iPhone fans face a bit of a conundrum this year: iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone Air. The super-slim iPhone Air shakes up Apple’s phone lineup considerably, with a cutting-edge new design that makes even dedicated iPhone Pro users question their commitment to the highest-end model.
The iPhone Air sits between the iPhone Pro and the base iPhone 17, taking the place of the retired iPhone Plus. So, how does the iPhone Air fare against the iPhone 17 Pro? Should you ditch the Pro and go Air this year?
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone Air: Comparing Apple’s two best iPhones
After years of stagnation when it comes to high-end iPhones, 2025 brings two worthy competitors. The iPhone 17 Pro is even more pro this year. Besides the usual yearly improvements like a faster chip and brighter display, it benefits from a serious boost in battery life. The camera, too, receives a big upgrade, with a 56% larger telephoto shooter enabling up to 8x optical zoom.
Then, there’s the Air — Apple’s newest engineering marvel. Despite a slim 5.65 mm frame, the phone packs almost everything you can ask for. It even uses the same A19 Pro chip as its Pro sibling.
So, is the iPhone Air as good as the iPhone 17 Pro? Or is the latter the better choice for power users?
Table of contents: iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone Air comparison
Design: Contrasting choices
Photo: Apple
- iPhone 17 Pro: 150 mm x 71.9 mm x 8.75 mm; 206 grams; IP68, Aluminum unibody, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back, Action button, Camera control
- iPhone Air: 156.2 mm x 74.7 mm x 5.64 mm; 165 grams; IP68, Titanium frame, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back, Action button, Camera control
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air couldn’t be more different when it comes to design. They both share only a few common design elements, including a full-width camera plateau on the back and the Dynamic Island on the front. Otherwise, they are poles apart, with the iPhone Air focusing on slimmness over anything else.
No wonder the iPhone Air is Apple’s slimmest iPhone yet, measuring only 5.64 mm thick. It’s also incredibly light at 165 grams. In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro is thicker an heavier than its predecessor. (iPhone 17 Pro comes in at 8.75 mm and 206 grams, while the iPhone 16 Pro was 8.25 mm and 8.75 mm.)
Surprisingly, the iPhone Air also uses a premium titanium frame, while the iPhone 17 Pro drops titanium in favor of a unibody aluminum design. The choice makes sense, though: Titanium gives the Air’s slim chassis the rigidity it needs, while aluminum provides the iPhone 17 Pro with superior heat dissipation.
Despite their differences, the phones have common ground with IP68 certification, a customizable Action button and the Camera Control.
The iPhone 17 Pro comes in three bold and very un-Pro colors: cosmic orange, deep blue and silver. You can get the iPhone Air in four colors: sky blue, light gold, cloud white and space black.
Display: Both are brighter and stronger
- iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display, 2,622 x 1,206 pixels, 120Hz ProMotion, Haptic Touch, True Tone, Always-On Display, Dynamic Island, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1,000 nits typical brightness, 3,000 nits peak brightness, 1 nit minimum brightness, Ceramic Shield 2 cover glass
- iPhone Air: 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display, 2,736 x 1,260 pixels, 120Hz ProMotion, Haptic Touch, True Tone, Always-On Display, Dynamic Island, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1,000 nits typical brightness, 3,000 nits peak brightness, 1 nit minimum brightness, Ceramic Shield 2 cover glass
Apple made the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air alike in one area: their displays. There’s only one notable difference, and that’s the size of the screen. The iPhone 17 Pro houses a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the iPhone Air enjoys a slightly larger 6.5-inch display.
Otherwise, the two panels share the same characteristics: 3,000 nits of peak brightness, 1 nit minimum brightness, the Dynamic Island user interface, and Ceramic Shield 2 cover glass for added protection and durability. That new glass also features an antireflective coating that cuts down on glare, improving the viewing experience on both devices
Chipset: A19 Pro, but iPhone Air gets a binned chip
Image: Apple
- iPhone 17 Pro: A19 Pro, 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, 6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, 16-core Neural Engine, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, up to 1TB storage (up to 2TB on iPhone 17 Pro Max)
- iPhone Air: A19 Pro, 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, 5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, 16-core Neural Engine, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, up to 1TB storage
Apple’s A19 Pro chip, which powers both the iPhone Air and the iPhone 17 Pro, houses a 6-core CPU, which Apple calls the “fastest CPU in any smartphone.” Plus, each GPU core now includes Neural Accelerators and a larger cache. Apple says the GPU works in “tandem with the new 16-core Neural Engine to power AI models, stunning graphics, and AAA” games for better performance.
