Apple has finally released the long-awaited iPhone Air. Its unique selling point is its slimmer profile, as it measures just 5.6mm in thickness. However, like other slim phones like the Galaxy S25 Edge, the iPhone Air has its own tradeoffs. Some are quite obvious, while others need explaining. Let's touch upon the reasons why you should avoid the iPhone Air.
1
iPhone Air has a much smaller battery
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Due to the space limitations caused by the slimmer form factor, the iPhone Air features a considerably smaller battery. The phone is rated for 27 hours of video playback, three hours less compared to the standard iPhone 17. A smaller battery in the iPhone Air means the device may barely make it through the day, especially if you're a heavy user.
Battery anxiety is a prominent concern. If you often worry about running out of juice on your phone, it's not a worthy tradeoff for the slimmer chassis. Despite boasting a smaller battery, the iPhone Air charges slowly. Apple says it can do 50% in 30 minutes, but in comparison, the standard iPhone 17 can do 50% in 20 minutes.
While the phone does support 25W fast wireless charging via MagSafe thanks to Qi2.2, the wired charging speeds are still stuck on 20W. This is easily one of the main reasons to avoid the iPhone Air.
2
iPhone Air's camera lacks versatility
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With a single 48 MP rear camera, the same as the one you get on the less pricier iPhone 16e, the iPhone Air's camera setup lacks versatility. Sure, the phone can do 2x "optical quality" zoom via in-sensor crop, but the lack of a dedicated telephoto or ultrawide will always show if you take lots of photos.
The phone lacks more cameras due to space constraints, as it's physically not possible to add a dedicated periscope/telephoto in a slimmer form factor. However, unlike the in-sensor 2x crop replacement for telephoto, there's no workaround for getting ultrawide shots. If you love taking ultrawide images, we suggest picking the vanilla iPhone 17, which now has an improved 48 MP ultrawide camera over the iPhone Air.
3
iPhone Air could face overheating issues
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If you like to game, the A19 Pro in the iPhone Air won't perform on par with the iPhone 17 Pro. Unlike the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone Air lacks a vapour chamber and could be more prone to thermal throttling due to its tighter and thinner design. Combined with the smaller battery capacity, which won't last during longer gaming sessions, the iPhone Air is not the best buy for gaming.
The iPhone 17 Pro is powered by Apple's latest A19 Pro chipset, but with one less GPU core (5 cores). This means that despite paying the premium for the slimmer designs and the new Pro chip, you don't get the same performance as the iPhone 17 Pro, which has a 6-core GPU.
4
The Air only has a single bottom-firing speaker
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Most phones in the same price point offer stereo speakers, but the iPhone Air doesn't. This is again due to its slimmer form factor, which makes it challenging to fit more hardware. This could be a deal-breaker if you consume content via device speakers, as the audio won't sound fuller.
Smartphone speaker modules have tiny balls in them to amplify the audio and make it sound a bit fuller. The speaker module takes up space, and due to the lack thereof, the iPhone Air loses out on stereo speakers. Therefore, if you want to enjoy content via Spatial Audio on your iPhone, you should skip the iPhone Air.
5
iPhone Air isn't value for money
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The last straw, and the most important one, is the iPhone Air's price. The device costs a whopping Rs 1,19,900, which is a bit closer to the iPhone 17 Pro than it is to the standard iPhone 17. It makes the Pro look like a better deal on paper, which it is for the price difference. We think the iPhone Air is at least Rs 20,000 more expensive, and should've been priced at Rs 99,900.
The price difference of Rs 40,000 is a bit of a stretch considering the only "improvement" you get on the iPhone Air is the A19 Pro, which still won't perform at its maximum potential due to one less GPU core. The iPhone Air boasts a USB 2.0 port, which makes it even more painful to recommend.
And these are all the reasons to avoid the iPhone Air. Slim phones may feel great to hold, but the sacrifices users need to make outweigh their benefits. The iPhone Air is no different, with a battery that may barely make it through the day, inferior performance and a single camera.
Unless you're fine with ignoring the cons of the iPhone Air, you can get the vanilla iPhone 17 or spend a bit more and get the iPhone 17 Pro. Sure, they won't feel as good to hold or slide easily in your pockets, but they don't cut corners for slimness and offer a much better overall experience.
