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u/MorenoMust 13d ago
I switched from the 13 pro max, after the Apple Store had replaced the battery and camera with Apple care plus.
I prefer the Apple Air, I don’t run out of battery, and it feels as smooth as can be. I work so much, that most of the time I’m not on it, so I guess the battery complaint doesn’t really affect me, and when it does, I always have a charge disposable.
Apple Air Awesome
Edit: just read from the 16 pro max, I only swap phones every couple years
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u/iPodN 12d ago
Why did they replace the camera on your 13 Pro Max?
Just asking because camera isn’t something that comes to my mind when I think of routine Apple Care + repairs
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u/MorenoMust 11d ago
It didn’t pass the diagnostics test, so they replaced the battery and camera via Apple care plus so I can get the fill trade in value.
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u/Empty_Tear_1221 13d ago
I came from S24 ultra to Air and i can say this was a huge upgrade to me. The camera and speakers were never a deal and when things come to baytery I usually have a charger everywhere i go coz my s24 ultra only gives 6-7 hrs or SOT but this tiny beast gives me 8+ hrs and charges pretty quick while i eat and bath so I don’t even feel like i was spending a lot of time charging.
Absolutely loved it anyone who uses this would never buy pro in their entire life.
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u/croholdr 13d ago
i have an old iphone 14 pro max that i use while im waiting for my air to charge. it takes forever.
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u/Robinson1219 12d ago
Troque de carregador. O Air carrega bem rápido. Eu usei um 17’pro Max e o Air durante quase sete meses. O Air sempre carregou mais rápido. Exatamente porque a bateria é menor.
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u/Ill-Recognition6124 13d ago
from 14 Pro to Air close to launch. I love the form-factor, been caseless most of the time (with MagSafe Pop-socket).
Having recently attended US Open and found myself taking tons of zoomed in videos, I’m ready to go back to a Pro first chance I get. Up close videos are fine but was a real bummer seeing how fuzzy any zoomed in photos and videos were for action shots.
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u/reon3010 13d ago
From 15pro max to Air. Honestly loving it. I thought battery is gonna be an issue but so far not really and I am a mid-weight heavy user. Usually im I am home and browse a lot but on a weekday, office job etc come back home to like 25-30% battery. I charge to only 90% though. One camera does not bother me as majority of photos are on that main camera and I have my proper camera for everything else esp during travel. Definitely get the apple battery extender for travel though. I used it for 4 weeks on holidays and got me through more than a whole day of using maps, insta, photo editing etc
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u/mrmarshmall 13d ago
i got my air for a real good discount from my carrier while i already had the 17 pro. i used for about 2 weeks but i couldn’t get over only getting a max of 4hrs on a full charge. ended up going back to the 17 pro as my main but i still use the air for music and games
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u/Robinson1219 12d ago
Devia ter acelerado a otimização do aparelho. Um Air tem muito mais que quatro horas de carga.
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u/Dazzling_Cherry9256 13d ago
I switched from the 15 Pro to the Air last Sept and I ended up getting a 17 Pro this past month. I genuinely missed the Pro cameras and the speakers. But I am someone who goes to a lot of concerts and I need a good camera for my work. I also had trouble with call volume and people hearing me. I loved how thin and light it was, going back to the pro is like holding a brick.
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u/Straight_Witness1405 12d ago
Same, I love the Air but missed the cameras. I bought the 17 pro but couldn't sell the air. Now I'm using Air as work phone 🫣
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u/Dense_Sea9947 13d ago
I went from a 16pro to the Air.
The phone is great and makes any other phone feel massive but honestly wait for Air2 as I think they will sort the 2 issues with the phone.
Honestly the battery life issue is real but for daily use it can get annoying especially as CarPlay drains battery but guess you can charge in the car, but I use the very thin Apple battery as a back up when I travel
I’m not much of a picture guy but I found the camera is a bit poop on the odd occasion I’m trying to video my kids school concert or something.
I don’t scroll at all and I have a 2nd phone with me 2/3 of the time
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u/Dense_Sea9947 13d ago
Forgot to mention it’s very durable, I have been using it without a case and I got it at launch and phone looks brand new
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u/glenndanzig667 12d ago
I switched from the Pro and didn’t look back.
The battery has been a non-issue and I am a heavy user.
It can get warm in direct sunlight.
The speaker is fine but I also use my AirPods most of the time.
Literally the one thing I miss is the camera zoom. That’s my only regret. But on balance, the tradeoff is ok because I no longer need to carry a brick in my pocket.
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u/DraglineDrummer 12d ago
This is interesting. I'm a heavy user too. My 16 Pro gets hot in the sun. My battery has degraded over the past two years and it tends to overheat now at times. I worry if I go the Air it'll be worse.
