The iPhone Air is one of the rare phones that I keep coming back to, no matter how many devices I use as part of my job. I want it to be my primary phone but it can't because I'm torn about it.
When I switched to the iPhone Air full-time last month, I braced myself for the compromises it makes, like the single rear camera and average battery life. However, in my two weeks of testing, it fared better than expected. I missed having a telephoto camera but the 48-megapixel main shooter is good enough for regular photos and even the occasional zoom.
Using the Air made me realize that I didn't need a versatile triple-camera setup and that I far preferred having a big-screen phone without the big phone bulk. This was a shocking revelation for me. Thin phones like the Air will suit people who need something other than a standard, more affordable phone (think the iPhone 17) or a "have your cake and eat it" do-everything pro phone (think the iPhone 17 Pro Max).
Don't get me wrong, I love shooting photos using the 48-megapixel, 4x telephoto camera on my iPhone 17 Pro Max. But I'm tired of using phones that give me wrist fatigue due to their weight. The iPhone Air weighs 165 grams compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max which clocks in a wrist-aching 233g. Thin phones like the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge are a refreshing experience to use because they're light and thin, but also having a large screen and a capable processor. I get the most useful parts of a heavier phone without the added bulk and weight.
But Apple's all-new iPhone is not all roses. It's a great day-to-day phone but comes with one key compromise that caught me off guard. And while CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti made mention of it in her iPhone Air review, it's one that generally takes a backseat to more obvious issues like the Air's single rear camera or the $99 external battery pack accessory. The iPhone Air sounds terrible.
I sorely miss having stereo speakers on my iPhone Air
CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti watching videos on her iPhone Air. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET
Apple's iPhone Air has a single speaker, which doubles as its earpiece. It's fine as an earpiece but doesn't work that well as a speaker, at least not for me. It sounds tinny whether I'm listening to music, or talking on a speaker call with friends and family. I didn't expect the Air to have such poor audio quality. But after a couple of weeks with it, I miss having a bottom-firing speaker so much.
I don't watch movies and TV shows on my phone, and when I view Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, I tend to use earbuds. The problem arises when I am on video calls, which I prefer taking over a phone's speakers -- or in the case of the Air, speaker.
I live with my parents and at least once a day, I'm on a WhatsApp video call with my sister or young kids and toddlers in our extended family. My parents and I want to talk to them together, so using my earbuds isn't an option. Instead, we just use one phone together.
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