iPhone Air Review Roundup: Stunningly Thin or Too Compromised? (ft MKBHD, MrMobile, Dave2D)

Transcript

0:00 Speaker A: The best looking iPhones in a while holding a piece of future tech. Speaker B: A ridiculously thin iPhone, minimalistic futuristic look. Speaker C: Welcome back to re review where we watch all the reviews so you don't have to. Speaker C: Today we're talking about a phone that has everyone talking the iPhone Air. Speaker C: Apple pushed way towards four more function. Speaker C: But first let's cover the basics of this new design. Speaker B: It's Apple's thinnest iPhone ever at 5.6 millimeters it has a 6.5 inch Super Retina XDR display with promotion.

0:29 Speaker D: I also can't get over the thin grade 5 titanium build. Speaker D: It feels so premium and you need to hold it in person to truly appreciate it. Speaker D: Apple conveniently ignores the camera bump when they're talking about thinness with the air it actually extends and protrudes out across the entire top of the phone here. Speaker D: And it is not a camera bump. Speaker D: Apple calls it the plateau. Speaker D: All of the main components, the chip, the modem, wireless radios, the even the face ID module live up here in the plateau.

0:59 Speaker D: That then frees up the rest of the body for the biggest possible battery that Apple could fit in here. Speaker C: This design approach leads to some very strong and very different impressions because this. Speaker E: Is made from titanium and you have the glossy sort of titanium frame that goes around, feels more like a piece of jewelry. Speaker E: I'd go as far to say that this is the best looking iPhone that Apple have ever made. Speaker F: The the whole outside frame is shiny titanium which picks up a ton of fingerprints but also is remarkably durable.

1:29 Speaker B: Smudges and fingerprints are absolutely crazy on the space black right here. Speaker B: Oddly enough on the normal 17 it's not. Speaker B: I think the difference might be the glass back here. Speaker B: They also do feel different when I touch them. Speaker B: This has more of a matte finish versus this one. Speaker B: Kind of my finger sticks a little bit more when I touch it. Speaker C: The design might be new, but how does it perform? Speaker C: Let's start with the screen. Speaker G: The displays on all the new IPH except for the size is exactly the same.

1:57 Speaker G: They all have the promotion one to 120 hertz. Speaker G: They all have the same 3,000 nits of peak brightness. Speaker G: They also all get Apple's new ceramic shield two glass on the front which is not only more scratch resistant, we have an anti reflective layer so you. Speaker A: Can actually turn off pulse width modulation on these phones. Speaker A: So for those of you who have been waiting because that bothers your eyes, gives you headaches, that's something to note. Speaker C: And under the hood it's packing some serious power.

2:22 Speaker C: But with a catch. Speaker D: Apple has given the air the new A19 Pro chip, though not the exact same one as in the 17 Pro. Speaker D: Both have a 6 core CPU, but the Air has a 5 core GPU instead of 6. Speaker D: And it also misses out on the Pro's new vapor chamber cooling. Speaker H: And when you look at sustained performance between an air and a Pro, it is obvious that the Pro is just built to be pushed for a long time with performance in mind.

2:48 Speaker H: The Air is not. Speaker H: So if you crank the iPhone Air, you will have to deal with heat and performance. Speaker H: Throttling. Speaker B: The Air reminds me of the 15 and 16. Speaker B: It's got titanium, it gets pretty hot. Speaker B: And when it does get hot, it feels very sluggish at times, like it's struggling pretty hard. Speaker B: So it needs a minute to chill out. Speaker B: And then the software and the performance starts to kick back in. Speaker C: The camera system is where the biggest compromises are felt. Speaker C: Let's start with a revolutionary front camera.

3:14 Speaker G: This is Apple's new square selfie camera, and it's a really big deal. Speaker G: And also importantly, all the new iPhones get exactly the same selfie. Speaker G: They've bumped up the resolution from 12 to 18 megapixels. Speaker G: They've roughly doubled the sensor size, so image quality is noticeably better. Speaker G: The headline is that we have a new 1:1 so square sensor rather than the traditional 4:3. Speaker G: So you no longer need to turn the phone from vertical to horizontal to take a landscape selfie.

3:39 Speaker D: You can now switch between vertical and horizontal shots while still holding the phone. Speaker B: Normally this is huge because your eyes stay leveled with the camera, so it looks a lot more natural when you're talking. Speaker C: But when you flip the phone around, it's a very different story. Speaker F: The Air doesn't have an ultra wide. Speaker F: And I can't tell you how many times I went to go take a picture or something and then realized I can't switch to the ultra wide. Speaker F: And there's also obviously no zoom as well. Speaker E: The other big, big difference, which I don't think a lot of people realize and have mistaken, is that they think that the main camera on the air is the same as the main camera on the Pro.

4:14 Speaker E: That is not the case. Speaker E: The Air uses the same camera as the 17. Speaker E: The sensor sizes are different. Speaker E: The Pro has a bigger sensor than the Air. Speaker D: Something I found super confusing is Apple calling the 2x zoom optical quality. Speaker D: But be careful, guys. Speaker D: It's not truly optical. Speaker D: It's actually a 12 megapixel digital crop from the center of the sensor, which Apple marketing calls optical quality. Speaker A: We'd have to Move things around, move ourselves around a little further back then we would have liked where we would have opted for maybe a different lens for the shot.

