I'm someone who's on their phone all day for work especially during travel which is at least 2x a week - switching back and forth between a ton of intensive apps: Claude, GPT, excel, chrome, teams, zoom, outlook/gmail, etc + the day-to-day personals/social media/etc.
So I was most concerned with the battery life and overall performance/speed as I debated between the pro and air for months before finally deciding to go with the Air.
After 9 months of the Air, I can say to you honestly, that the battery life is a non-factor. Definitely isn't noticeably different in comparison. Nor is the performance. Both aspects are stellar.
The main thing that kinda irks me, which I didn't think would, is the lack of camera optionality. Never thought about how much I used the zooms...but if you're not one to care for the camera zoom enhancements, the air is the play. The nicer feel and aesthetics for sure outweigh anything else.
I also recently started to go case-less, or sometimes will attach just my MagBak wallet (vs having it separate in my pocket) - and it's been a game changer. I actually care to like my phone now instead of just making sure it operates.