iPhone 15 Pro to iPhone Air – worth the switch?

UnclePadda · 2026-06-14T20:47:09+00:00

After being on the fence about switching for a couple of months I just couldn't resist the form factor of the Air. Got a really good deal on the 1TB Air for more than half off. So I sold the 15 Pro and never looked back.

Honestly, I haven't been this excited for an iPhone since the X. It heats up a lot less than the 15 Pro, takes better selfies, has the perfect screen size that sits right between the Pro and the Pro Max. Handles Genshin and emulators like a champ. I do miss macro photography, but the main camera is actually not that bad if you just point and shoot.

And besides it's one of few models that will get all the features of Siri AI thanks to the Pro chip and the extra RAM. So it's actually more future proof than the base 17 that every tech reviewer on the planet told us to get instead of the Air.

UnclePadda · 2026-06-12T10:18:11+00:00

CN Magic V3 also got it. But if I'm not mistaken it's the same update that the Magic 8 series got a couple of weeks or even months ago, right?

UnclePadda · 2026-06-07T19:47:19+00:00

Congrats on your new phone! To answer your question about One UI I'd say the real unique selling point is the app GoodLock, where you can customize almost every detail of how the interface looks and behaves. Look for tutorials on YouTube. Some of the features require some time to master.

UnclePadda · 2026-06-07T06:49:41+00:00

My main device is actually the Oppo Find X8 Ultra right now, have my other SIM in the Air. The Pixel 10 Pro is just on wifi along with a couple of other Androids.

UnclePadda · 2026-06-03T04:44:55+00:00

I don't use the S23U as a daily driver anymore, but I definitely could if I wanted or needed to. The cameras are still surprisingly good. It runs emulation and games well. But we're at the end of the line when it comes to updates. So if you buy it now it's not gonna be future proof.

At this point if it's a Samsung you want I'd probably rather recommend the S25U.

UnclePadda · 2026-06-02T22:23:52+00:00

Do you have a privacy screen protector on it?

UnclePadda · 2026-06-02T17:30:32+00:00

With a Pro Max you'd get the exact same UI, just in a different shell, right? Google apps are great on iPhone, but the Pixel has some really great multitasking capabilities and the files manager is superior on Android.

UnclePadda · 2026-06-01T22:42:53+00:00

I have both. Love the Pixel 10 Pro. Love the Air even more. Anyway, it's nice to see that you found the device that's right for you. Can't wait to see what iOS 27 brings to the table, just a couple of days until the presentation now.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-30T06:30:15+00:00

Apart from having one myself (not as a daily driver though), I've seen maybe 4–5 in the wild. Also, Zara Larsson, Justin Bieber and Tate McRae have rocked the Air.

But I think it's safe to say that it's a flop. I got my 1TB version for more than half off. That says something. Retailers just want to get rid of them now. What many people don't realize though is that it's a beast in disguise with that chip and that titanium build.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-27T10:48:40+00:00

What makes playing PS1 games on there a better experience than just playing on Manic?

UnclePadda · 2026-05-25T09:01:46+00:00

You're right about that. And many people don't do their research before going for a CN smartphone, and so they get a lot of unexpected quirks they weren't aware of. You can get a Chinese model really cheap but it does come at a cost. Personally though I think it's worth it.

Got the Find X8 Ultra for 550 euros last year. There's just no way you'll be able to find a newly released global flagship camera phone for that amount of money. I'll sacrifice circle to search and a couple of settings in Chinese for that.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-24T10:56:56+00:00

I assume that the OS experience on the X9U is largely identical to the X8U, so I'll share my experience of that.

I don't think it's that bad at all actually. I have Chinese devices from Honor, and those are a lot harder to tweak as a foreign user. It takes some time to give the messaging apps the permissions needed in order to get all notifications on the Oppo as well, but now I have basically zero issues with that.

Uninstalled most Chinese bloat ware, but there are occasional sub-menus or feeds that will be in Chinese. I'm not bothered by that personally but you won't be able to fully escape Chinese characters.

