Apple shows off its 3D printing capabilities for Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Titanium Apple Watch Series 11.

Nothing short of visual ASMR for the nerdy.

I’ll be rewatching the clips from Apple’s post when I leave my current location - my current, bluish-gray tinted monitor with its 1024 x 768 resolution isn’t doing it justice.

My kids like my 2013 MacBook Pro for one reason…

The glowing light.

Simple, elegant, and no longer an “in your face” flex. Times have changed, along with Mac security, meaning the glowing Apple logo is no longer a theft target on your back. It would be nice if it made a return in the next generation of MacBook Pro devices, but in Apple’s new (more justified) quest for thinness and possible touch-screen capabilities, don’t expect it to make a comeback.

The perfect midlife crisis watch face for Apple Watch Ultra.

You’re backpacking in the Alps, trying to get some fresh air and a fresh perspective on life. In your mind, you’re trying to prove your self-worth and let yourself know that you still, “got it.”

“I’m not getting old,” you say to yourself.

I’m still young, strong, and have the stamina to keep up with life’s challenges.

You delude yourself and start thinking, “I’m not getting old, I’m getting optimized.”

You’ve built up some wealth, are able to stay in shape, started a family, got a good calcium score, all with God’s blessings, and are wondering:

What is the next path in my life?

But before you get too existential, you realize that you’re way too deep into the cavernous mountains, and need some assistance getting back to base. Fortunately, you have the latest and greatest Apple Watch Ultra, and you’re using your favorite watch face:

Waypoint.

It’s the perfect watch face because it provides a nice big digital clock for your bifocal-ready eyes, surrounded by a compass pointing to your waypoints and other places of interest for your shrinking brain. The watch face and compass are also flanked by 3 corner complications that you struggle a bit to focus on, but there’s a plus-sized complication that comes to the rescue.

No bifocals required.

This (officially named as “circular”) complication, combined with other convenient and larger features of the watch face, makes Waypoint the perfect transition to Senior Citizenship. It’s got a conflicting vibe, just like the mid-life crisis, where you have regular and large complications, and an adventurous vibe all mashed into one. This wasn’t Apple’s intent because the bigger complication by default is a smaller compass, making it worse for people with poor vision, but if you change the complication to anything else, it an accessibility feature.

From small compass, to accessibility text bubble.

1x, 2x, and 4x, sized text bubbles (from my crude measurements).

Much easier to read your unread message count with the larger circular complication, whether it’s Waypoint or X-Large.

Whether it is battery life, health, communication, or prayer, you can use the larger complication to focus (pun intended) on what matters most to you.

Hopefully more developers start taking advantage of this new complication.

Tesla to support CarPlay in future software update.

Mark Gurman from Bloomberg:

Tesla Inc. is developing support for Apple Inc.’s CarPlay system in its vehicles, according to people with knowledge of the matter, working to add one of the most highly requested features by customers.

The carmaker has started testing the capability internally, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the effort is still private. The CarPlay platform — long supported by other automakers — shows users a version of the iPhone’s software that’s optimized for vehicle infotainment systems. It’s considered a must-have option by many drivers.

It will be the standard version of CarPlay with wireless support, not CarPlay Ultra. How will CarPlay integrate with Tesla’s infotainment system? The article continues:

Tesla plans to feature CarPlay within a window inside its broader interface, the people said. That means the Apple software won’t fully replace the Tesla operating system as it does in many other vehicles.

CarPlay also won’t tap into Tesla features like FSD, or full self-driving mode. Drivers will need to rely on Tesla’s own navigation app for that.

It would be interesting to see how this, “window inside its broader interface” pans out. I spent a decent amount of time in the latest Model Y in a buddy’s car that had all of the self-driving features, and it would be weird to have two maps side-by-side in certain situations (one for self-driving and one with Apple Maps). You can bet your bottom dollar that other car manufacturers are going to watch this integration closely, as Tesla pioneered big-screen integration and a software oriented car UI before anyone else.

This is obviously great news for Apple customers and a strategic, aka desperate move from Tesla to get those sales going since the end of the EV tax credit. It’s not their only move on the chessboard, with a rental program that starts at $60/day:

The rental duration is a minimum of three and a maximum of seven days, starting at $60 per day and increasing depending on the model.

Tesla appears to be using this to show potential buyers how convenient it is to own a Tesla vehicle, since it also includes Supercharging and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) for free with every rental.

If a rental customer decides to order a vehicle within a week of having rented one, Tesla gives them a $250 credit toward the purchase.

You can buy a MacBook sleeve that looks like a macOS folder.

