Every YouTuber was Wrong About the iPhone Air

For the longest time, the rumor about Apple making a thin phone had been circulating in the tech space, and when Apple finally showed the world its new iPhone design, I would have to say I was blown away. I knew I had to have one when it came out.

When Apple announced the new phones, I started watching tech YouTubers to see what they thought of the Air. Needless to say, they did not give it raving reviews, which started to create some internal doubts about whether this would be the phone for me.

I finally made it to the Apple Store on the first weekend the new iPhone 17 and Air lineup were available, and I went straight to the table where I could get my hands on the Air and Pro models.

I first picked up the Air, and I think I was in love with how it felt in my hand. I could not believe how light this phone felt, and the thinness made it feel like I was holding the future.

I did pick up the Pro models while I was there, mostly out of curiosity, but also to make sure I wasn't just falling for the latest phone concept. I had been using Pro models for many years. I had owned the 12, 14, and 15 Pro versions before I made this purchase, and I was still suffering from the doubt my favorite YouTubers had created.

If you read the title, you know which decision I made, and I just want to share my thoughts on the iPhone Air with you.

This was the biggest knock the phone was getting on every YouTube channel I could find. Nobody thought that this battery would not make it through the day.

I will admit that when I first got it, the battery was not great. I think it was because the phone had to sync all my iCloud data. After a couple of days, the phone held its battery better, but it was still not perfect. I had to charge my phone around 3-4 o'clock every afternoon, so the YouTubers were right?

Not so fast: with the release of iOS 26.1, Apple improved battery performance on the iPhone Air. After installing the update, I saw a significant improvement in battery life, and I was making it through most of the day without putting it back on the charger until I placed the phone on my nightstand before bed.

This was the other knock everyone kept going on about. A single-lens camera, what was Apple thinking in this age of phones?

I did have some concerns about the camera, since I was coming from Pro models phones, and it had been a long time since I had a single-lens camera.

What would I do without the wide-angle lens or the ability to zoom into a shot from so far away?

Let me tell you, none of it mattered. This camera is really good.

There are times I do miss the zoom feature, but it just makes me get closer to the subject I want to capture, and I think the single-camera lens makes me more creative when it comes to capturing a photo.

The single-lens camera is what most people use on their Pro phones, and I think people lean towards Pro phones because they feel they might miss out on something. This should only matter to the people out there who are creators and make a living from their iPhones' cameras.

I am not really going to say much about the speaker, but this was another sticking point with everyone.

Do I think that there should be a second speaker built into this phone? Yes, I do.

Does not having that second speaker make a huge difference in my day-to-day life? No, it does not.

There are times when I have someone on a speaker call, and I have a hard time hearing when the room has more activity, but I fix that by putting in my AirPods.

I hardly notice it when I am watching a video, because I have adapted and no longer notice the sound difference.

I don’t listen to music without my AirPods most of the time, so this really is a non-issue to me, but I am not an audiophile, and it could be a bigger issue for you.

I get that the iPhone Air isn't for everyone, but I think the YouTubers were overly critical of this phone. It may not suit their needs, but I think it does for most users looking for a premium phone.

You will need to decide for yourself whether the specs I mentioned above will meet your needs.

The one thing I can tell you is that I don’t think you can go wrong with whatever you decide. All the phones in this year's lineup were solid, and I will admit that the regular iPhone 17 is the best deal.

Just do me a favor, if you are the slightest bit intrigued by the Air, go check it out and see if it grabs you the way it did me.