I don't get this debate because I think people who like air fryers and people who don't like air fryers are 2 different demographics? Air fryers are cheap, small, and fast. That fits a lot of people's needs who are single, newly entering the work force, or just struggling to make a decent wage. A large, expensive convection oven doesn't fit a lot of people's needs. Isn't it just okay to accept that these products are aimed at different sectors of the market?

I'd argue that even though the principles convection oven and an air fryer are the same the physics of how an air fryer works are actually different from how a convection oven does, but I don't feel like typing that out right now. So here's a YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvHUZtKCqvo