"Apple's new iPhone Air represents the company's boldest design statement in years, delivering the thinnest iPhone ever made at just 5.6mm thick. But for buyers considering this ultra-slim device, understanding the trade-offs is crucial. Despite packing the powerful A19 Pro chip and starting at $999, the iPhone Air makes significant compromises to achieve its svelte profile. Camera system limitations are the biggest sacrifice. The most substantial compromise involves the camera system. While other iPhone 17 models feature multiple rear cameras, the iPhone Air sports only a single 48-megapixel "Fusion" camera."
"This eliminates the ultra-wide camera found on the standard iPhone 17, which offers expansive landscape shots and macro photography capabilities. The lack of an ultra-wide lens means iPhone Air users lose the ability to capture 0.5x shots, a feature that has become standard on recent iPhones. Additionally, the Air's telephoto capability is limited to 2x optical-quality zoom through digital cropping, compared to the iPhone 17 Pro's dedicated telephoto lens offering up to 8x optical quality shots."
"Despite Apple's claim of "all-day battery life," the iPhone Air's 3,149 mAh battery delivers 27 hours of video playback, compared to 30 hours on the standard iPhone 17 and 33-39 hours on Pro models. This matches the battery performance of last year's iPhone 16 Pro but falls short of current-generation alternatives. Apple's decision to create a dedicated $99 MagSafe battery pack specifically for the iPhone Air suggests the company acknowledges battery limitations. This accessory can extend usage to 40 hours of video playback but adds"
The iPhone Air is an ultra-thin 5.6mm handset powered by the A19 Pro chip and priced from $999. Extreme thinness required trade-offs including a simplified camera and smaller battery. The rear system uses a single 48-megapixel Fusion camera with no ultra-wide lens, removing 0.5x and macro shooting and limiting telephoto to 2x optical-quality via digital cropping versus Pro model optics. Video features such as cinematic mode and ProRes are absent and 4K Dolby Vision is capped at 60fps. A 3,149 mAh battery yields about 27 hours of video playback, and a $99 MagSafe battery pack can extend runtime.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]