That’s not correct. If you buy a 16 now it’s $100 less than a 17. As last year, with the 15 discounted vs. the 16.
What’s different this year is that if you opt for the 17 instead, for the same price as last the 16 last year, you now get an extra 128GB storage.
Now, if you need 256GB storage, that this year indeed pushes you to the 17, but you’re still saving $100 over what the storage-bumped 16 would have cost you on Mon. And if they had kept the 256GB config of the 16 around, that would still have cost you the same $800 as the 256GB base config of the new 17, so no loss there either.
The only way IMHO to spin this as a net negative is to claim that Apple, after the launch, is somehow obligated to offer all previous configs for one more year at –$100 compared to the new models with the same config [1]. But since they never truly did this before (the previous Pro, for example, was always removed right away), I fail to see why anybody would feel they are entitled to such an offer.
In essence calling for them to drop the 128GB 16 and instead offer the 256GB config of the 16 at –$100, i.e. amping up the base storage on the previous model rather than just on the new model as they did this time. ↩︎
On the note of iPhone Air battery life, it was just published that on all iPhone 17 models Apple has default turned on their new “Adaptive Power Mode” which supposedly leverages Apple Intelligence to curtail your circuitry’s power draw if it appears increased compared to some kind of learned baseline.
This setting iOS 26 is, however, default turned off on the iPhone 16 and 15 Pro despite their support for the feature (15 and lower don’t offer it due to lack of Apple Intelligence).
This raises the question if Apple’s battery life figures for the new iPhone 17 family, especially that of the Air, are perhaps inflated compared to previous generations because Apple is crediting some gain from Adaptive Power Mode. That’s certainly not illegitimate as long as the gain is real, but it would nevertheless be interesting to know what the baseline is for these comparisons. We know how battery capacities (mAh ratings) compare to previous models, but without knowing exactly how power consumption of the hardware has changed, that does not translate directly to battery life figures. I look forward to an apples to apples comparison in serious reviews.
I have been holding out, but I am caving for the 512GB Air. My battery is supposedly 80% and healthy, but I have found in use when out and about it drops precipitously. I could just get the battery replaced and did think about it, but there’s just enough I think I am missing out on: the Dynamic Island UI, ProMotion, some Apple Intelligence features, USB-C (or more accurately, being able to get closer to retiring Lightning) — and not experiencing lagginess in Safari when RAM gets low. And, I have the 256GB mini but it seems every time I want to use an app I haven’t used in a while, it has been offloaded. I hope the thinness offsets the linear dimensions… I guess we’ll see!
It is a pity though: my “fantasy” iPhone has always been the piece of glass the size of a credit card — like OG late '90s Sony phones, and I think not uncoincidentally, the screen size of the original iPhones, though clearly in both cases they had much more bulk. Sadly, the big phone people are winning, and I think they will continue to win until the “screen” is separated from the “puck,” assuming that this is the future of course (I think it probably is).
When I went from a 12 mini to a 15 I was looking forward to Dynamic Island. While it is neat gimmick, two years later I don’t feel I’d miss it if it were gone. It doesn’t really do anything for me. The best part of it IMHO is that it’s less wide than the notch thus leaving more space for other stuff (but ironically still not enough, eg. wifi calling or alarm still all require me to open Control Center just to see if activated). But the actual functionality of Dynamic Island IMHO is totally meh. Just my 2¢ of course.
You can deactivate the auto offload and instead clean house manually (if and when necessary).
Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Offload Unused Apps > Disable
Completely agree. I still regret trading an iPhone XS for a 16 last year. Even with a case, it wobbles due to the lip around the camera tumor. And it’s just one factor that makes me call the 16 the worst industrial design Apple has put out in years. I’d use the iMac’s original hockey puck mouse all day if I could have an X form factor with updated battery and processor.
I don’t need any of this fancy new stuff, hardware or software wise. Impressive achievements in tech for sure, chasing worldwide user cases is also not easy.
Still, I might not say no to an ‘upgrade’ to a, say, Silver Wisdom color Senior Strong iPhone Air in 13 Mini or 7 size with 16GB, simple one-lens camera, no added ‘intelligence’ (human is sufficient), wifi, LTE, for like $299 or something.
