iPhone 17 Air Review – My Honest Take After Everyday Use

I am generally an iPhone Pro user, but when Apple released the iPhone 17 Air this year, I was intrigued to say the least.

I have often said that most people out there don’t need a Pro model, and that the standard model — especially this year’s iPhone 17 — is more than enough. What intrigued me with the iPhone Air is whether that statement still holds true, and whether it justifies its £999 price tag.

So in this iPhone 17 Air review, I want to share my thoughts on the design and how it handled everyday use in terms of performance, the camera, and battery life.

After using it daily for a few weeks, here’s how it’s held up.

Quick Verdict:

• Best for: People who want a lighter, slightly different iPhone without going Pro
• Skip if: Camera quality is a priority for you
• Quick take: A design-first iPhone that’s nice to use, but for most people, the standard 17 still makes more sense

What it’s actually like to use the iPhone Air:

The iPhone Air has been nice to use. The first thing I noticed out of the box was how it felt — yes, it’s very thin, but it also feels solid and premium.

It’s a phone that makes you want to pick it up. It’s so thin and light, yet still packs a punch and handles day-to-day activity like responding to messages and scrolling through your socials with ease.

That said, there is one area where you notice straight away that it’s not a Pro device — but I’ll come onto that later.

Design & Display:

The design of the iPhone Air is simply beautiful. It’s different from all the iPhones that have been released recently and feels more like a throwback to the peak iPhone design days of the iPhone X.

This phone is thin, coming in at just 5.6mm and weighing 165 grams. The frame itself is titanium, which makes this iPhone Air look stunning but also incredibly durable, which for a phone this thin is a must. I feel confident it’s not going to bend or break, meaning I have not treated it differently to any other phone I have used, despite the thinness.

Where I think Apple has played a blinder is the screen size. The Air sits in between the Pro Max and standard iPhone 17 model at 6.5 inches. The size makes the most of the display whilst still being able to use it with one hand.

Performance:

The Air comes with the same A19 Pro chip as the Pro series, so from a performance point of view I haven’t seen any issues. It’s fast, and there has been no lag when opening up apps.

I’m not sure how this would handle gaming, as I don’t game, but I would think it could get rather toasty due to how thin the phone is and the lack of a vapour chamber.

But for everyday use, the Air handles it with ease.

Battery Life:

For me personally, battery life has been fine. At 3149mAh, it has the smallest battery capacity out of the 17 and the 17 Pro, but you are still getting a phone that can last you all day. I will caveat this with the fact that it very much depends on what you are using your phone for, but for me, using it for messaging, scrolling and other light activities, it has been seeing me through the day until I charge it when I go to bed.

In terms of charging speeds, it has the same fast charging capabilities as the 17 and 17 Pro, but is slightly slower and can charge to 50% in 30 minutes rather than 20 for the other models. As with the other models mentioned, this comes with MagSafe, Qi2 and Qi wireless charging, so if you are worried about battery life you can also use a MagSafe battery pack like the Sharge ICEMAG 2.

Camera:

Now this is where you are going to be making the biggest compromise if you decide to buy the iPhone Air. This is a one-lens iPhone, which means that you are getting one 48MP Fusion Main, no Ultra Wide and no Telephoto lens. You are also restricted to 2 optical zoom options (1x & 2x) and a digital zoom of x10, and you lose a lot of quality, in my opinion, when you are going up to the x10 digital zoom.

You are though getting the same front-facing camera as the other two, with the only things that are missing being Cinematic mode and ProRes video recording. In terms of the video, you are losing a lot of features, most noticeably Cinematic mode and ProRes, although I don’t think you notice so much with the video; it’s more the camera setup.

I thought that I would not be too bothered by the one camera setup, but actually found that it mattered to me more than I thought. Not having the x5 optical zoom and having to rely on digital zoom was not great. I really noticed this when I was out for the day with my daughter at a farm and wanting to zoom in, and it just didn’t cut it. Luckily, I also had my Pro with me, so that came to the rescue, but I appreciate that most people will not be carrying two phones.

If the camera really matters to you, then this is not the phone for you.

Who Should Buy it

So who should buy this iPhone Air — well, that’s an interesting question and one that I have been racking my brain to answer, especially with the £999 price tag.

This will appeal to people that want a premium build that feels great in hand and want something that Apple have not offered before. It also would work for people that just want a phone for truly everyday tasks such as messaging, emails and scrolling social media.

If you are looking for a phone for gaming, content creation or phone photography, then this is certainly not the phone for you.

Final Thoughts

I have enjoyed having the iPhone Air in my workflow — it’s lovely to use and really does feel premium, and is a phone that I will continue to use. However, it’s not the iPhone that I will have my main SIM in. And for me, the reason is that the camera compromises are just a bit too much.

If Apple could find a way to add another lens to bring it up to the same camera setup as the standard iPhone 17, then this would become a very different proposition.

The other issue that I have with this phone is the price. I don’t think that it justifies being £100 cheaper than the Pro and £200 more than the 17. I know that you are getting that titanium frame and A19 Pro chip, but I think this should be much closer to the standard 17 in price because of the camera compromises you are making — and for most people, that makes the standard 17 the better option.

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links.
This means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them,
at no extra cost to you.