The Untitled Folder Purse is the Untitled Folder Wallet grown up to laptop size, this time as genuine leather instead of vegan (fake) leather. A great gift for any Apple fan, and more practical than the iPhone Pocket.

For a genuine leather product, the $120 (14-inch) and $140 (16-inch) price tags seem reasonable.

BasicAppleGuy releases his famous iPhone 17 Pro internal wallpapers.

A no-brainer purchase for iPhone 17 Pro users. He leaves a bit of a cliffhanger for iPhone 17 and Air users:

Right now, the plan is to start work on the iPhone Air internals wallpaper, aiming for an early December 2025 release. I’m still on the fence about doing one for the iPhone 17—it’s tough to know if the time and effort will really pay off. Still weighing my options…

Sounds like good news for iPhone Air users, but is that really the best option? Passion wise it is, but realistically, iPhone 17 sales are higher, meaning higher demand (and purchases) for a wallpaper set. Then again, iPhone Air users have extra cash to spend and are more likely to be enthusiasts, so is that the better option? It is quite the pickle.

For all you Pro users, go ahead and buy the 17 Pro wallpapers.

Apple releases iPhone Pocket.

I thought this was a prank on X when I first saw it. If this wasn’t a collaboration with a design brand, I would assume the prices would be half the real price of $149 (short version) and $229 (long version).

One change I would suggest to Apple - swap out the iPhone 17 in this provocative photo to the iPhone Air.

Thinner and sexier.

Will Apple’s “Can’t Decide Guide,” video for the 2025 iPhones become its most popular YouTube video?

It’s been out for 2 months, already has 50 million views, and only 1 million views away from being the number 2 video behind the glorified MacBook security features video that has 79 million views.

For context let’s look at the video release dates of Apple’s top 4 videos along with view count to really see the impact of this year’s iPhones:

1. The Underdogs: Swiped Mac | Apple at Work - 79 million views, released 7/19/23

2. Heartstrings | Apple Holiday | Hearing Aid feature on AirPods Pro 2 - 51 million views, released 11/28/24

3. Someday, by Spike Jonze | AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation - 44 million views, released 3/18/25

4. The Can’t Decide Guide: A Guided Tour of the New iPhone Family | Apple - 50 million views, released 9/9/25

I’ve been checking it every few days, and it keeps going up by a few million each time. My assumption is it will continue to gain tons of views for the holiday season, and then drastically taper off. It’s still slotted as the fourth most popular video even though it has the 3rd highest view count. (Even YouTube can’t keep up?)

Will it pass the 79 million views mark before then? Whether that happens or not, there’s no denying that the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air lineup is going to be a super-cycle upgrade year for Apple with 3 amazing choices.

It genuinely is tough to decide this year. You have the base iPhone 17, which has the best value in any smartphone today and even feels more premium than the 17 Pro. The iPhone Air is a glimpse of the future, with the most durable and slimmest chassis ever to be offered by Apple. Finally, the 17 Pro is chock full of features that most people will never use, but are still glad they have. It’s the soccer mom’s off road SUV that never touches grass.

The Modular Ultra watch face is reason enough to buy an Apple Watch Ultra.

Ryan Christoffel from 9to5Mac, describing why he loves Apple Watch Ultra:

But overall, my favorite Apple Watch Ultra 3 feature is something not exclusive to the Ultra 3 at all: it’s the Modular Ultra watch face.

After years spent using the standard ‘Modular’ face on my previous Apple Watch models, Modular Ultra has been the single biggest upgrade in going ‘Ultra’ this year.

And in a way, that spotlights what I’d call the Ultra line’s unfair advantage.

Despite Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10 having very “Ultra-like” screen sizes in their 46mm models, Modular Ultra is exclusive to the more pricey Ultra line.

Is there a hardware reason for this limitation? No, it’s entirely a software decision by Apple.

To be honest though, I have a hard time faulting Apple for this move.

Modular Ultra and the other Ultra-exclusive faces are fantastic differentiators for the Ultra line.

Since the watch face is the primary interface for Apple Watch, getting the ideal face for your needs could itself make upgrading to an Ultra model worthwhile.

I think it has been for me.

I agree wholeheartedly. All the other upgrades are nice year over year, but the exclusive watch faces for the Ultra are worth it, something I can’t say about the exclusive Hermès watch faces. I currently have 3 different Modular Ultra watch faces that I use daily with 3 different layouts, and a 4th one setup for testing purposes to see if Apple (hopefully) allows complications to update every second in always off mode.

Doing my hearing test on AirPods Pro 3.

