iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17: Which One Comes Out on Top?

The most curious thing about the iPhone Air is that Apple chose not to market it as a variant of the iPhone 17. Even though it debuted at the same time as its numbered siblings, the iPhone Air is its own, distinct model of iPhone.

You’re paying a premium for the lightness and thinness of the Air. You’re paying in a few other key ways, as well, because to achieve that svelte, sleek shape, the iPhone Air had to trade away a few key abilities. Let’s see if it’s worth it for you or not.

(opens in a new window)

Apple

iPhone 17 (opens in a new window)

Available at Apple

Buy Now (opens in a new window)

family argument

The iPhone 17 starts at $799, and though it may be the base ingredient upon which all other iPhones unveiled this year seem to revolve, it offers a solid starting point. It’s got an 18-megapixel front-facing camera and two 48-megapixel rear-facing cameras: a main and an ultra-wide.

Its Apple-designed A19 chip has a six-core CPU and five-core GPU. The 6.3″ OLED screen boasts a 2622-by-1206-pixel resolution at 460 ppi, with a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and P3 color for a wide range of shades of color it can display.

At $999 for a starting price, the iPhone Air is nearly as expensive as the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro. You trade away some performance (and a lot of dollars) for the Air’s significant reduction in weight (5.82 oz.) and thickness (5.64 mm) compared to other iPhone 17 models.

The biggest differences between the base-level iPhone 17 and iPhone Air are in their size and weight. The iPhone 17 measures 7.95 mm thick and weighs 6.24 oz. The iPhone 17 Pro is even thicker at 8.75 mm and weighs 7.27 oz. The iPhone Air’s display remains the same as the iPhone 17s’, except that it grows slightly from the Pro’s 6.3-inch to 6.5-inch.

(opens in a new window)

Apple

iPhone Air (opens in a new window)

Available at Apple

Buy Now (opens in a new window)

Ditching the iPhone 17s’ aluminum frames, the Air instead goes for titanium to achieve that lower weight. The Air uses the same A19 Pro as the iPhone 17 Pro (Apple’s gotta ease up on all this pro nomenclature), but its GPU only has five cores rather than six.

Though the Air keeps the iPhone 17’s 18-megapixel front-facing camera and 48-megapixel rear-facing standard camera, it lacks the iPhone 17’s 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. Along with that, the Air loses the ability to take macro photographs.

That puts even further distance between the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro. The Pro has both of the iPhone 17’s cameras and adds a 48-megapixel 8x zoom lens for a grand total of three rear-facing camera lenses and one front-facing lens.

The USB-C connector supports only USB 2 speeds, and not the Pro’s and Pro Max’s USB 3 speeds. You won’t notice a difference unless you transfer very large files, such as long 4K videos and high-resolution photos.

Battery life also suffers, with an iPhone 17 as the worst of the bunch, with 27 hours on a full charge. The regular iPhone lasts for 30 hours on a charge, the Pro 33 hours, and the Pro Max 39 hours.

As those who’re into sports cars and hiking gear, “lightweight” is often shorthand for “expensive.” If you’re in love with the idea of a phone that doesn’t feel like a brick in your pocket, the iPhone Air might be for you.

If you prize your photography tools and the cushion of an extra-long runtime between recharges, then the iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max would be better choices.

(opens in a new window)