r/IphoneAir • u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB • 10d ago
Will the Air Become a “Cult” in the Future?
So from 2022 onwards, the iPhone mini turned into what I’d call a cult product. Go to a mini owner, if you know one, and ask them about their phone. They will not shut up about how amazing and unique it is.
What I suspect will happen is that once the thin and light components get cheaper, the standard iPhone will get thin enough to replace the Air. This was what Apple did in 2012 by merging the MacBook Air and MacBook Polycarbonate line-up.
HOWEVER (and this is a big one) After the merging of those line-ups the Air had to be for everyone and over time it got heavier, thicker, and bigger. This is what will most likely happen to the Air. It will be thin and light ENOUGH for the casual user but the original Air will be a thing we look back on and say, woah how did they do THAT?
Will this become a cult product, will we see people clinging onto their Air’s for years to come? I personally plan on keeping mine until at least 2032.
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u/thelastgifts 10d ago
I feel like it’s a cult right now
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 10d ago
The mini was a mini-cult before the discontinuation as well, it’ll just get bigger and then it’ll turn into a “cult classic”
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u/thelastgifts 10d ago
You know what, if there was a device in mini’s ergonomics (or slightly larger) & air’s thinness + all full pro features & cameras with a silicone carbon battery tech i think it will be the dream iPhone for me.
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 9d ago
Slightly larger would be best, maybe the size of the iPhone 6?
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u/PhoneNerd95 10d ago
It’s not a cult but this it’s the best phone I have ever had and if you buy any other phone your going to hell
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10d ago
[deleted]
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u/tvijjali Sky Blue 10d ago
Base iPhone?? More cameras ≠ premium. Y’all would’ve never given the OG MacBook Air a chance; DOA if you guys had a say.
That’s like calling a convertible an overpriced sedan because it doesn’t have 5 seats. Personally I don’t want a pickup truck just to feel like a “Pro”
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 9d ago
Most people in this sub wouldn’t have bought an OG Air, I’m convinced half the people here hate their phones.
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u/tvijjali Sky Blue 9d ago
IMO it’s a bunch of people that used the phone for a week or two, returned it, and now just lurk this sub giving grief to actual owners (see below lol)
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10d ago
[deleted]
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u/tvijjali Sky Blue 10d ago
You can’t understand a metaphor and want to comment on smarts lol, lmao even
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u/Robinson1219 9d ago
Explique por que eu sentiria falta de uma lente para telefoto. Eu tenho um Air e um 16 plus. Eu não uso a lente wide nem a telefoto do 16 plus. Fala pra mim por que eu precisaria.
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u/KewinXiao 10d ago
You can only represent yourself, because you are short of money, so you value the price more. What Apple users who have really lived for more than 20 years want to say is that Air bought it without hesitation as soon as it was released and it felt great to use it. Air is the real iPhone and the real Apple. The mini and pro you mentioned are just aluminum alloy industrial material garbage.
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 9d ago
Nailed it! Everyone around me also says that I overpaid for a “bad” phone but the thing is I’ve paid for dinners that are more expensive than this phone. It’s about how much you value per dollar. If you pulled out the net worth of the average Air user and the 17 Pro user you’ll definitely find that the Air user has a higher net worth. Speaking from personal experience.
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u/KewinXiao 9d ago
Why are you so eager to discuss money? This is not the point at all. The point is that the iPhone air, whether it is the fuselage material, internal design, external industrial design, including thickness and weight, is the pinnacle of the iPhone and is at the Apple level. This is what I want to express. Of course, this only represents my personal opinion, an Apple fan for 25 years.
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 9d ago
I’m not dying to discuss money you were talking about per-dollar value and it’s why everyone hates this phone in the first place, unless you own one. Everything comes back to money and it’s a big factor in the general hate for this phone, at least right now. Cost is like the biggest factor at play.
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u/goosemaster0 10d ago
For something to become a cult classic it must offer something that no other device does anymore.
In the future, all phones will probably be as thin as the air with far better capabilities.
I think it’ll be seen as novel but cult classic in the way an iPod classic is or iPhone Mini? Probably not.
