Three Months of the iPhone Air: Proof That Design Compromises Can Be Sweet

JAKARTA - After three months since its launch in September 2025, the iPhone Air remains a device that sparks debate. However, this device managed to prove that aesthetic beauty is able to surpass the completeness of features for some users.

With a thickness of only 5.6 mm and a very light weight of 165 grams, this phone offers a grip sensation that no other device has. Although it was doubted about its durability due to its very thin design, the iPhone Air proved to be very sturdy and not easily bent, breaking the initial concerns about its physical durability in long-term use.

The biggest compromise Apple has taken on this model lies in the camera and battery sectors to maintain its slim profile. The iPhone Air only relies on a single 48-megapixel Fusion camera, without a telephoto or ultrawide lens like on the Pro model.

However, in real-world usage experience, this one camera has proven to be more than enough for daily needs thanks to the sharp, bright, and color-rich image capture quality, as well as support for advanced features such as Night Mode and Smart HDR 5.

For many users, the loss of an additional lens does not really feel because the main camera is already very reliable for most shooting situations.

In terms of durability, the iPhone Air is not a phone designed to last up to two full days. In intensive use, the battery usually leaves about 20 percent at night, which means users will most likely need to recharge every day.

Apple's strategy here seems to carry the concept of a "minimalist" device, where everything that is not essential is thrown away to get the purest physical form. If users need more power, the MagSafe ecosystem is a practical solution to increase battery capacity without having to carry a thick and heavy phone at all times.

Although thin, the performance of the iPhone Air cannot be taken lightly because it is powered by the A19 Pro chip, almost the same as that used on the iPhone 17 Pro. Although there are slight adjustments to the number of GPU cores, the speed and smoothness in running heavy applications and multitasking remain at the highest level.

In the end, the iPhone Air shows that compromising on specifications for design convenience is the right move for those who crave an elegant, lightweight, and powerful phone, proving that sophistication doesn't always have to come in the form of a large, heavy device.