Tech

iPhone Air reviews: The best and the worst of the early reviews

Published

5 months ago

September 18, 2025

Vicky

The iPhone Air hits shelves this Friday, but select early reviewers already have their hands on Apple’s thinnest iPhone yet. It’s the company’s boldest design shift since the iPhone X introduced FaceID and OLED displays. This time, though, Apple isn’t chasing new sensors or screen tech — it’s rethinking how the iPhone feels in your hand. And based on early impressions, people are into it.

That’s not to say it’s flawless. The Air compromises on camera quality and battery. Like the long-running MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro debate, users are asking if the tradeoff in performance is worth the sleek form factor and lighter feel. For many reviewers, the answer is yes — especially if you value aesthetics, portability, and a bit of novelty in your daily device.

Mashable’s full review of the iPhone Air is still in the works. So, until we're ready to render a verdict, here's a guide to the early iPhone Air reviews.

Table of Contents

On the design

WIRED's Julian Chokkata:

The iPhone Air is just 5.6 millimeters thick and 165 grams; contrast that with the iPhone 17 Pro, which has a smaller screen yet weighs 206 grams and is 8.75 mm thick. It's a palpable difference. Initially, you might feel like the lighter weight makes the Air seem “cheap,” but that notion quickly disappears. This phone feels strong, durable, and rigid.

CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti:

There's one design element that's a bit of a letdown, especially if you spend as much time binging YouTube and TikTok videos on your phone as I do. The iPhone Air doesn't have a speaker on the bottom, only one at the top of the phone. That means the listening experience isn't as immersive, and music doesn't sound as good as it would on an iPhone with multiple speakers. It's not a deal-breaker, but for a nearly $1,000 phone, I'd expect a little more without having to resort to AirPods Pro 3 or other headphones for better audio.

CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti holds the iPhone Air.
Credit: CNET

Engadget's Sam Rutherford:

Apple is setting new highs for mobile design with the iPhone Air. Not only is it even skinnier at just 5.6mm (versus 5.8mm for the S25E), it's the best example yet of what I like to call “the sci-fi space pebble look” thanks to its rounded corners and beautifully polished edges. It's a proper marvel of engineering and while I generally don't like saying this, you really do have to hold one to fully appreciate Apple's craftsmanship.

On battery life

The Verge's Allison Johnson:

Now for the less-good news: battery life is just okay. And honestly, that’s a pretty good outcome for the Air; the situation could have been worse. If you’re a light user and you spend most of your time on Wi-Fi, you might never have a problem with the battery.

PCMag's Eric Zeman:

The iPhone Air ran for 19 hours and 15 minutes. That's less than the 16 Plus's 21 hours and 51 minutes, but better than the iPhone 16's result of 17 hours and 47 minutes. More importantly, it's the shortest battery life of the new iPhone 17 models by several hours. The iPhone 17 runs for five hours longer, the 17 Pro runs for eight hours longer, and the 17 Pro Max runs for an amazing 13 hours longer. If you have battery anxiety, the iPhone Air is not the iPhone for you; the other models offer far more battery life.

Gizmodo's Raymond Wong:

In my totally unscientific daily testing, I would say the iPhone Air has good battery life, but my iPhone 16 Pro still had more juice by the end of the day. Is it deal-breaking, poor battery life like many people have been fearing? Absolutely not.

On the camera:

TechRadar's Jacob Krol:

This is where the compromises necessitated by the iPhone Air’s unfeasibly thin design begin: the iPhone Air only features a single, 48-megapixel Fusion camera on the back. It can shoot at 1x, a sensor crop in 2x, or a maximum digital 10x, but the quality falls off noticeably with the latter.

The Verge's Allison Johnson:

On the subject of limitations: that camera. I mean, technically there are two of them — the 48-megapixel rear camera and a new 18-megapixel selfie camera that does some cool stuff. But there’s just one sensor and lens on that rear camera bump, even though the Galaxy S25 Edge managed to fit a second one. The single rear camera feels justifiable on the $599 iPhone 16E; on the Air it feels like a real concession.

Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonauer:

However, I don’t like that shoppers have to give up both an ultrawide lens and telephoto zoom with the iPhone Air. At least Samsung gives you an ultrawide camera that enables macro photography. But the iPhone Air’s main 48MP camera is very good overall.

Tech

Elon Musk wants to build a giant catapult on the moon

Published

3 hours ago

February 12, 2026

Vicky

Elon Musk with his hand on his chin attempting to look intelligent

For years, Elon Musk has talked about colonizing Mars. Now, he's talking about building Looney Tunes contraptions on the moon instead.

The New York Times reported that Musk told employees at xAI on Tuesday evening that he wants to build a factory on the moon to construct AI data center satellites. Not only that, but Musk wants the factory to include some type of gigantic space catapult, called a mass driver, that would then launch the satellites into space, purportedly for the sake of powering xAI's artificial intelligence network.

"You have to go to the moon," Musk reportedly told employees, per the Times.

In case you're wondering why this plan involves xAI and not just SpaceX, it's because the two just recently merged at the corporate level. Musk said that the merger was necessary to help xAI build AI data centers in orbit around the Earth.

While these plans sound like something straight out of science fiction, Musk does have an impressive track record with SpaceX, which has accomplished many engineering firsts.

SEE ALSO:

Sam Altman unloads on Elon Musk in latest X posts

Of course, Musk did not elaborate on how, exactly, this facility would be built, or on what sort of timeline it would come together. Musk has spent decades talking up the notion of using SpaceX to colonize Mars, but he recently pivoted to the moon instead. Musk often talks about the importance of making the human race interplanetary.

As Mashable has reported previously, Musk has a history of making bold announcements that don't come to fruition.

Tech

How to watch Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad online for free

Published

3 hours ago

February 12, 2026

Vicky

TL;DR: Live stream Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey for free on RTVE. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Copa del Rey semi finals are absolutely mouthwatering. A lot of fans will be focused on Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona, but the first semi-final matchup is arguably even better.

Athletic Club take on Real Sociedad in the Basque derby. The San Mamés stadium will host the first leg of this fiery rivalry. We're expecting passionate support, intense competition, and of course, drama in abundance. It's going to be electric, and you can enjoy everything that this famous game has to offer without spending anything.

If you want to watch Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

Table of Contents

When is Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad?

Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 11. This fixture takes place at the San Mamés.

How to watch Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad for free

Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey is available to live stream for free on RTVE.

RTVE is geo-restricted to Spain, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Spain, meaning you can unblock RTVE to live stream the Copa del Rey for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey for free by following these simple steps:

Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Spain
Visit RTVE
Watch Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad for free from anywhere in the world

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Copa del Rey without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for RTVE?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTVE, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries including Spain
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to 10 simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey for free with ExpressVPN.

Tech

Reserve a new Galaxy device before Samsung Unpacked and get a free $30 credit

Published

3 hours ago

February 12, 2026

Vicky

FREE $30 CREDIT: Reservations for a new Samsung Galaxy device come with a free $30 Samsung credit.

Credit: Samsung

Reserve a new Samsung Galaxy device

Get a free $30 credit

Set a calendar event because the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event is set for Feb. 25 online at both samsung.com and the brand's YouTube channel. If you'll be first in line for one of the new Galaxy S26 devices, there's a special deal in store if you reserve in advance.

Reservations for a new Samsung Galaxy device will earn you a free $30 Samsung credit. In addition, you'll be eligible for a savings of up to $900 on your order, and get entered to win $5,000 to spend at Samsung.

We have some idea of what the new Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup will include, but we'll all have to wait until Feb. 25 to get solid specs. But if you have intentions of upgrading, there's no harm in securing a reservation and saving $30. All you'll need to do is fill out Samsung's simple form with your name, e-mail address, and your phone number, if you feel like it. Then Samsung will keep you updated about future steps. The discount gets cancelled if you don't end up ordering a qualifying Galaxy device.

Mashable Tech Reporter Alex Perry said he wouldn't be surprised if the new S26 lineup comes with camera upgrades, in addition to more standard improvements like better battery life.

For those who've been patiently waiting for Galaxy Unpacked, now's your chance to place a reservation on a new Galaxy device with a free $30 credit. It's a win-win for those who are ready for an upgrade.