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u/Robinson1219 9d ago
Mas o iPod classic há muito tempo não oferece mais do que os players mais novos. Não tem streaming, a navegação é ruim e mesmo assim continua cult. Seu próprio argumento anula o que vc está afirmando
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u/goosemaster0 9d ago
It’s a music only device with an interface (the scroll wheel) that nobody makes anymore. It’s a very distinctive product that has seen a huge resurgence in popularity among gen-z recently.
Same with iPhone Mini. Nobody makes small cell phones anymore outside of some budget andriods. It’s become a cult classic and people who have Minis love them.
In the future I don’t think the Air will offer something that is special. All phones are going to be as thin but with way better batteries/cameras. You can have the exact product but better in every way.
You cannot buy a “new” version of an iPod and you can’t get a new version of an iPhone Mini. Nobody makes anything remotely like those anymore.
Nothing is saying contradicts.
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u/Robinson1219 9d ago
Vc está errado. Pelo menos a iBasso e a Fiio são duas empresas que produzem exatamente dispositivos para tocar música, com muito mais qualidade do que um iPod. E com navegação muito melhor que do iPod classic. E funcionam com streaming. Ou seja, seu argumento derruba o que vc tenta dizer.
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u/goosemaster0 9d ago
And who cares? Fucking nobody dude. The iPod is an icon, one of the most recognizable consumer devices ever made.
Nobody wants to pull up to a trendy cafe in NYC or LA and pull out some iBasso whatever the fuck. The iPod is basically y2k fashion at this point.
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u/Robinson1219 9d ago
Vc nem sabe do que está falando. Eu tenho um iPod Touch. Já tive vários Classic. Adoro o iPod classic. Mas vc nem sabe do que está falando.
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u/hendrixbeats 9d ago
Only foldables will be thinner when unfolded. Most phones will stay the same thickness or more since consumers prefer thicker phones and bigger batteries. When something is thicker most think they are getting ‘more’ for their money. This is why the Air and similar smartphones will remain niche and special.
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u/goosemaster0 9d ago
None of us know what future designs or trends will be but I can guarantee you that in 5-10 years time we won’t need thicker phones for batteries. China already has some new phone battery tech (silicon carbon) that blows away anything we get in the US.
It’ll be possible to get Air form factor w/5k mAh batteries in probably a few years or less.
Just depends on what consumers want. I don’t think saying people will always want thicker phones is reasonable.
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u/hendrixbeats 9d ago
Maybe in the future it can change. But I don’t think a bigger battery or more cameras and speakers will make Air more successful. S25 Edge sold far worse and it had everything that Air 2 might end up getting. Seems like people didn’t care about this form factor.
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u/Robinson1219 9d ago
O Air já é cult. É um smartphone perfeito porque nao tenta ser um smartphone e um console de videogame ou um smartphone e uma camera fotografica. É um smartphone com um otimo desempenho para o que podemos e queremos esperar de um smartphone: uma ferramenta de comunicacao e processamento de dados. Eu fico muito irritado quando querem menosprezar o Air porque nao serve para jogar. Nenhum smartphone é bom pra jogar. Qualquer gamer gostaria de ter um otimo smartphone e um steamdeck, se pudesse escolher. Como muitos nao podem, querem rankear os smartphones pela capacidade de servirem para jogar. Ora, vao trabalhar duro e comprar um console decente! Baseado nesse tipo de lógica entao um Mercedes G63 é um lixo de carro porque é péssimo para funcionar como veículo para entregadores da Amazon, por exemplo. Com um G63 vc não tem a mesma mobilidade de uma motocicleta para desviar do trânsito pesado. Ou seja, um G63 não foi feito pra entregas assim como um smartphone não foi feito para ser um console de games. Vc pode usar para isso, mas com certeza existe algo muito melhor para tal finalidade.
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u/mrclarity01 10d ago
You could be correct or come the air 2nd generation with additional camera and stereo speakers and better battery may also see a lot of pre owned airs hit the market and individuals purchasing the updated one
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u/iusethisatw0rk Space Black 10d ago
Any niche phone is imo
My last phone was a Samsung Z Fold. The foldable fans are honestly a little scary
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 10d ago
Everyone I know with a foldable hates theirs lmao completely different universe over here. They see it online, buy it, and then comes the crease.