While I was testing the AirPods Pro 3, I figured it was the right time to do a hearing test, now that the Noise Cancellation is twice as good as AirPods Pro 2. I’m happy with the results, especially since I disabled headphone safety notifications. I would say the 6 dBHL for my left ear was due to the air conditioner being on, which I couldn’t tell since the AirPods go into Noise Cancellation mode during the test. I only noticed it after the left ear was done, it was totally silent, and then I heard the AC cycle off. Then the right ear test started. I didn’t feel like doing another one, but I’m sure the results would have been a lot closer to the 1 dBHL.

Still, I don’t have the robust ears of someone in their 20s. I’m reminded of this fact every time my younger brother (17 years younger!) tells me to unplug my charger since he can hear the coil whine.

For more official numbers, check out ASHA’s website.

Is Apple opening up the walled garden for car manufacturers?

Patrick George from The Atlantic:

Among all of Apple’s achievements, one of the most underrated has been making driving less miserable. Before Apple CarPlay debuted, about a decade ago, drivers were stuck with whatever clunky tech features were preloaded into their car. By projecting a simplified iPhone layout onto the car’s central screen, CarPlay lets you use apps such as Apple Maps and Spotify without fumbling for your phone, make hands-free calls, and dictate text messages. It is seamless, free, and loved by millions of iPhone owners.

Now one of the world’s biggest car companies is taking it away. Last month, General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced that new cars made by the auto giant won’t support CarPlay and its counterpart, Android Auto. Ditching smartphone mirroring may seem to make as much sense as removing cup holders: Recent preliminary data from AutoPacific, a research firm, suggest that CarPlay and Android Auto are considered must-have features among many new-car shoppers. But according to GM, the company can create an even better experience for drivers by dropping Apple and making its own software. And like it or not, the move says a lot about where the auto industry is headed.

I think GM knows things we don’t know and just can’t say it in public. According to Mary Barra in a recent Decoder interview with Nilay Patel, GM has a great relationship with Apple at the most senior level:

I would say we have a good relationship with Apple. I mean at the most senior level with Apple, with Google, with all of the tech companies. We’re bringing Apple Wallet. We’ll be announcing that shortly, that we’ll have that and have the ability to do some of the vehicle functions through that. So we’re having continual conversations with Apple, and I would say we’re talking about the opportunity and looking for win-wins. We also have a very good relationship with Google and we don’t enable Android Auto either. So I would say you’re talking about a moment in time versus where the industry is heading from Dolby Atmos and the relationship that we have with Apple. I wouldn’t make some of the broad-based assumptions you’re making.

When Nilay asked about getting the Apple Music app on his Cadillac, Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson responds:

We don’t have anything to share on that right now.

There’s obviously a lot of “hush, hush” discussions in the background between car manufacturers and the tech giants, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple decides to change the CarPlay model altogether and make it more compatible with Android Automotive.

Apple Maps has been unleashed from the walled garden allowing Android users to use it, and with their recent update to the App Store web interface, Apple is giving us teasers that maybe, just maybe, they might make their ecosystem more open to say, car manufacturers?

There’s still a few years left before GM tapers off CarPlay for their gas-engine vehicles, but I’m sure there’s a solution in the works that will satisfy Apple, car manufacturers, and consumers.

There has to be.

Apple Watch Ultra Titanium Milanese Loop - why you might want to go for a larger size.

Normally I just follow Apple’s sizing before picking a watch band, but this time I was able to try out the larger size, and I liked it better. My wrists are 160mm, and I chose the large size band which is supposed to be for wrists measuring 180-210mm. In theory the medium band is ideal with a range of 155-185mm, but I’ll tell you why I went with large.

The larger size gives you a more classic look similar to the classic buckle because the clasp swings further into your view. You also get a double-layered mesh on about 80% of the band instead of 50% of the band, making the feel more substantial and symmetrical.

Medium vs Large Titanium Milanese - loop side down

You can see the clasp peaking out on the large band since it’s pushed back. Gives it a more “Ultra” look. (My wrist size - 160mm).

The large band really does look like the classic buckle and much beefier than the asymmetric medium size.

The clasp is almost hidden from view in the large configuration, making your wrist more comfortable when typing.

Medium vs Large Titanium Milanese - loop side up

If you prefer the loop on top, aka, the “Elvis look,” the large band once again looks beefier with the clasp visible on the bottom.

The clasp positioning doesn’t change a whole lot on the underside.

The best way to find out what size to get is to go in-store and try it out for yourself. They usually have medium and large bands on display, but if you are deciding between small and medium, ask to try on a small and they will get one for you. If no one is there to help you or you found the size you like, confirm the size by looking inside the band connector.