Today’s age-related Accessibility features might be sufficient, I haven’t thoroughly checked them, but I think there are emergency call button products whose features could be integrated into iPhone’s what is it, ‘action button’ or multi tap on back etc.
Other features for Apple’s early adopters could be developed or enhanced (I started using Macs in the early 80s, in my 20s, and have stuck with Apple products since, so guess what, my tech needs are changing…) that would address this market segment. But I was never good at business so it’s pretty likely these will remain ideas… Maybe for another thread…
A first set of battery life tests has revealed that the Air lasted (web surfing over 5G) as long as the regular 17 to within a few %. This is just a first test and these tests are always tricky, so there’s that.
It is a shame though, they didn’t also run the same test on a 16 Pro to see if they can confirm Apple’s claim that the Air should hold up just as long as the 16 Pro. Considering the vastly different battery capacities (mAh), this would tell us quite a bit about the new circuitry’s power draw. Also, ideally using iOS 26, they’d also compare 16 Pro with and without Adaptive Power Mode.
Interesting perhaps is also that the Air lasted about equally as long as Samsung’s Air (25 Edge). The latter, despite essentially the same weight and thickness, though, comes with a dual lens complement, unlike the iPhone Air.
Last year’s 16 Pro review had 5G web surfing time of 14:07 for the 16 Pro (vs. this year’s 12:02 for the Air and 15:32 for the 17 Pro.) Last year’s 16 was 12:43 vs. this year’s 17’s 12:47, so basically it’s the same. Yes, different OSes, but also it would be hard to re-test a 16 Pro right now without figuring out some way to get one with a brand-new battery (though, of course, they could buy a new 16 I guess.)
I have an iPhone 14 and have always been frustrated being unable to focus on a plant in a landscape. In spite of being able to tap on my object of interest within the larger image, which summons a framed box indicating what you want to focus on, the camera always focuses on the background field. Many times a particular plant, for example a wild columbine, is the major plant against a field of stones or even a section of ledge yet the camera can’t distinguish the object of my desire. Any suggestions?
I keep my phone in a case (in my case, a Spigen case for an 13 mini), so there’s no wobble - the case flattens everything.
How many people don’t use a case of any kind with their phones? Everybody I know does, usually the result of some past incident involving damage from being dropped.
Typing isn’t really the issue. Set the phone on a horizontal surface such as a desk or cafe table and it can’t lie flat. The camera tumor raises the top right side. Any touch of the screen—tapping to wake/unlock, opening an app, anything—makes it rock. Previous models had flush backs, particularly with a case. They were quite usable in the horizontal. The camera tumor means you can only use it when holding. Very bad design.
I don’t really see this. Just compared my 16 Pro Max to the 17 Pro Max. The 16 has the camera in one corner, but it’s big enough the phone doesn’t rock unless you touch the top left corner. There it can be pressed down. But swiping up from the bottom or typing it is very stable.
The new 17 has the “camera plateau” which goes the full width of the phone and it’s even more stable, though pressing the top edge can cause some movement.
I do have mine in simple cases. Not sure if that makes a difference, though, not with the camera backs so huge. Maybe it’s different on models with a smaller camera bulge or smaller phone.
I do find the camera bulge ugly and wish the phone could be flat, but that’s more aesthetics than functionality.
I understand the mechanics of it. My question stems from the fact that I can’t imagine using the phone that way. If my phone’s on the desk, I pick it up for faceID and then continue to hold it for use (typing with my thumbs). Using it flat on the desk would require me to hunch over it, hold it in place with one hand, and then type with the other. That sounds really awkward.
But that’s me (anecdote!) so I was looking for someone with a specific actual use case that they either can’t do now or want to do but can’t because of the wobble.
I have never had a case. I tend to handle my equipment with care, a general life philosophy. And I don’t feel inclined to spend a lot of money on a device engineered to be as thin and pretty as reasonably possible only to then make it fat and ugly with a case. I would have been interested in starting to use a case because of camera tumor wobble, but since that proved apparently impossible thanks to case lips, I’m still where I’ve always been: no case on my iPhones.
