iPhone Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Style versus power
The feather-weight iPhone 17 Air faces the heavy-weight champion - the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Intro
The iPhone 17 series is finally official and this year there's an exciting new addition to the lineup—the iPhone 17 Air. After Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 Edge, Apple seems to be hopping on the thin smartphone bandwagon as well.
But one question remains open. Do people really want these super thin phones, or would they rather go for something more conventional, such as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, for example?
Which leads us to this comparison. On the one hand, we have a super-thin and stylish design, and on the other—a regular Apple powerhouse. So, let's see what the strengths and weaknesses of both are.
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max differences:
| iPhone 17 Air | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| New thin design with different camera housing | New camera bump design, called extended plateau |
| Titanium unibody, ceramic shield back | Titanium frame here as well |
| 120Hz OLED display, but more durable and power efficient | The same ProMotion 120Hz OLED display |
| Slightly smaller 6.5-inch OLED display, 120Hz ProMotion | 6.9-inch display with 1320 x 2868 pixels pixels resolution |
| New Apple A19 chip built on a next-gen 3nm process | Apple A19 Pro chip with better performance |
| The same 8GB of RAM | 12GB of RAM |
| Single 48MP wide camera | 48MP main camera, additional 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto |
| 18MP center stage front camera | 18MP center stage selfie camera |
| TBC (Up to 27 hours video playback) | TBC (Up to 39 hours video playback) |
| MagSafe support | MagSafe support |
Table of Contents:
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Design and Size
Style vs power
Not only is Apple expected to make a big design change with the iPhone 17 series, but now we have the slim arms race going at full blast. The iPhone 17 Air employs the new camera bump design, but given it houses only one camera, the overall look is not as radical as with the other models in the portfolio. We're talking about a single thin bar across the back, much like a Pixel phone.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max situation is different, as the camera bump houses three big lens rings; hence, it's much wider, giving the phone a pretty unique look. Design is subjective, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max might not be the prettiest iPhone ever made. Apple calls the new camera housing "extended plateau."
The iPhone 17 Pro Max situation is different, as the camera bump houses three big lens rings; hence, it's much wider, giving the phone a pretty unique look. Design is subjective, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max might not be the prettiest iPhone ever made. Apple calls the new camera housing "extended plateau."
| iPhone 17 Air | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Thickness 5.6 mm | Thickness 8.8 mm |
| Weight 146 grams | Weight 233 grams |
Now, onto the biggest selling point of the iPhone 17 Air—its thickness. The phone is just 5.6 mm thin and weighs just 146 grams. It's a technological feat, but we have to see what this super-thin design does to durability. According to Apple, it's the toughest iPhone ever made with a titanium unibody and Ceramic Shield 2 on the front AND the back.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max drops the titanium act for an aluminum unibody and the same Ceramic Shield 2 on both sides of the sandwich. The thickness of the phone has grown with the battery size (exact capacity to follow), and now the phone is around 8.8 mm thick.
Let's quickly list the color variations for the iPhone 17 Air versus the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
| iPhone 17 Air colors | iPhone 17 Pro Max colors |
|---|---|
| Sky Blue | Cosmic Orange |
| Light Gold | Deep Blue |
| Cloud White | Silver |
| Space Black | - |
The interesting part is that we have an orange iPhone again (after many years and the iPhone XR), but not a black one, which is kind of bizarre. The iPhone 17 Air is available in four colors, including the more traditional Space Black and Cloud White hues.
Display Differences
120Hz ProMotion for everybody!
Apple has brought its non-pro iPhone 17 model to the modern display world with 120 Hz ProMotion (finally!). It is an upgrade long overdue, but rejoice, all new iPhones will be buttery smooth; now all models in the range feature dynamic 120 Hz refresh rates.
In terms of screen size, the iPhone 17 Air comes equipped with a 6.5-inch OLED display and impressive peak brightness figures—3,000 nits.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max retains the display size of its predecessor at 6.9 inches. We dug deep and found that the new iPhones use Samsung's M14 display panel material as a building block, which explains the 3,000-nit peak brightness present on the Pro Max as well.
In terms of screen size, the iPhone 17 Air comes equipped with a 6.5-inch OLED display and impressive peak brightness figures—3,000 nits.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max retains the display size of its predecessor at 6.9 inches. We dug deep and found that the new iPhones use Samsung's M14 display panel material as a building block, which explains the 3,000-nit peak brightness present on the Pro Max as well.
| iPhone 17 Air | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Size 6.5" 120Hz | Size 6.9" 120Hz |
| Brightness 3000 nits (peak) | Brightness 3000 nits (peak) |
Another piece of info points toward a new technology called LDTEE (Low-dielectric TEE) which aims to bring improved efficiency and durability to the iPhone 17 series, and judging by the things we heard during the presentation, all new iPhones seem to come equipped with it.
As always, we will conduct our detailed and thorough display tests once we lay our hands on the iPhone 17 lineup, so stay tuned.
Performance and Software
A-level silicon with a Pro twist
The iPhone 17 series boasts the next-gen A19 silicon. It's the fastest Apple silicon in a phone, which is expected, and Apple cites 40% higher sustained performance compared to the last generation. The good news is that both the iPhone 17 Air and its Pro Max cousin come equipped with the A19 Pro chip, so no differences here.