The iPhone Decision.

It’s been a grueling month, the annual September - October tech month where I decide what new Apple hardware to buy. It’s also the month where my wife sighs every time I change my mind about what to buy, sell, trade-in, etc., because it involves using her Facebook marketplace account where she has a good reputation, score, or whatever seller rating metric they use.

After going back and forth between the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air, I have finally decided on the Air. It just gives me the most satisfaction every time I hold it. Even when taking it off my MagSafe dock in my car, that feeling is unparalleled.

I have absolutely no regrets choosing the iPhone Air. I’ve realized over the past few weeks that my preference leans towards the feel, aesthetics, and premium quality of my iPhone over the feature set. Heck, even the slimmer iPhone 17 feels more premium than the bulbous 17 Pro now that the displays are the same, and if there was no iPhone Air, I would seriously consider the regular iPhone 17.

The blend of both premium quality and top features were always intertwined in the Pro lineup, but after they were unraveled this year, it really led to an iPhone identity crisis. Once I found out what mattered to me most and looked deep with myself, the answer became crystal clear. This year, the iPhone Air is hands down the most premium and most aesthetically pleasing device Apple has made, and it might even be the most premium device they have made, period.

And I am all in.

Apple’s new M5 chip is impressive, but raises some questions about contextual Siri.

I’m a bit behind with the news and with my thoughts on all things Apple, but I think the new M5 chip and future Pro and Max chips will be a cut off point for AI features. The marketing for this chip and its AI capabilities are beyond anything else Apple has ever released:

Just a teaser from their full Newsroom article:

A Next-Generation GPU Architecture Optimized for AI and Graphics

With the next-generation GPU architecture in M5, every compute block of the chip is optimized for AI. The 10-core GPU features a dedicated Neural Accelerator in each core, delivering over 4x peak GPU compute compared to M4, and over 6x peak GPU compute for AI performance compared to M1.1 And now with M5, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Pro benefit from dramatically accelerated processing for AI-driven workflows, such as running diffusion models in apps like Draw Things, or running large language models locally using platforms like webAI.

Apple is still working on the new contextual version of Siri that allegedly can pull information from multiple apps to give you a proper answer to the hallmark question - “When is Mom’s flight landing,” and I think older hardware that was promised this feature will have significantly reduced performance.

The Catch-22 is, Apple has always been about top-notch performance and would axe features on older devices if they performed poorly, so that begs the question (or questions):

Will the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 line of devices even get contextual Siri? Will it have the hardware guts to truly support it without feeling slow and broken? Which Macs will receive the new contextual Siri? Surely an M1 with 8GB of RAM can’t spit out contextual Siri’s answers fast enough to satisfy Apple and even consumers?

Currently, only iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air have 12 GB of RAM, and all iPhone 16 devices and the 15 Pro devices have 8GB of RAM. Next year’s iPhone 18 lineup is rumored to have 12GB of RAM across the lineup to fully support what I would call “Apple Intelligence 2.0” (via MacRumors):

With its latest iPhone lineup, the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max feature 12GB of memory. This is a significant increase of 4GB more their predecessors, largely driven by the demands of on-device artificial intelligence processing.

The iPhone 17 is the only new model to continue to feature 8GB of memory. It looks like that will change with the ‌iPhone 18‌, with Apple reportedly seeking memory parity across all four models.

At this point we won’t get contextual Siri until WWDC 2026, which means it will release with iOS 27 in September 2026 along with the new iPhone 18 lineup.

In an alternate timeline, the iPhone Air was supposed to have a SIM tray, and Apple might have left a physical artifact on the device that proves it.

If you look right underneath the volume down button about 1.75cm below, you can see a faint cutout of a hole that looks like a SIM ejection slot. It’s very, very, very hard to see, and you have to have the proper lighting and some finger oils to really catch a glimpse of it. I found it one day by chance under the perfect set of lights, but it took me several days to find it again and actually photograph it properly.

Trying to clean the spot with a polishing cloth has the opposite effect and makes it impossible to see under the shiny reflective titanium. To try and find it, smudge the area with your finger oils, and apply your finger there for a few seconds so it gets some heat as well. Then lightly rub away the fingerprint with your hands and you will see where it looks like Apple would have put a SIM slot.

Was this supposed to be the ejector slot for a SIM tray?

The same, centered hole pictured next to an iPhone SE. No joke, it might take you days to see it.