4:45 Speaker A: This camera system is not one that I would want to take to a concert or my kids recital. Speaker A: Especially where zoom is important. Speaker C: The compromises don't stop with the camera. Speaker C: The ultra thin design forced Apple to make some notable cuts. Speaker H: This has a single speaker and it's been eight years since I reviewed a phone with a single speaker. Speaker H: You get mono sound that comes at the top in portrait mode. Speaker H: But then in landscape mode you get mono sound that comes out on one side alone.

5:13 Speaker H: Every time I would watch a show or play a game and just use these speakers, I'd be like these, these actually suck. Speaker C: And there are a few more things you're giving up. Speaker F: But then the USB C port at the bottom of the air is, is only USB 2 transfer speeds. Speaker F: So that's just dumb. Speaker D: Looking around. Speaker D: Something that you're not going to find on here is a SIM slot. Speaker D: With the Air though, it is ESIM worldwide. Speaker D: Another way that Apple has saved space for the biggest possible battery.

5:42 Speaker C: So with a phone this thin, it must be fragile, right? Speaker F: Well, it turns out the iPhone Air is not just a survivor of the famous jerryrigeverything bend test. Speaker F: It's literally one of the most impressively durable smartphones of all time. Speaker F: Time. Speaker F: I'm not exaggerating, it's kind of ridiculous. Speaker B: I was handed a testing device which is like a metal brick with sensors in it to measure bending force, and I was told to bend it as hard as I could. Speaker B: I watched a machine like this one apply the same bending force to an iPhone Air.

6:10 Speaker B: I watched as the phone bent dramatically, but as soon as the pressure eased up, the enclosure popped back into place and the phone was perfectly flat again. Speaker B: It was seriously impressive. Speaker B: I actually think that this phone is even more durable than the 17 Pro, which is a wild statement. Speaker C: Okay, so it's surprisingly tough. Speaker C: But the biggest question for a phone this thin is always battery life.

6:36 Speaker H: If you're using for regular stuff, I think it's a comfortable full day. Speaker H: If you play games, you're gonna have to charge this thing halfway through the day. Speaker H: It's just, it's built for a very light to moderate load for a full day. Speaker B: And after eight hours, I still had more than 30% left in the tank. Speaker B: Again with no magsafe battery needed. Speaker B: Unless you're trying to kill this thing before sundown, it'll probably surprise you with its hang time. Speaker A: It'll last me throughout the workday but by the time I get home I absolutely need to throw it on the charger.

7:04 Speaker A: If you do anything a lot on the phone, you will find yourself charging more midday than end of day. Speaker H: There is the battery pack that you can get from Apple. Speaker H: It's a same size pack inside the MagSafe pack as the one that's inside the phone itself. Speaker H: A full magsafe pack gives about 65% charge to the phone because wireless charging is inefficient and you lose some of it to heat. Speaker H: But even though it does fit nicely, it is unfortunate that you have this thin phone that becomes like a normal sized thick phone.

7:32 Speaker C: So after all that, what's the verdict? Speaker C: The iPhone air starts at $999. Speaker C: Is it worth it? Speaker B: The iPhone air is gorgeous. Speaker B: It's lightweight and it's fun to use, but it's also compromised. Speaker B: The iPhone 17, meanwhile, is balanced, practical and delivers the features that matter most for the price. Speaker B: If you're planning to keep your phone for years, I'd recommend the iPhone 17 nine times out of ten. Speaker A: Are you a user who values the look of your phone a little bit more?

7:59 Speaker A: More of a fashion piece? Speaker A: Get the Air, you'll be happier if you value though function over form, I would say get the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Speaker G: Someone said to me the other day I don't want the boring one and I don't need a pro. Speaker G: That's the audience for this. Speaker G: People who do care about the looks of it, who do want something different and unique from Apple. Speaker B: Yes, the pro is a fantastic tool, but it doesn't provide joy or excitement.

8:26 Speaker B: And even though with the iPhone air that excitement might wear off, I want to see where this journey takes me. Speaker C: So there you have it. Speaker C: The consensus on the iPhone air is surprisingly clear. Speaker C: This is not the phone you buy with your head, it's a phone you buy with your heart. Speaker C: For the practical buyer looking for the best all around value and longevity, the standard iPhone 7 is a smarter choice for the power users who needs the best camera performance and battery life. Speaker C: The pro models are obvious answer, but the iPhone air exists for a different user entirely.

8:55 Speaker C: It's for the person who values design, portability and a shared novelty for a futuristic feeling device. Speaker C: Above all else, it's for those who want the larger screen without the bulk of a pro max model and those who are willing to live with the compromises like a single rear camera, weaker speakers and a battery that will get you through the day, but not much more. Speaker C: If you're a light to moderate user and rarely use zoom or ultrawide photos and are captivated by the idea of an impossibly thin and light phone, you're going to love it.

9:21 Speaker C: But if any of its tradeoffs give you pause now, that feeling will only grow over time, long after the novelty has worn off. Speaker C: That's it for the ultimate roundup review of the iPhone Air. Speaker C: Please find full videos down below and come back for more re reviews where we watch all the reviews so you don't have to.