Apple’s latest release, the iPhone Air, has drawn plenty of attention thanks to its ultra-slim profile and striking design. It is the thinnest iPhone ever produced, a feat of engineering that required major rethinking of internal components and structure. But while the Air dazzles in hand with its lightness and elegance, the compromises needed to achieve this thinness are significant.
After a couple of weeks of real-world use, several drawbacks have become apparent from users and reviewers. Some are minor irritations, others are serious limitations that could be dealbreakers depending on how you use your phone. Below, we explore the five key issues with the iPhone Air.
1.Limited Audio and Connectivity
The first compromise Apple made to achieve thinness was removing the bottom speaker. Instead of the stereo arrangement found in other iPhones, the Air relies solely on a small earpiece speaker at the top of the device. For everyday use this is just about acceptable, but there are noticeable shortcomings. Audio lacks bass, maximum volume is lower, and when the phone is rotated into landscape mode, all sound comes from one side. Accidentally covering the earpiece with a finger only makes matters worse.
Another issue is that the Air is eSIM only. The removal of the physical SIM tray freed up space for an additional 200 mAh of battery, but at the cost of flexibility. For frequent phone swappers, travellers, or anyone relying on carriers that don’t fully support eSIM, this change is inconvenient. Added to this is the omission of millimetre-wave 5G support, although in practice this is less critical since most people rarely encounter mmWave coverage.
Finally, while the Air includes a USB-C port, it only supports USB 2 transfer speeds. Why?! This bottleneck feels outdated in 2025, especially for those transferring large files or relying on their phone in professional workflows.
2.Thermal Management and Performance
Under the hood, the iPhone Air runs Apple’s latest A19 Pro chip, a high-powered processor that also appears in the Pro models. The challenge is that unlike the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro with thicker, aluminium-bodied devices with vapour chambers, the Air lacks advanced cooling solutions. This means the handset runs warmer during sustained workloads such as gaming, video editing, or extended navigation.
Users may notice heat build-up on the back of the device, especially near the camera housing, and although no-one has repotrted the phone crashing or display overheating warnings, performance throttling is almost inevitable. For casual tasks this is not a problem, but anyone pushing their phone harder will feel the difference compared with the Pro line.
3.A Single-Camera Limitation
Perhaps the most divisive compromise is the single rear camera. Many iPhone users, even those with older models, have become accustomed to at least a dual-lens setup, often including ultrawide or telephoto capabilities. The Air drops these extras, leaving only the main wide-angle camera.
To Apple’s credit, that main camera is excellent, matching the quality of the iPhone 17’s standard model. Clever processing allows for decent 2x digital crops, but once you attempt anything beyond around 5x zoom, image quality falls away quickly. Likewise, the lack of ultrawide means missed opportunities for landscapes, group shots, or creative perspectives. For casual shooters the camera will suffice, and the front-facing camera is genuinely impressive, but compared to rival devices at this price point, the Air feels stripped back.
If you use your iPhone for a lot of photo work, you’re going to notice thi slimitation massively. The iPhone Air is not for you.
>> Order the iPhone 17 Pro on Three UK now
4.Durability
Many expected the Air’s thin profile to come with fragility. Surprisingly, durability is one of its strengths. Independent testing has shown the titanium frame resists bending far better than anticipated, and the ceramic shield glass front and back is more scratch-resistant than in previous generations. It even scored 7 out of 10 for repairability from iFixit, with modular glass replacement options and Apple’s disassembly guides available from day one.
While glass can still shatter if dropped, concerns about the phone snapping under pressure or bending in a pocket are largely unfounded. In fact, the Air may be one of the most durable iPhones Apple has ever made. This is an area where Apple has over-delivered, defying expectations.
5.Battery Life and Charging
The most significant drawback of the iPhone Air is its battery. The slim design leaves little room for capacity, and Apple has not adopted the latest silicon-carbon battery technology that rivals are beginning to test. Instead, the Air’s battery is comparable in size to that of the iPhone 11, yet it must power a modern 6.5-inch 120 Hz OLED display and the demanding A19 Pro processor.
In everyday use, light and moderate users may manage a full day with around four hours of screen time, but heavier users will find themselves relying on low power mode or topping up during the day. Concerns grow when considering long-term degradation — what feels like just enough battery in year one could become insufficient by year three.
Charging speeds are also slower than the rest of the iPhone 17 line, adding to the frustration. Apple’s own solution, a new MagSafe battery pack sold separately, offers limited benefit, charging the Air to only around 65% due to wireless inefficiency. For those who demand all-day reliability, this compromise could be a dealbreaker.
Final Thoughts
The iPhone Air is a fascinating device, showcasing Apple’s engineering skill and perhaps offering a glimpse of the future foldable iPhone. Its design is beautiful, its lightness striking, and its durability impressive. For users who value a slim, stylish phone and are light on photography and battery demands, it could be the perfect fit.
Yet the compromises are clear. Single-speaker audio, limited connectivity options, weaker cooling, reduced camera flexibility, and most of all, modest battery life mean the Air is not for everyone. Power users, photographers, and those expecting longevity may be better served by the Pro models, which lean into thickness for better performance and endurance.
The iPhone Air stands as both a bold experiment and a potential stepping stone towards the foldable era. It’s an iPhone in every sense, but one with carefully chosen sacrifices — ones you’ll need to weigh before deciding if its elegance outweighs its drawbacks.
>> Order the iPhone 17 Pro on Three UK now
One of the Editors for Tech on the Go, I love covering mobile tech and social media. I also manage the reviews we cover so all the writers stay on my good side!