Maybe this is just some sort of tool marking for manufacturing purposes, but the story kind of fits. ShrimpApplePro posted a regulatory snapshot on September 7th that shows all the different battery capacities for this year's iPhones, and it included two different battery sizes for the iPhone Air.

After all iPhones were released and Apple confirmed an eSIM only iPhone Air, all of ShrimpApplePro’s battery specs matched exactly, with MacRumors confirming all battery capacities on September 19th.

The lone exception? A 3036mAh, 11.823Wh iPhone Air battery that never made it to mass production. Looks like there might have been some last-minute manufacturing decisions and Apple was confident enough to forego cutting out a SIM slot and recycled all of the lower capacity batteries.

iDrop News has some more details that helps explain the whole eSIM situation in China:

While most countries don’t have a legal requirement that devices have a physical SIM card slot, China is the notable exception. Although there’s no explicit law or regulation, the regulatory framework effectively creates a de facto restriction, as all smartphones sold in China must obtain a Network Access License (NAL) and a State Radio Regulation of China (SRRC) Type Approval Certificate from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The process is somewhat opaque, but most analysts believe the MIIT has created a barrier to eSIM adoption by refusing to approve any devices that don’t include a physical SIM.

In a more recent piece:

Nevertheless, during its Awe Dropping event, Apple seemed optimistic that the iPhone Air would launch in China alongside the rest of this year’s iPhone lineup later that same week, listing it among the same 63 countries that were getting the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

It wasn’t until preorders opened on September 12 that Apple conceded that the iPhone Air wouldn’t be coming to mainland China, with the South China Morning Post reporting it had quietly updated its website to say that release information would be coming later.

At the time, the issue appeared to be mostly bureaucratic. Apple reportedly had all three state-owned carriers on board and ready to support the eSIM-only iPhone Air, but everyone was waiting for the MIIT to give the go-ahead to begin selling them. Apple could only say that it was “working closely with regulatory authorities to bring it to China as soon as possible.

Again, it all sounds very plausible that Apple was going back and forth whether to release a SIM-only version in China with a smaller battery. Considering how normal the current battery life is on the Air, a slightly smaller battery wouldn’t have been a deal breaker. We may never get the full story until years later when somebody writes a book with more details, or an Apple executive spills the beans in an interview.

If this slot was real (which I think it was), it would definitely have been a single SIM slot and not the dual-slot SIM card sandwich just because the device is stupid thin.

My original prediction wasn’t right, but I think I was damn close.

The Fitness app on iPad is a shell of what it could really be.

The iPad’s Fitness app is equal to the Fitness+ tab on the iPhone’s Fitness app. You don’t have tabs for Summary, Workout, or Sharing. This wasn’t a big deal until Apple added the ability to start workouts directly from the iPhone in iOS 26, whether you wear AirPods Pro 3 or Apple Watch. Now that AirPods Pro 3 can track your heart rate and works with countless workout types, it only makes sense for the Fitness app to be the same across all platforms and let you use an iPad to start a workout with metrics tracked on AirPods Pro 3. This would be perfect for people who like to watch videos on their iPad while running, allowing them to see their metrics in a dual-window setup, unlike this unoptimized dual-device setup.

Is Apple gatekeeping the iPad as a Fitness+ only device and limiting its functionality on purpose? Personally, I don’t think so. I’m expecting the app to be updated to be equal to the iPhone app and be more cohesive.

AirPods Pro 3 heart rate sensing capabilities - exceeds expectations.

A thorough test by DC Rainmaker showing how accurate the heart rate sensors are in AirPods Pro 3, after the dismal performance with the Powerbeats Pro 2:

In any case, I’m blown away. Like, legit blown away. Not because Apple couldn’t do it, but because the PowerBeats 2 Pro were so bad (and only about 8 months ago), that I’d kinda written off Apple’s ability to get optical HR correct. Further, other companies recent attempts (e.g. Polar’s with Sennheiser), have also been pretty darn bad. All of which tracked with numerous other companies over the years trying, and failing, horrifically.

Apple has managed to do something that really nobody else has: Produce a pretty solid heart rate sensing device in your ears. It’s not absolutely perfect, but it’s really strong. Plus, despite urban legends to the contrary, chest straps are rarely perfect either (especially in the cooler fall temps, when there isn’t quite as much sweat, you’ll see issues in the first 5-10 mins).

Just like classic Apple hardware, it just works. I was skeptical myself since Apple’s keynote video shows a guy starting a walking workout, but I did some indoor runs and it worked fine. Indoor runs are pretty basic and don’t involve a lot of head movement, so I tested the AirPods during some HIIT workouts with a lot more head movement, and still they tracked my heart rate without a hitch. I don’t have other devices to really compare the nitty gritty numbers, but they stayed put and the numbers were in line with my Apple Watch metrics.

