I've been using an iPhone 16 Pro Max for the past year, with only a handful of small complaints about my user experience with that phone. Nevertheless, I was ready to move on to the iPhone 17 Pro Max to ensure I stayed up to date for work purposes more than anything else. But then, the iPhone Air crossed my path.
In following the rumors about the iPhone Air ahead of its launch and having spent a little time with the similar Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, I was dubious about the appeal of a slim iPhone. Apple can already be a little stingy with what you get for your money, even if you're paying for the features you do have to be more refined (at least in theory). So an iPhone that costs as much as a Pro but with most of the pro abilities removed in return for a smaller handset seemed like a bad trade-off to me.