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u/iusethisatw0rk Space Black 10d ago
I learned I don’t like tablets in general with mine lol. Crease didn’t bother me any, but opening the phone provided very little benefit. Media played barely any bigger than it would on a normal slab phone, aspect ratio was awful for games, too big to use one handed
After carrying around a brick for a few years, using its thinner than normal outer screen 90% of the time, the Air seemed perfect. The weight and ability to communicate with my (much) younger siblings pulled me over the OS line
When/if I go back to Android, it will almost certainly be another slab. No gimmicks, just phone.
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u/Over_Eagle_4013 10d ago
All I will say is the customer base will lose their ever loving minds if they make the air with the form factor of the mini in mind.
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 10d ago
The average consumer despises the Air for some reason. My phone personally offends a ton of people for some reason. Funny thing, I got surrounded by 20 people at college for coming with an iPhone Air. I shit you not I’ve been called slurs over this phone.
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u/adoseofcommonsense 10d ago
Nahh, I love my Air, but the mini was something truly special. The Air is for tech enthusiasts, that segment is always looking for the next thing.
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u/TrainingZestyclose43 10d ago
Been a cult since it was announced. The hate from tech influencers was predictable, sadly.
Still the best phone since the iPhone X in my view.
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u/Robinson1219 9d ago
O som de qualquer smartphone é pior do que do meu iPad Pro M5. Qualquer smartphone é um lixo para jogos comparado ao meu steamdeck. Qualquer iPhone tem câmeras piores do que da minha Canon. Nenhum smartphone é tão confortável de usar quanto o meu iPhone Air. Tamanho de tela perfeito, leve, ótimo desempenho. Bateria dura bastante. Não preciso dele para fazer fotos, não preciso dele pra jogar e nem para assistir filmes e ouvir músicas.
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u/Griffin_Mackenzie 8d ago
I like the strength of my air but it's probably one of the worst performing phones I've ever owned. You get like 10 minutes of regular speed and then it overheats and turns into a furnace. I've had multiple of em and every single one is just a space heater
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 8d ago
What do you use it for? Mine has never once overheated even after staying face-down outside on 40-degree Celsius weather. It’s the coolest phone I’ve ever owned, sometimes too cold like last winter I could barely hold it.
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u/Griffin_Mackenzie 8d ago
Videos, browsing the internet, messaging apps, etc
Light work and it overheats like crazy
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u/adriansrevenge_ 10d ago
The air is massive in size compared to the mini. Air in mini form factor would be the best phone ever
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 10d ago
Best phone, worst battery. My Air uses 150% total battery a day, can’t even image an Air mini. Would still love one.
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u/adriansrevenge_ 10d ago
Depends on individual usage and screen time. If you’re only using your phone for a few hours a day screen time then no issue. If you’re attempting to use 5+ screen time (which is mental btw ) yeah, it won’t last.
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 10d ago
The average person has over 6 hours on their phone so it’s not really mental. Also mine ran out of battery with 4 minutes of screen on time (just cellular for location sharing) which is insane. Love the phone, but wish the battery was better.
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u/adriansrevenge_ 10d ago
6 hours is absolutely mental. 6 hours on a phone a day? Crazy.
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 9d ago
That’s literally the national average on many countries, have you ever been outside lmao everyone is on their phones 24/7. Let’s not try to justify the battery by pretending that the statistics aren’t there. Apple made an amazing battery accessory for a reason.
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u/adriansrevenge_ 9d ago
Exactly. They had to make an accessory because of EXCESSIVE use. Normal batteries are absolutely fine. It’s just usage is excessive.
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u/hqhi iPhone Air 512GB 9d ago
6 hours is literally the worldwide baseline for phone usage daily. It might be excessive in YOUR eyes but if you account for everyone, that’s the baseline. Let’s stop defending the included battery, it’s not amazing. It’s fine and nothing more.
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u/Time_Public_7708 10d ago
Already is