From a fitness perspective, these are a great device for those who love to live in Apple’s walled garden.

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro - the paradox of choice.

One of the reasons I left Android for iPhone was the constant barrage of new devices being released with Android. Literally a new phone every few months, which made me a serial buyer and seller. The guy at the AT&T store even knew me by first name at one point. 

Things really peaked around 2010-2012, where I had a new phone every couple of months, and when I finally did decide to keep a phone, I would start rooting it and installing new ROMs several times a week, trying to tweak and change devices. 

My priorities did change after a while with kids and moving for work, but the kids were still young, so I had time to tinker around and get the ideal setup for my device. The ideal though, kept changing, and from one day to the next, there would always be some issues with a ROM update causing some key feature to glitch out. 

Once the Nexus line of phones came out, the frantic buying and selling was tamed a bit, but the other flagships got better and better, outpacing Google’s yearly upgrade that just didn’t cut it anymore.

Back to the serial upgrading and selling.

I realized I couldn’t keep living like this. I needed a simple solution and wanted out of the modding game. Even if I didn’t root an Android phone, I could install a custom launcher or custom icons, and there we go again with the constant tweaking and tinkering of the device instead of actually using the device!

I finally decided that this couldn’t go on forever, and in 2012, I decided to get an iPhone 5.

The best tech decision I ever made. 

It still had limitations over Android, but now I had the best smartphone with the best camera that only upgrades once a year. 

Now the process was simple:

Buy the newest iPhone each year. It will be the most premium device with the most features.

There was always the possibility of tinkering with the iPhone, but for some reason, the idea of jailbreaking never tempted me. It just felt right the way it was. The upgrade cycle was also a relief on my mind (and wallet), to wait until September to get the latest and sell the previous year’s device.

How I wish it was that easy today.

The journey between 2016 - 2024 was a pretty standard one, with the Plus or Pro Max versions dominating my decision. Only twice did I gravitate towards a non-flagship phone, and in one of those cases, the flagship phone (iPhone 12 Pro Max) was my wife’s phone of choice, making it easier for me to go polar opposite and get the 12 mini. Wherever I wanted to look at the 12 Pro Max, all I had to do was grab my wife’s phone and fondle it for a few minutes (don’t judge me).

After a year with the iPhone 12 mini, I realized that I needed to go back to my flagship days and life was good for 4 years straight:

2021 - iPhone 13 Pro Max

2022 - iPhone 14 Pro Max

2023 - iPhone 15 Pro Max

2024 - iPhone 16 Pro Max

The regular iPhone 17 is out of the question just to be clear, as I am going for the most premium experience. The question is, what is the most premium experience now??

This is a question not just for me, but for any iPhone enthusiast.

The iPhone Air speaks to my heart, but the iPhone 17 Pro speaks to my mind. The battle between the heart and mind has never been so hard until this year, and that’s because Apple has done something this year that they never did with the iPhone:

The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro in 2025 is the first time Apple has separated luxury and features. They used to be intertwined into one device, but now it has bifurcated into two polar opposites.

That feeling of, “wow, I can’t believe I have this beautiful device that is so capable,” is harder to answer. 

You pick the Air, and you can marvel at its beauty and thinness, but it lacks in the camera department.

You pick the 17 Pro, and it reminds you of the sumo wrestler that’s strong, thick, and capable, but he ain’t gonna win any beauty contests.

Build quality and feel

iPhone 17 Pro is more rounded thanks to the unibody aluminum chassis, but it is also more slippery, making the polished Titanium on the Air more appealing with its grippy, secure feel. I drop my phones occasionally, and the last thing I want to see is a dent on my “premium” aluminum device.

That’s right, aluminum is much softer than titanium, and any hard crashes onto concrete on a naked iPhone (and even with some thin cases) is a recipe for dents and deep scratches. Durability is unbelievable on iPhone Air, with Titanium that’s almost unbendable, and more importantly undentable (I just made that up) when dropped from normal heights. You might see scuffs, but you will have to inspect the device closely to really find them. The plateau is also made of glass, making it much harder to scratch compared to iPhone 17 Pro’s aluminum plateau. From a fall, the plateaus are about even durability wise since aluminum will 100% scuff hard especially around the sharper edges, but the Air’s glass could break.