It’s somewhat surprising that the iPhone Air uses the A19 Pro chipset, which likely will generate a lot of heat. That could pose a challenge to its slim titanium chassis. The iPhone 17 Pro, on the other hand, features a superior vapor chamber cooling system for better heat dissipation.
There’s only one difference in the A19 Pro chip found in the iPhone Air and the iPhone 17 Pro. The Air uses a binned 5-core GPU — one core less than the 6-core GPU found in the iPhone 17 Pro.
For storage, you can get the iPhone Air in 256GB, 512GB or 1TB variants. The iPhone 17 Pro comes in the same storage configurations, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max getting an exclusive 2TB option.
iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone Air cameras and audio: No contest
- iPhone 17 Pro: Rear: 48MP f/1.78 Fusion camera, second-gen sensor-shift stabilization, 48MP f/2.8 telephoto camera, 0.5x to 8x optical zoom; 48MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide, macro photography; LiDAR Scanner, Smart HDR 5, Adaptive True Tone flash, Cinematic mode (4K HDR@30fps), Action mode, ProRAW and ProRes support, 4K 120fps Dolby Vision video recording, spatial video recording, wind noise reduction, Audio Mix. Front: 18MP Center Stage camera, ultra-stabilized video, Dual Capture
- iPhone Air: Rear: 48MP f/1.78 Fusion camera, sensor-shift image stabilization, 2x optical zoom, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Night mode, 4K 60fps Dolby Vision. Front: 18MP Center Stage camera, ultra-stabilized video, Dual Capture
When it comes to cameras, the iPhone 17 Pro is in a league of its own compared to the iPhone Air. Both phones start with the same 48MP f/1.78 Fusion main camera and 18MP Center Stage front shooter, but the similarities largely end there.
The Pro packs a far more advanced setup, with a 48MP telephoto lens offering up to 8x optical zoom, a dedicated 48MP Ultra Wide camera with macro support, and Apple’s second-gen sensor-shift stabilization. Features like the LiDAR Scanner, Adaptive True Tone flash, and support for ProRAW and ProRes recording make the iPhone 17 Pro a true powerhouse for photography and videography.
You also get cutting-edge video capabilities such as Cinematic Mode in 4K HDR, 120fps Dolby Vision and even spatial video recording — something the Air cannot match.
The iPhone Air keeps things simpler. It houses a single 48MP Fusion camera at the rear, which supports up to 2x optical zoom. There are no dedicated telephoto or ultra-wide cameras here. It covers the basics with Smart HDR 5, Night Mode, Deep Fusion and 4K 60fps Dolby Vision video.
You still get Apple’s latest front camera enhancements like ultra-stabilized video and Dual Capture. As for what’s missing: plenty of Pro features. There’s no Cinematic Mode, no ProRAW or ProRes recording, no macro photography, and no support for professional workflows like ACES, Genlock, or Apple Log 2.
Audio
The iPhone Air also misses out on the four-mic array that helps the iPhone 17 Pro capture cleaner audio, whether for video, music or voice recordings. Plus, for playback, the iPhone Air comes with only one speaker at the top of the handset. The iPhone 17 Pro packs a pair of stereo speaker arrays, one at the top and one at the bottom.
If you care about cameras (and to a lesser extent, audio), the iPhone 17 Pro is the clear winner. The iPhone Air is ideal for someone who rarely uses their phone’s camera and doesn’t care about any of the fancy features that enable pro-level video capture.
Connectivity: Still no mmWave
Image: Apple
- iPhone 17 Pro: 5G (sub-6GHz and mmWave), Emergency SOS via satellite, Roadside Assistance via satellite, Thread networking, high dynamic range gyro, Crash Detection, dual eSIM slots, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, precision dual-frequency GPS, USB-C (up to 10Gbps), second-gen Ultra Wideband chip
- iPhone Air: 5G (sub-6GHz), Emergency SOS via satellite, Roadside Assistance via satellite, Thread networking, high dynamic range gyro, Crash Detection, dual eSIM slots, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, precision dual-frequency GPS, USB-C (up to 480Mbps), second-gen Ultra Wideband chip
The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro share plenty of connectivity features, but they also differ in some important ways. Both phones support Thread networking, Apple’s Crash Detection feature, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and dual-frequency GPS.
