Selecting between the Mate 70 Air and iPhone Air bought me pondering—do I would like smooth design or extra energy for much less?
China’s smartphone manufacturers are stepping as much as problem Apple in 2025, and now it’s Huawei’s flip. The Mate 70 Air goals on the identical crowd that loves the iPhone Air for its smooth design however isn’t keen to splurge. Regardless of being slim and fairly reasonably priced, the Mate 70 Air doesn’t reduce corners just like the iPhone does. However do the perks of the Huawei Mate 70 Air outweigh the Apple expertise?
Design
The Mate 70 Air measures 6.6 mm thick and weighs 208 grams. Whereas the iPhone Air is available in thinner at 5.6 mm and lighter at 165 grams, the Mate 70 Air delivers strengths in different areas that I’ll dive into beneath.
I used to be pondering the opposite day that the iPhone Air appears like a extra polished model of the iPhone X, with simply sufficient up to date design particulars. It’s like Apple remembered what their telephones used to appear like earlier than the Professional fashions took over—a refreshing change from the recycled iPhone 11 by way of 16 fashion.
The Mate 70 Air’s digital camera setup is just like the Mate 70 Professional/Professional+, with a spherical bump and 4 lens openings. After we discuss slim telephones, it’s all about distinctive design. By way of seems to be, I’ve to offer Apple the win.
The iPhone Air has clean, rounded edges and a shiny titanium body. It collects fingerprints fairly a bit however feels powerful. The USB-C port is 3D-printed, and the buttons and digital camera controls stretch virtually from edge to edge.
I spent a while deciding between the Huawei colours—Black, White, or Turquoise. Ultimately, I went with White. I’ll admit although, every coloration had its personal pull for me. The iPhone Air affords colours like Sky Blue, Mild Gold, Cloud White, and Area Black. Whereas the alternatives lean extra towards enjoyable and youthful vibes, I had a troublesome time selecting one which felt extra “me” as a person in my mid-20s. However hey, Apple’s aiming at individuals who love that wow issue, and there’s nothing flawed with that.
Show
Huawei’s self-developed Kunlun glass protects the Mate 70 Air’s show, however the true standout is the 18.8:9 facet ratio and spacious 7-inch actual property. Because of the large structure, studying e-books and articles turns into simpler and requires much less scrolling. And my favourite half: video games like Name of Obligation: Cell and PUBG really feel clean due to the bigger contact zones. I’m stunned, although, that Huawei doesn’t embrace a stylus for a display this huge.
Display screen brightness has grow to be a key characteristic for smartphones, alongside CPUs and cameras. The Mate 70 Air delivers right here too, reaching 4,000 nits at peak, protecting the show clear even in vivid daylight. Apple chases the identical objective, so Huawei faces stiff competitors.
For comparability, the iPhone Air sits in the midst of the iPhone 17 lineup with a 6.5-inch show. Customers love the Tremendous Retina XDR display, which reaches 3,000 nits at peak and stays straightforward to see in each state of affairs.
Digicam
The Mate 70 Air has a spherical digital camera setup on the again with 4 lenses. The principle digital camera is a 50 MP sensor, and there’s a 12 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS. You additionally get an 8 MP ultrawide/macro lens and a 1.5 MP multispectral crimson maple sensor to spice up coloration and element in several lighting.
Then again, the iPhone Air’s digital camera setup is one among its weaker factors. It comes with a single 48 MP digital camera on the again and an 18 MP selfie digital camera with Centre Stage tech from the iPhone 17 collection. With out an ultrawide or telephoto lens, the picture choices really feel restricted. It’s a bit disappointing, while you evaluate the iPhone Air to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, which affords two cameras. However that’s a dialogue for one more time.
Gaming and audio
It’s unusual that the Huawei Mate 70 Air makes use of two variations of the Kirin chip—the Kirin 9020A and the Kirin 9020B. The primary one runs with 16 GB of RAM, whereas the opposite has 12 GB. Each chips are simply barely slowed-down variations of the common Kirin 9020.
The principle distinction between the common Kirin 9020 and the Air’s 9020A is that the large and medium cores run at 100 MHz decrease speeds. So, the 9020A has 2 massive cores at 2.4G Hz, 6 medium cores at 2.0 GHz, and 4 small cores at 1.6 GHz. The efficiency hole? Solely about 5%. As for the Kirin 9020B, it packs 6 cores and 9 threads, which you’d count on from a midrange chip.
The iPhone Air runs the A19 Professional, near the chip within the iPhone 17 Professional, however with one fewer GPU core. That trim hits sport energy a bit, and the identical goes for heavy graphic work. I don’t suggest anybody shopping for the iPhone Air or the Mate 70 Air for sport periods anyway. The iPhone Air zips by way of fundamental duties, but warmth builds up quick close to the digital camera bump when the cellphone churns on demanding duties.
Speaker setup takes a flip. The Mate 70 Air throws out sound from a few stereo models. In shooters, steps begin from the left, sweep to the proper, and make it easier to monitor motion round you. The iPhone Air goes with one earpiece unit close to the highest. The sound from that spot works fantastic, however the absence of stereo hits the vibe throughout exhibits or clips.
Battery
Samsung and Apple missed the mark with battery life on their slim smartphones, however not Huawei. The Mate 70 Air comes with a 6,500 mAh silicon carbon-anode battery. From what I’ve learn, many customers are getting round 35-40% by bedtime after heavy use. That’s strong for a slim cellphone.
In distinction, the iPhone Air’s battery is smaller (3,149 mAh) to maintain the design skinny. Whereas the battery life isn’t so long as different iPhones, it’s nonetheless manageable. You need to get by way of most days with a nightly cost, however when you’re gaming or operating demanding apps, you would possibly want to change to low energy mode.
Value and verdict
I see how Huawei’s skinny cellphone stays robust in spots the place the ultrathin Apple cellphone falls quick. The Mate 70 Air brings a giant display, punchy stereo sound, and an enormous energy cell. The $799 tag for Mate 70 Air feels truthful to me. Apple asks for $999 for the iPhone Air, and also you add $99 for a snap-on energy pack that Apple frames as a bonus merchandise, although I see it as a should for lengthy days. As soon as the entire hits close to $1,100, I urge care.
Yearly, Apple drops new iPhones, and more often than not, every mannequin is only a small improve from the final—higher cameras, a couple of new options, however not an enormous change. For those who select the iPhone Air, the trade-offs is likely to be price it, relying on what issues most to you.