Switching from the iPhone 17 Pro Max to the iPhone Air has been… surprisingly easy.

My wife had been missing the extra cameras on her iPhone Air, while I had been quietly interested in the Air since launch. Every time I picked up her phone, I found myself thinking about it more. So eventually, we swapped this past week.

She is now using my glorious orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I’m using her “light gold” iPhone Air.

A few quick thoughts after making the switch:

1. The lightness
My goodness — the lightness of this phone cannot be overstated. It is immediately noticeable every single time you pick it up.

2. Battery life
The battery life is absolutely worse than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and noticeably so. That said, it becomes far less of an issue if you have regular access to a charger throughout the day, which I do. Accessories help a lot here as well, especially the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery, which has been excellent so far.

3. The camera
What surprised me most is that I miss the ultrawide camera more than the telephoto lens. Really though, what I miss most is macro mode, since it relied on that ultrawide lens.

That said, I rarely used telephoto, macro, or ultrawide photography enough for it to become a major issue. At least so far, I’ve missed those features far less than I expected.

As for cases, I’ve mostly used the phone naked. I tried the bumper case, which was fine, and eventually picked up the Frost Apple Clear Case at 50% off. It’s solid, and I especially like the open bottom design for swipe gestures.

But overall, my biggest takeaway is simple: I really do not want to go back to a heavier, bulkier phone anytime soon.

The iPhone Air is so light that I regularly forget it’s in my pocket. For one-handed use, especially while reading or resting the phone on my pinky, it simply feels fantastic in hand.