Now that we've got the new Apple devices in our hands, we're learning some great things about them, including the surprisingly good battery life on the slim iPhone Air — and the ease of scratching the iPhone 17 Pro Max — all on the AppleInsider Podcast.
Previously on the AppleInsider Podcast, we've heard rumors for a year, we've seen Apple's hype and reviewers' excitement, but now it's time to examine just how Apple's new devices are in the real world. This isn't testing and benchmarking, thought we've done plenty of both and have much to tell you.
Instead, this is about the reality of using the new devices in our regular daily lives. Which turn out to reveal that the smaller battery in the iPhone Air is not remotely the issue everyone feared that it was going to be.
Then while we would never vandalise an iPhone, particularly not one we'd bought ourselves, there are people who would, and who do. Let us save you the bother and maybe the pain of watching a thousand bucks worth of the finest engineering in the world be subjected to torture testing, by saying the iPhones are fine.
But they do get scratched.
BONUS: Subscribe via Patreon or Apple Podcasts to hear AppleInsider+, the extended edition. This time, continuing this idea of real-world use, we discuss how the new iPhones are fitting into our lives — if they are — and particularly how the new AirPods Pro 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are, too.
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- William Gallagher on email
- @hillithreads on Threads
- Wes on Bluesky
- Wes Hilliard on emaill
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Links from the show:
- New in iOS 26 beta 5: Camera and Mail toggles, Apple Watch display leak, more
- iPhone 17 review: More pro features added than ever before
- iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 compared: Base model battle
- iPhone 17 may be an unexpected early hit for Apple
- iPhone Air review: An aspirational iPhone that the Pro won't buy
- iPhone Air avoids 'bendgate' in YouTube destruction 'test'
- iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air excel in bend tests, still fragile for drop tests
- Customers report day one scratches and scuffs on iPhone 17 Pro
- Apple's weak 'scratchgate' defense insists iPhone 17 isn't easily damaged
- iOS 26 could get a major AI boost with the Model Context Protocol
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