What are the "pros and cons" of the iPhone Air? Is it the best iPhone? Who is it for, really?

Whether or not the iPhone Air is for you definitely is a personal choice, and with a mix of low end and high end capabilities, an objective pros and cons can be especially helpful for you to decide.

EveryiPhone.com also provides a complete iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air comparison for those who are interested in an in-depth evaluation of the iPhone Air and other options.

This Q&A is for someone who just wants the highlights quickly rather than a detailed analysis.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone Air Color Options)

iPhone Air Pros:

• Impressively thin (0.22 inch, 5.64 mm) and lightweight (5.82 oz, 165 g) relative to its large display size (6.5").
• Expensive, but less expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max.
• The same type of high quality "Super Retina XDR with ProMotion" 120 Hz display with "Always On" capability as the more expensive iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
• 12 GB of RAM.
• Decent battery life (22 hours in streamed video playback tests).
• 256 GB minimum storage standard.
• Four subtle color options -- (Light) "Sky Blue", "Light Gold", "Cloud White", and"Space Black".
• Industry-standard USB-C port.
• More durable back than the entry-level iPhone 17.
• Complete support for iOS 26, the current version of the iOS, including the Apple Intelligence feature.

iPhone Air Cons:

• Single rear camera is significantly less capable than the three camera system in the more expensive iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models.
• More expensive than the entry-level iPhone 17 but has a less capable rear camera.
• No support for the more professional ProRAW and ProRes formats.
• No 5G mmWave support in the United States or elsewhere.
• No physical Nano SIM at all.
• Single speaker.
• Relatively slow USB 2 (480 Mb/s) transfer speeds over USB-C.

So, should I buy an iPhone Air? Who is it for, really?

The iPhone Air is a bit of an odd goose. It is sleek and beautiful with a large, high quality display in a waifishly thin package, but most notably, has (1) a relatively less capable single lens rear camera, (2) relatively weak battery life, and (3) a single speaker instead of stereo speakers. In the United States, it also lacks (4) the 5G mmWave capability provided by the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The iPhone Air is US$200 more expensive than the entry-level iPhone 17, but US$100 and US$200 cheaper, respectively, than the comparatively heavy and bulky, but more capable iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

On a practical level, the entry-level iPhone 17 is a better choice, but the iPhone Air is for someone who really wants that big display in a thin, sleek design and is willing to sacrifice at least (1) camera capability, (2) battery life, (3) audio quality, and (4) price to get it.

Of course, for those on a budget, any number of used iPhone models are well worth considering, also.

Site sponsor Other World Computing sells used and refurbished iPhone models with free shipping. If you need to sell an iPhone, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older iPhone with an instant quote and prompt payment.

Please also see EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iComparison feature to dynamically compare any iPhone model to any other iPod, iPhone, or iPad.