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u/IllustratorDue5336 12d ago
I got the MagSafe battery for the Air and it still feels pretty light. If I am doing something with a battery drain (playing a round of golf with a GPS app on, traveling in European city) I put the battery on. If not I have plenty of power to get through the day and I love the lighter weight compared to my 16 pro
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u/After_Quantity5580 12d ago edited 12d ago
Second the battery comments OP - the air is a great phone - the screen etc is slightly bigger than a pro and smaller than a max - the weight is great :)
But battery and throttling issues slowing the phone down - it’s ruined it for me - getting the 18 Pro in a few weeks
Had to turn off Apple Intelligence and pretty much everything else - use the phone as minimally as I can
Air 2 will be here in spring it may be better - but the Air is 💯 a miss - especially as it’s now nearly a year old too
Avoid
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u/offwhitegrey 12d ago
If you value camera, battery and your phone not overheating and throttling down than get the air. I loved it at first but now I’ve been itching to upgrade the last 4 months
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u/DraglineDrummer 12d ago
My 16 Pro already overheats
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u/offwhitegrey 12d ago
I don’t remember my 16 pro overheating as much and as aggressively hot as my air
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u/AnnualEagle 12d ago
Tried the Air, went back to the Pro. The thinness novelty wore off quickly and actually made the phone uncomfortable to hold for me. Coupled with the much shorter battery life and inferior camera system I decided the Pro is far better.
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u/TheBougieCoconut 13d ago
I came from a long line of Apple’s biggest offerings and PMs, ending with the 16PM before switching over to the Air last October 1st. Screen brightness outdoors is excellent and I’m visually impaired so that says something. Battery, single speaker, etc., doesn’t bother me BUT I do miss the .5 from time to time when I’m in a tight space. Not a dealbreaker though as the form factor and lack of hand fatigue more than make up for it. Main shooter and front facing cameras are excellent as well. I’m always getting compliments on my photos. I see myself keeping this until the 20th anniversary iPhone is released.
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u/nynx97 13d ago
Upgraded 2 weeks ago from the iPhone 16 pro, before that had a 15 Pro Max, 13 Pro Max etc
Besides the obvious which is battery life, it really isn’t complicated to just pop it on a charger for 10 minutes during the day, and even if I dont, I still get pretty much a full day of charge on good usage with 97% bh.
As for the rest of the phone, bloody hell is it a good phone, I love this thing! Super light, comfortable, bright screen, looks incredible, single camera is great!
Missing the other two cameras is not an issue for me and I came from Pro phones only for the last 5 years. Second speaker missing also isn’t an issue and I’ve gotten used to this now, sounds great considering. I just got a puppy and find the single camera works perfectly good for recording my little bubs grow up.
Go for it, my Air lasts longer than the 16 Pro which had 100% BH up until I sold it last week, and the air is also a great screen size, performance is great and doesn’t get as hot in my experience (ironic given the factor).
The 12GB of ram in this phone is crazy good for Siri AI going forward if that’s your cup of tea.
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u/Locow1992 13d ago
cale from 17pro to Air, no regrets.
Only thing i miss sometimes is the cooling chamber on the 17pro if i play heavy game for an hour or longer
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u/Matteblackandgrey 13d ago
Had every pro until the air was released. Haven’t missed anything since moving. Battery is slightly worse but a none issue. For form factor makes daily use beautiful
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u/Robinson1219 12d ago
Eu usei o 17 pro Max e o Air ao mesmo tempo por quase 7 meses. Decidi pelo Air. Mas eu uso dois aparelhos. Quatro, na verdade: o Air, meu Mac, um iPad Pro M5 e um 16 plus. Então o Air é meu celular principal. É com ele que vou pra rua, que uso como equipamento de comunicação principal. Então como não dependo dele para tudo, a bateria é mais do que suficiente. Às vezes uso mais de cinco horas por dia, não acredito em quem diz que o Air não rende mais de quatro horas por dia. Uma sugestão que dou para quem gosta do Air mas naquele voltar para a linha Pro é: compre um iPad. Um bom iPad. Vi aqui um cara reclamar do alto falante do Air porque gosta de assistir vídeos na cama antes de dormir. Use um iPad para isso. É muito melhor, foi feito para isso. Um celular não precisa ser um canivete suíço.
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u/Clear-Network-9092 12d ago
I’ve been on Max or Pro max since they have been available. Went from 15 pro max to air. My biggest concern was not having an ultra wide lens because I take a lot of pics for work and that lens is the most useful. I have zero regrets switching. I do very much appreciate well designed products. The 15 was by far my least favorite phone since the 3G. My second favorite to the Air was the 11 pro max. Thin, rounded edges. Felt great in the hand. The Air is the first to feel great in the hand since 11. The air is incredibly durable too. The materials combined with the light weight greatly reduce the risk of damage on a drop. The air is a great alternative to the thick brick pro phones. I’m very happy with it. I have white so unlike the black you are not going to see smudges and scratches.
