Apple learned absolutely nothing from the iPhone 6 disaster. Remember Bendgate? When phones bent in your pocket like a soggy pretzel? Well, get ready for Bendgate 2: Electric Boogaloo.
The iPhone Air measures around 5.6mm thick - thinner than a damn pencil. I've held business cards with more structural integrity. Apple claims they solved the structural issues with some "plateau system" - which sounds like marketing bullshit for "we moved the camera bump around."
Internal Apple documents revealed they knew the iPhone 6 would bend before launch. The same engineering team that gave us phones that snapped like breadsticks now wants us to trust their 5.6mm miracle. Even CNET's hands-on raised durability concerns immediately.
The Battery Life Lie We've Heard Before
Apple promises "all-day battery life" in a phone that's 40% thinner than the iPhone 15. That's like promising a sports car with the fuel tank of a motorcycle will have great range. Physics doesn't give a shit about Apple's marketing promises.
Here's what actually happens: You'll get maybe 6 hours on a good day at launch. By iOS 26.2 (the inevitable December "stability" update), your battery mysteriously drains 20% faster. By year two, the thing's dead by lunch if you look at it wrong. I watched my iPhone 14 Pro drop from 100% to 60% during a 30-minute video call after iOS 25.4. This pattern never fucking changes.
The iPhone Air weighs basically nothing because there's no battery inside. My iPhone 15 Pro feels like a brick compared to this thing - way heavier with way more room for battery. Apple's own battery specifications are suspiciously vague compared to previous generations.
The Camera Situation is Actually Pretty Good
I'll give Apple credit where it's due - the square front camera makes sense. Finally, you can take decent selfies without doing that weird phone-tilting dance. The front camera beats most Android phones that still ship with potato-quality sensors from 2019.
The rear cameras are solid too. All three sensors are decent resolution, so no more "wide angle looks like garbage" compromises. Computational photography has gotten good enough that this thing should match the Pro cameras for most shots.
The camera placement is actually impressive engineering. Fitting that camera system into this stupidly thin phone without a massive bump took some serious work. This isn't just last year's cameras crammed into a thinner case.
Pricing That'll Make Your Wallet Cry
Nearly a grand for the iPhone Air - $999 to be exact. That's 200 bucks more than the regular iPhone 17, for the privilege of owning a phone that'll snap like a Kit-Kat bar. The Pro models now start above eleven hundred, because apparently $1,000 phones are the "budget" option.
Here's the brutal truth: Most people will buy the regular iPhone 17 and be perfectly happy. The Air is for people who need everyone on the subway to know they spent a grand on a phone that's one drop away from becoming abstract art.
Apple's milking the premium thin phone market for every dollar. Storage tiers remain predatory - 256GB, 512GB, 1TB with no 128GB option to force people into higher margins. The constant price creep on Pro models is pure profit extraction.
The Inevitable Android Response
Samsung's already working on their response right now, building a Galaxy S25 that's even thinner, just to out-stupid Apple. Then Google will make a Pixel that's even thinner. Then Apple will hit back with an even thinner iPhone 18 Air Pro Max Ultra.
It's the thickness wars all over again, except this time phones cost more than my first car. The Android manufacturers will chase Apple down this rabbit hole until we're all carrying glass rectangles that shatter when you look at them wrong.
Bottom Line for Regular Humans
If you're happy with your current iPhone, skip this generation. The iPhone Air is a $999 fashion statement that'll snap in your back pocket. The regular iPhone 17 is fine but nothing revolutionary.
Wait for March when the bent phone photos start flooding Reddit. Some YouTuber will recreate Bendgate and Apple will claim "normal usage" doesn't include sitting down with your phone in your pocket. The cycle continues.
Save your money and wait for the iPhone 18, which will probably be even thinner because Apple learned nothing from this disaster.