But the iPhone Air uses Apple’s new C1X modem. And while it supports faster speeds than even the iPhone 16 Pro‘s Qualcomm modem, it still misses out on mmWave 5G support. Plus, there’s only an eSIM variant of the iPhone Air. That’s not the case with iPhone 17 Pro, with Apple selling a version with a physical SIM card slot in several countries.
Another Pro-tastic feature on the iPhone 17 Pro: file transfer supports speeds of up to 10Gbps. In comparison, the iPhone Air tops out at a paltry 480Mbps.
Battery life: Pro wins
Photo: Apple
- iPhone 17 Pro: Up to 33 hours of video playback; 50% fast charge in 20 minutes with 40W adapter; 25W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging support
- iPhone Air: Up to 27 hours of video playback; 50% fast charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter; MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging support
The iPhone Air’s slimness comes at the cost of battery life. Despite Apple using power-efficient components, the company rates the iPhone Air to provide up to 27 hours of video playback. That’s the same as the iPhone 16 Pro, and it’s impressive for such a slim phone as the Air
However, if you are a power user, you’ll want your phone to last even longer. This is where the iPhone 17 Pro comes in and lives up to its Pro moniker. Apple says it delivers a video playback runtime of 33 hours — six hours more than the iPhone 16 Pro.
Besides battery life, the iPhone 17 Pro charges faster over a wired connection. Apple says you can fill a nearly empty cell to 50% in only 20 minutes with a compatible charger. The iPhone Air needs 30 minutes to reach the halfway mark.
If battery life is one of your primary concerns, the iPhone 17 Pro is the obvious choice. But if you prefer the iPhone Air’s slim design, you can always pair it with Apple’s new slim MagSafe Battery Pack to extend its runtime.
iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone Air price: Almost the same
- iPhone 17 Pro: Starts at $1,099 for 256GB storage, with a $200 bump for the 512GB variant
- iPhone Air: Starts at $999, with a $200 jump for the 512GB variant
The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, a $100 price hike over the base iPhone 16 Pro. However, there’s an upside: Apple discontinued the 128GB model. This means the base model iPhone 17 Pro comes with 256GB storage. And this year’s price for that much storage is the same as last year’s. In other words, yes, it’s more expensive — but you get the same value proposition as last year, despite all the impressive upgrades.
The iPhone Air is $100 cheaper, with prices starting at $999. Given the differences, the $100 price gap between the two phones is relatively modest.
For both models, stepping up to 512GB adds $200, while the 1TB option comes at an additional $400.
Conclusion: iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone Air
If you’re choosing between the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air, price likely won’t be the deciding factor, since they’re positioned similarly in that regard. Instead, the difference lies in the different focuses of the two devices.
The iPhone Air is all about a slim, lightweight design, while the iPhone 17 Pro is built to satisfy prosumers with its advanced features and all-day battery life.
Buy now
iPhone 17 Pro: Apple or Best Buy
More pro than ever
iPhone 17 Pro (256GB model)
Apple’s most powerful iPhone gets a redesign and impressive new capabilities. The iPhone 17 Pro’s aluminum unibody design looks different for sure, with a wider camera plateau. But the big changes are inside: the powerful A19 Pro chip and a vapor chamber to cool it off for maximum performance.
- Base model jumps to 256GB of storage.
- 48MP rear cameras, with 8x optical zoom.
- 18MP Center Stage front camera for better selfies.
- Supports ProRes RAW for studio-quality video.
- Only three colors: silver, deep blue and cosmic orange.
Thin is in
iPhone Air (256GB model)
With its radically slim design, the iPhone Air shakes up Apple’s phone lineup. It comes with the same A19 Pro chip as the iPhone 17 Pro and uses Apple’s N1 and C1X chips to enhance connectivity and efficiency.
- Killer new design with titanium frame is just 5.6 mm thin and weighs just 165 grams.
- 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion up to 120Hz.
- Center Stage front camera for better selfies.
- Comes in four colors: space black, cloud white, light gold and sky blue.
- Battery life takes a bit of a hit.
- 48MP Fusion camera system, with 28 mm and 35 mm focal length lenses, is impressive but more limited than Pro models.
- Optical-quality telephoto lens is just 2x.