The feel in hand is about the same, yet different. The thicker, rounded 17 Pro is nice to wrap around the hand and sits well, but the thinner Air wraps around the hand just as well even though it is wider (71.9mm vs 74.7mm). Both feel comfortable in the hand, and both have a sense of amazement, giving off that, “I can’t believe I have this much power in my hand,” feeling whenever I hold them. I can easily touch my thumb to my middle finger when wrapping my hand around the phone.

Both devices look premium in different ways. I love the two-tone back of the Pro and really like the Deep Blue aluminum plateau that shimmers in the right kind of light. The camera lenses also look a lot better sitting on aluminum instead of glass, with camera rings that match the material and texture of the plateau. Symmetry is back on the 17 Pro, with the bottom USB-C port being flanked by an even number of speaker and microphone holes on either side. I can’t even remember the last iPhone flagship that had full symmetry at the bottom (after checking, it was the iPhone X).

iPhone Air looks more premium than the 17 Pro in other ways, with its high gloss titanium frame and also symmetrical microphone holes on the bottom. I am a bit disgruntled by the uneven USB-C port, and it does take away from the ultra-premium feel just a little bit. The thinness and lightness is another premium aspect in and of itself. The simplicity of the back glass and plateau is also elegant, with just one camera followed by a smooth pane of glass that covers the guts of the phone.

The titanium does overall beat out the 17 Pro in terms of overall premium build because thicker aluminum is just not as premium or rigid as thinner, polished titanium. No matter how wonderful and nostalgic Molly Anderson’s voiceover was for the iPhone 17 Pro launch, with a British accent that is right in line with Jony Ive, it won’t transform aluminum into a premium material.

Cameras

iPhone Air is very sleek and feels like the future, but it also regresses in the camera department which is a big deal for me. I miss taking ultra-wide photos and telephoto portraits of my children, but I also take a lot of photos of papers and receipts. The one annoying thing on an iPhone with an ultra-wide camera is when it auto switches to macro mode when taking pictures of said receipts. Not a problem on the Air! As for kid photos, the wife takes more than I do and they’re amazing quality on her 16 Plus, so do I really need the 3 lenses? I also have a Canon M50 with a macro lens. It is a beginner camera but will still outshines any mobile camera if you know what you’re doing (I mostly know what I’m doing and don’t just use the dummy modes on cameras).

I did test out the camera system on the 17 Pro, and it is really a big jump in quality and convenience. The 4x telephoto is the perfect balance between Apple’s 3x and 5x, and I can easily get good portrait shots even in my modestly sized living room. Of course if I do want to zoom in more, going to 8x still produces very nice photos at 12 megapixels that are really a treat to look at. Once again, this is only a big deal for me mainly because of kids, or else the cameras wouldn’t be a huge factor. The front facing cameras are the same on both devices, and it is a huge improvement with the square sensor that acts as a Center Stage camera when on a FaceTime call.

The iPhone Air’s main camera is also very serviceable, and even has a closer focusing distance than the 17 Pro still making it capable for pseudo-macro shots. You obviously don’t have ultrawide or telephoto capabilities. Still, not a deal breaker if all you want is a decent camera and you don’t really zoom in too much. The single camera also gives the back of the phone a cleaner look. But damn, those Pro cameras really have taken it to another level this year.

Display

As a Pro Max user for many years, the 6.3-inch Pro size is feeling just a bit too small for me, but it feels great in the hand. The 6.9-inch Pro Max display is also surprisingly comfortable since the device feels lighter than my 16 Pro Max did. I think that has to do with the extra thickness and lower overall density of the device. The iPhone Air feels like the perfect balance with its 6.5-inch display. If the Air was any smaller, it would be a non-contender, but I think Apple had to make it 6.5-inches in order to get the biggest battery they could. Once again, a very hard decision - the 17 Pro feels amazing in the hand, the 17 Pro Max doesn’t feel cumbersome, but the Air feels and looks like a Pro Max device from years past, looking even better from a distance when lying flat on a surface giving the illusory feeling that you’re just looking at a display panel and not a phone.

Battery

It’s a win-win for both devices. Most people thought the iPhone Air battery would be atrocious, but it matches the battery life of the iPhone 16 Pro. The 17 Pro and Pro Max get big battery upgrades from previous years, and even if you’re going from any recent Pro Max device to the 6.3-inch 17 Pro, you will have better battery life than your previous, bigger device. If you’re a 16 Pro Max user that wants to “downgrade“ to a smaller 17 Pro, the battery life numbers are equal per Apple’s benchmarks. 

The iPhone Air is also no slouch either and easily lasts all day with normal use, equaling the battery life of an iPhone 16 Pro. Impressive battery life all around this year for both devices, considering what you are getting form factor wise.

I am getting less than ideal battery life on the iPhone Air, but that’s because I just. can’t. put. the. device. down!

Performance

For most normal users, there is no difference in performance between these phones. Your standard social media, photos and videos, call, texts, etc., are all going to be smooth with no hiccups.

Of course, if you’re a true Pro user, you already know the Pro is for you. People who want the Air but think it will be a slower device because it has one less GPU core don’t need to worry. Aside from the cameras, I would say the Air is 99% capable of doing everything the iPhone 17 Pro can do.

With iPhone Air, you can have your cake and eat it too.

If you could only pick one…

This is the million-dollar question, or the $1,000 question:

Which device do I pick?

I had to use the 17 Pro in isolation for almost two weeks, followed by the Air for a week. The choice was hard when using the 17 Pro, but it became much easier when using the iPhone Air.

iPhone Air is the way to go if you’re really looking for a fresh experience with the least amount of sacrifices. Sacrifices, not compromises because there is nothing compromised on the iPhone Air.

It really just boils down to this:

Which device gives you that feeling, that whenever you pick it up, makes you think, “Damn, I can’t believe I have this much power in my hands.”

For me, it’s iPhone Air…

I think.

Because those cameras…on the iPhone 17 Pro…man they’re good.

But it feels cheaper than the Air…that just feels amazing every time you hold it.

But the Pro’s Plateau looks amazing especially in Deep Blue with the light shimmering on it just right.

I’m still torn between these two devices. I can’t make up my mind.

I’m cooked.

Tested - iPhone Air MagSafe Battery.

Small but informative video from Aaron at MobileReviewsEh about the wireless abilities of the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery.

Its wired capabilities are not impressive, but that’s not the point of this battery. It really shines as a wireless device, charging his “test iPhone” faster while running cooler than all the other battery banks he used for testing (a literal bucket full of battery banks).

The single reason to get the Series 11 over the Series 10.

There’s only one reason to get the Series 11 over the Series 10, and this feature is for the cheaper aluminum models. The aluminum models this year have a tougher display that is twice as resistant to scratches compared to the Series 10 and lower:

The cover glass of aluminum models of Apple Watch Series 11 offers 2x more scratch resistance. Made from a unique Ion-X (ion-exchanged strengthened) glass — a custom, proprietary glass that is already the toughest in the industry — the display is now treated with a breakthrough Apple-designed ceramic coating that bonds to the glass at an atomic level through a physical vapor deposition process, significantly hardening the surface.

I haven’t seen any tests online of this new glass, but if it is anything like the new Ceramic Shield 2 on the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, this display will be great for aluminum lovers who worry about a display that easily gets scratched. Every single aluminum Apple Watch that I purchased in the past 10 years got scratched without fail, no matter how much I tried to baby the watch.

Besides that bullet point, the only other three upgrades for the Series 11:

1. 5G vs LTE

2. Dual band Wi-Fi 4 (2.4GHz and 5.1GHz) vs standard (single band?) Wi-Fi 4 on the Series 10

3. 24 hour battery life vs 18 hour battery life.

99% of people don’t care about 5G on an Apple Watch, and 99.9% of people won’t care about the Wi-Fi upgrades. The battery upgrades are negligible and are not due to a significant increase in battery size, but more a function of the parameters used for testing as observed by MacRumors’ forum users:

As spotted by a user on the MacRumors forums, the primary difference between the two test scenarios in Apple's official documentation is the inclusion of sleep tracking in the Series 11's evaluation. Apple states that the 24-hour figure is based on 300 time checks, 90 notifications, 15 minutes of app use, a 60-minute workout with music playback, and six hours of sleep tracking. The comparable Series 10 test lists the same parameters but does not include sleep tracking.

While Apple does not break down the exact battery drain of each activity, sleep tracking is generally a low-power feature, allowing older Apple Watch models to be worn overnight without fully depleting their charge. Many users have pointed out that Apple Watches have long exceeded the company's stated 18-hour battery life in real-world use, with most users comfortably achieving overnight tracking. This suggests that the six-hour increase is primarily a result of Apple adding sleep tracking to its official scenario, rather than a significant increase in real-world battery life.

If you’re deciding on getting an aluminum Apple Watch, go for the Series 11 since the upgraded display is worth the extra money compared to a discounted Series 10.

If you’re deciding on a titanium Apple Watch, go for the Series 10 since you can save at least $100 compared to the Series 11. Right now you can get a Slate Titanium with Milanese Loop on Amazon for $629 vs $799 for the Series 11.

If you’re among the elite few who heavily relies on Apple Watch’s cellular connection, get the Series 11.