Apple’s iPhone Air doesn’t need another camera. It needs a better sound

the iPhone Air It is one of the rare ones Phones Which I keep coming back to, no matter how many devices I use as part of my job. I want it to be my primary phone but I can’t because I’m torn about it.

When I switched to the iPhone Air full-time last month, I warmed to the compromises it makes, like a single rear camera and mediocre battery life. However, in two weeks of testing, it performed better than expected. I missed having a telephoto camera but the 48MP main camera is good enough to take regular photos and even the occasional zoom.

Using the Air made me realize that I don’t need a versatile triple camera setup and that I would rather have a phone with a big screen without the bulk of the phone. This was a shocking discovery for me. Thin phones like the Air will suit people who need something other than a standard phone and are more affordable (think… iPhone 17) or a “have your cake and eat it” pro phone that does it all (think iPhone 17 Pro Max).

Don’t get me wrong, I love taking photos with the 48MP 4x telephoto camera on my phone iPhone 17 Pro Max. But I’m tired of using phones that cause fatigue in my wrist due to their weight. The iPhone Air weighs 165 grams compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which weighs 233 grams. Thin phones like iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge It’s a refreshing experience to use because it’s light and thin, but it also has a large screen and a capable processor. I get the most useful parts in a heavier phone without the extra weight or bulk.

But Apple is completely new iPhone Not all roses. It’s a great phone for everyday use but it comes with one major compromise that surprised me. While Abrar Al-Hiti from CNET mentioned this in it iPhone Air reviewit’s an issue that generally takes a backseat to more obvious issues like the Air’s single rear camera or the $99 external battery pack accessory. The iPhone Air looks terrible.

I sorely miss having stereo speakers on my iPhone Air

Apple’s iPhone Air has a single speaker, which also doubles as an earpiece. It’s good as an earphone but doesn’t work well as a speaker, at least not for me. It feels minimal whether I’m listening to music, or on a speakerphone call with friends and family. I didn’t expect the Air to have such poor sound quality. But after a few weeks with it, I miss having a low-volume speaker so much.

I don’t watch movies and TV shows on my phone, and when I watch Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, I tend to use earphones. The problem arises when I’m making video calls, which I prefer rather than the phone’s speakers — or in the case of the Air speaker.

I live with my parents and at least once a day I have a WhatsApp video call with my sister or younger and younger children in our extended family. My parents and I want to talk to them together, so using my headphones isn’t an option. Instead, we only use one phone together.

But everything feels muted on the iPhone Air: from the excitement my niece tells us about her day to the guilty laugh from my sister after I tell a dad joke. I don’t like such moments to be limited by a below-average speaker. I know it might just be me, but I use my phone’s speakers more than its cameras. So, the iPhone Air’s lack of stereo speakers affected me more than its lack of triple cameras.

Compromising on speakers is especially annoying when you consider how often Apple pushes its iPhone line as a way to use the Apple Music and Apple TV Plus services — both of which are affected by the single speaker. It was not lost on me how ubiquitous FaceTime video calls are in the United States.

I don’t want to give up my iPhone Air

I love the iPhone Air for its lightweight design. I love having a 6.5-inch screen on a 2020 iPhone iPhone 12. The Air’s display size falls in a sweet spot — right between the 6.3-inch iPhone 17 and the 6.9-inch iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The iPhone Air’s design also makes the big-screen phone accessible to people who want a 6.5-inch screen in a lightweight design. It’s one of the rare phones that doesn’t compromise on processing prowess or display quality and still weighs just 165 grams. For context, that’s 12 grams lighter than the standard iPhone 17 and 41 grams lighter than the iPhone 17 Pro. They are lighter than more affordable ones but less powerful iPhone 16e (167 grams).

It would still be my everyday phone, if only it had dedicated stereo speakers. Battery life held up better than I expected, depending on my use (moderate to heavy). In fact, in CNET’s 45-minute battery endurance test, which includes streaming, scrolling through social media, joining a video call, and playing games, the iPhone Air’s battery went from full to 95%, which is on par with other phones like Oppo’s book-shaped foldable phone, Find N5the Google Pixel 9A and Motorola 2025 Razr Ultra. Overall, the battery life didn’t bother me as much as the lack of a second speaker.
Samsung proves that it’s possible to have stereo speakers in a thin, lightweight chassis. the Galaxy S25 Edge It has a stereo speaker setup (there’s also an ultra-wide camera). I hope Apple makes the upcoming iPhone Air as versatile as the S25 Edge, and doesn’t force iPhone owners to sacrifice basic features they’re used to getting in a $999 flagship phone. Right now, I want to keep using my iPhone Air but I can’t.