iPhone Air Review: Beauty is Pain
Watch on YouTube ↗ Summary based on the YouTube transcript and episode description.
MKBHD reviews the iPhone 17 Air: thinnest iPhone ever, but battery and single camera are dealbreakers for heavy users.
- Battery matches iPhone 11 capacity despite a 6.5-inch 120Hz display; MKBHD rates it C-minus, ending days at ~15% in low-power mode.
- Single rear camera drops ultrawide and zoom; quality degrades noticeably past 5x crop.
- Titanium frame passed JerryRigEverything bend test and scored above normal on scratch resistance (no grooves at level 6); iFixit gave 7/10 repairability.
- eSIM-only globally; Apple reclaimed ~200 mAh of battery from the removed SIM slot.
- New Apple C1X modem matches Qualcomm iPhones in speed and coverage; no millimeter-wave 5G support.
- USB-C port runs only USB 2 transfer speeds despite the Pro-tier A19 chip inside.
- MKBHD argues the Air is R&D groundwork for a foldable iPhone, mirroring Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge → ZFold 7 pattern.
- Apple’s $100 MagSafe battery pack charges the Air to only ~65% due to wireless heat loss — same capacity as the phone’s own battery.
2025-09-23 · Watch on YouTube