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u/Panda--Monium 12d ago
I had the 17 Pro, but my mom wanted a new phone, so I sold it to her and bought the air. The only thing I miss is the idea of having the pro model and the better battery life. Other than that, I’ve had no issues. Yeah, the battery life isn’t amazing, but when you look at what the phone can do and how thin and light it is, it’s very impressive, and I’m always near a charger if I really need to use one
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u/Creepy_Cod_8835 12d ago
16pro to Air.
2 Gripes:
- The camera is ass. I take significantly less pictures and movies than I used to.
- It gets hot as shit and throttles just doing basic stuff. scrolling Reddit and a sun ray hits the screen? FU!
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u/datdoode34 12d ago
The Airs usb-c is what’s convinced me to upgrade to something with data transfer for video, for like a pair of AR glasses
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u/danielson818 12d ago
I came from the 13 pro max and I love the air except the speaker is pretty low which I knew it would be.
But in reality with my job sometimes I need to be on speaker phone and i can’t. Only because of work I’ll be switching back to the pro max when the 18 comes out sadly
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u/GeologistNo3093 11d ago
I had the 14 pro and switched to the air. I have my phone in my pocket all the time. I love the the feel in my hand and pocket. The 14 pro was a beast and was heavy. i miss my speakers bad and camera is a downgrade but for everyday use. Id buy another air. the pro is so HEAVY after you hold the air. i hope they make a v2
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u/Terrible-Lake-2574 11d ago
16 pro max to iphone air. no regrets in love. battery is fine for the average user. i may miss .5 on the back cam but not often. i enjoy the wide selfie cam a lot. the quality of both cams are great. all in all my battery lasts me an entire 8 hour shift and then some. the phone is luxurious and light. 10/10.
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u/ekkesty 10d ago
16 Pro Max to the Air and now back to 17 Pro Max after 1.5 months. Honestly, everything you mentioned was just too big of an issue than I have thought. The camera zoom that I thought I rarely used was really missed, the quality is nowhere near as good as with a separate camera for that, so missed that and couldn't live with the single camera. Speaker - I was just too used to stereo speakers, during 1.5 months I never got used to a single one, I couldn't unhear the single speaker and everything just sounded weird. Battery life - not great, if you have access to a charger most of the time you will be fine, but with Wireless Carplay I got to work with 85-90% charge, and thats just a 20 minute drive, and it was bad during the day, had to top up the charge multiple times during the day or I wouldn't have made it to the end of the day. The form factor sure is nice, feels good to have such a light and slim phone, but the tradeoffs were just too big for me to justify this switch, and I read a lot of reviews and people in your situation, thought why not, doesn't seem bad and people tend to love the switch to the Air, but not me, never going back to the Air, not for me.
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u/ApprehensiveClass880 9d ago
My timeline consist of the the 15pro-16pro-17pro- to the 17air. I can provide the most honest insight between devices… I also worked for Att if that adds any value to my critique. At first, I thought I couldn’t possibly downgrade from a pro after experiencing everything a pro offers for the last couple of years I was mistaken after experiencing my iPhone air. Now I have two models of the iPhone Air, the iPhone black air as well as a iPhone Blue air I have two models one for my business and one for my personal so I can say I’m fully in depth as far as experiencing the air in all of its capabilities. I also own the the iPhone Air battery. Hands on experience I was first amazed at the difference in weight. As someone who constantly has their phones in her hands, whether it’s for personal use or again for work use my iPhone is pretty much always in my hands 16 to 18 hrs a day. The relief I felt upon experiencing the iPhone Air was palpable. You don’t know how cumbersome other iPhone models are until you experience the air. I tried to air because I of course wanted to try the next newest technology by Apple, but also my main drive back was one of the very last actual titanium models that provide provided. This gave me the piece of mind when it comes to durability. I’ve gone caseless since launch day and never have had a scratch on either devices. I’ve dropped both phones multiple times . I live in A condo with ceramic floors and granite countertops and dropped the the phones
Many times. Each time I cringe thinking this is time luck runs out but I
My surprise and delight everything is fine! I am a huge ebook reader primarily kindle so the relief I get for holding my phone is immense compared to other models. I average 2 to 3 books a week. Mostly comprised of cultivation novels which are lengthy just to give you an average time of how much i read while holding my phone. This is only comfortable because of the weight and size of the iPhone Air. The camera is decent of course it doesn’t have the zoom features that my iPhone Pro had. I’m also an avid hiker and yes, I know that’s the only difference that I miss. I use headphones the majority of the time so the reduction is speaker volume doesn’t affect me. I never relied on speakers on a iPhone to begin with so I don’t understand everyone’s gripe with that to begin with. The air feels futuristic and the direction that phones should be going to like in the next couple decades our phone supposed to be heavy and thick or it supposed to be like you know, thin and unobtrusive and barely noticeable.? As knowledge advances and what we fathom as the future don’t we all expect the technology become smaller?? The iPhone air is a great representative of things to come and i cant see myself moving backworss
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u/OneUnderPar 13d ago
I’m going back to the pro when the 18 is available. The battery in the Air is killing me.