The RAM situation is as follows: the iPhone 17 Air has 12GB of RAM on board, just like the iPhone 17 Pro Max - the same 12GB of RAM as the Pro models of last year.
In terms of storage, there's a change—the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Air both start at 256GB base storage. The Pro Max also has a 2TB version for the space-hungry.
The synthetic benchmarks will show what the exact leap will be, but we'll have to wait for these.
The RAM situation is as follows: the iPhone 17 Air has 12GB of RAM on board, just like the iPhone 17 Pro Max - the same 12GB of RAM as the Pro models of last year.
In terms of storage, there's a change—the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Air both start at 256GB base storage. The Pro Max also has a 2TB version for the space-hungry.
| iPhone 17 Air | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Chip Apple A19 Pro | Chip Apple A19 Pro |
| Process 3nm | Process 3nm |
| RAM 12GB | RAM 12GB |
In terms of software, the iPhone 17 Air launches with iOS 26 out of the box, the same goes for the iPhone 17 Pro Max being part of the same lineup. You can check out our early iOS 26 preview for more details.
Camera
One versus three
The iPhone 17 Air features only one camera. And even though Apple wanted us to think that this single camera equals four different lenses, we feel that in comparison to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the Air is at a disadvantage.
| iPhone 17 Air | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Main 48 MP f/1.6 26mm (wide) 1/1.56" | Main 48 MP f/1.6 26mm (wide) 1/1.56" |
| Ultrawide - | Ultrawide 48 MP f/2.2 13mm (ultrawide) 1/2.55" |
| Telephoto - | Telephoto 48 MP f/2.8 4x optical zoom |
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, on the other hand, is the real deal when it comes to cameras. It comes equipped with three 48MP cameras. For the first time in an iPhone, we have three 48MP cameras but we have to snap some real-life photos to judge the upgrade.
As always, post-processing algorithms and AI will determine the end result, so stay tuned for some real-life samples once we lay our hands on the iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Battery Life and Charging
No silicon-carbon on the horizon?
There's no way to beat physics, especially when it comes to batteries. The iPhone 17 Air is just 5.6 mm thick, so there's not much space for a battery inside. We kind of hoped Apple would hop on the silicon-carbon train and offer more capacity, but the conservative approach remains.
No battery capacities were mentioned during the event (which is typical for Apple) but Tim Cook and company said the batteries inside the new iPhones are bigger and they offer more battery life.
Our battery test will determine the real difference, so stay tuned for some hard numbers soon.
No battery capacities were mentioned during the event (which is typical for Apple) but Tim Cook and company said the batteries inside the new iPhones are bigger and they offer more battery life.
Our battery test will determine the real difference, so stay tuned for some hard numbers soon.
| iPhone 17 Air | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity 3000 mAh (capacity not confirmed) | Battery capacity 4700 mAh (capacity not confirmed) |
Charging speeds 30W MagSafe | Charging speeds 40W wired 30W wireless (MagSafe) |
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick specs comparison between the iPhone 17 Air and the iPhone 17 Pro Max (some of the specs are not officially confirmed):
| iPhone 17 Air | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 163 x 77.6 x 5.6 mm 146 g | Size, weight 163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm 233 g |
| Screen 6.5" OLED 120Hz ProMotion | Screen 6.9" OLED 120Hz ProMotion |
| Processor Apple A19 Pro 3nm | Processor A19 Pro 3nm |
| Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB LPDDR5 | Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB 12/2TB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 48MP main 18MP front | Cameras: 48MP main 48MP ultra 48MP telephoto 18MP front |
| Battery: 3000 mAh (capacity not official) | Battery: 4700 mAh (capacity not official) |
| Charging: USB-C 30W wired MagSafe | Charging: USB-C 40W wired MagSafe |
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Summary
These two phones represent different approaches to what's important in our modern smartphone reality. The iPhone 17 Air aims to conquer the fast-emerging "slim" smartphone niche, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max is just the best and most powerful iPhone you can get.
If you opt for the Pro Max, you'll get two additional cameras, a bigger battery, and also a larger display. On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Air offers something unique—it's just 5.6 mm thick and it's made of titanium while the Pro models this year ditch the exotic material to revert to good old aluminum.
Price-wise, the iPhone 17 Air starts at $999 for the 256GB model which is a fair price for such a unique phone (you can think of it as a thinner Pro model with one camera). The iPhone 17 Pro Max, on the other hand, starts at $1,199 and it is $200 more expensive bringing two more cameras on board. But again, we think these two phone will cater to two different demographics.
If you opt for the Pro Max, you'll get two additional cameras, a bigger battery, and also a larger display. On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Air offers something unique—it's just 5.6 mm thick and it's made of titanium while the Pro models this year ditch the exotic material to revert to good old aluminum.
Price-wise, the iPhone 17 Air starts at $999 for the 256GB model which is a fair price for such a unique phone (you can think of it as a thinner Pro model with one camera). The iPhone 17 Pro Max, on the other hand, starts at $1,199 and it is $200 more expensive bringing two more cameras on board. But again, we think these two phone will cater to two different demographics.
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