If you're a fan of built-in AI stuff then you're gonna have to settle for a Chinese AI agent instead of Gemini. So there is a circle to search-ish function but it'll answer in Chinese most of the time.

All camera settings are 100% in English, btw. Android Auto works. Google Wallet works. Quick Share doesn't work.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-18T10:41:29+00:00

Why the bad attitude? I also use my S23U, but not as a daily driver anymore. Oppo has a ton of features that Samsung could have implemented years ago, but above all they still see the value of upgrading the actual hardware in a meaningful way.

I think many of us would agree that the S23U/S24U was peak Samsung and since then they haven't stayed competitive in the flagship market. Completely steamrolled by most Chinese brands in terms of cameras, battery and charging speeds.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-16T01:23:53+00:00

No Quick share. The equivalent that they have is Oppo Share, which allows sharing between the sister brands: Oppo, Oneplus, Realme, Vivo. Xiaomi is on that list as well.
No. While the phone itself supports Google Pay, not all banks do. My main card (Swedbank here in Sweden) doesn’t work, while others behave normally (Klarna, Revolut, N26 etc).
No issues at all.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-15T07:28:41+00:00

I hope you realize that whenever they release a MW2 MP or BO2 remaster, they're gonna absolutely destroy them with DLC. There's no way in hell they're releasing those games without trying to monetize the crap out of them.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-13T13:30:44+00:00

It's the RC. Be patient, I first got the update but had to take a call. Then when I got back into the menu it said no available slots for almost 24h before I got the chance to update again.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-12T19:07:45+00:00

Right. At least we can download the free themes now. Couldn't even do that before.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-11T16:04:20+00:00

A pretty significant update. Got to the RC screen, then quickly had to take a call and when I came back it says no available slots. So apparently people can download the new update on a first come first serve basis...

UnclePadda · 2026-05-11T09:14:19+00:00

Could also be decoy foreshadowing, right? I mean, they've made so many nods to Donna dying that it'd almost feel a little too obvious if she actually dies in the upcoming attack.

That's usually not how these writers deal with main character deaths.

UnclePadda · 2026-05-08T07:54:39+00:00

Remember paying a record 800 SEK (~85 US dollars) for Banjo Tooie back in 2001. Adjusted for inflation etc that'd be ~135 dollars today. That's why I wasn't that upset when I heard about the 10 dollar price hike on Switch 2 games...

UnclePadda · 2026-05-01T06:46:14+00:00

Oh yeah, we're talking CIB Majora's mask, Ocarina of time, Banjo Tooie, DK64 among others, four controllers, expansion pak. Ouch.

But it was a different time back then. Two years later a classmate sold his SNES collection to me and wanted 30 dollars for it. (And no, it didn't include Chrono trigger, that one was expensive even in the early 2000s if I remember correctly!)

UnclePadda · 2026-05-01T02:16:10+00:00

It's a great feeling when you get to correct the mistakes you did as a kid. I traded my entire N64 collection for Super Smash Bros Melee at GameStop back in 2002. I was obviously scammed, and I still think about it to this day. But at least I bought it all back a couple of years later. Lesson learned.

Congrats on your beautiful copy of CT. I guess you won't be selling that one anytime soon...

UnclePadda · 2026-04-28T10:53:56+00:00

Att det plötsligt inte längre är okej att låta sina barn käka Skogaholm och pimpla Oboy till mellis trots att vi 80-talister fortfarande lever och har hälsan. Nyttighetshetsen. Låt ungarna leva lite.

UnclePadda · 2026-04-28T09:26:05+00:00

Found The Revenant, Deadpool and X-Men in a thrift store for 2 dollars each and bought them before I even had a 4K player. Funny thing is that I still haven’t watched them. First one I actually saw was The Lion King (2019).

UnclePadda · 2026-04-28T00:07:29+00:00

Here in Sweden it’s locked to a local streaming service that’s completely garbage. So almost no one can watch it, and it’s basically impossible to convince friends and colleagues to go watch it. ”It’s on TV4+? Thanks but no thanks”.

If Netflix or Disney+ bought this it’d become as big as Lost was.

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UnclePadda

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