Specs Appeal: Difference between iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max

On September 9, 2025, Apple announced four new iPhones: the iPhone 17, the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max. We already published detailed Specs Appeal articles for the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max, and now, let"s take a look at how the entire lineup compares to each other.

The iPhone 17. This year"s "standard" iPhone received some long-anticipated changes and upgrades, primarily in the display area. The screen is now bigger, and it supports a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate with always-on mode. This makes the iPhone 17 the first of Apple"s non-Pro models. There is also the more powerful Apple A19 processor, 256GB of base storage, two 48MP rear-facing cameras and the new 18MP front-facing cameras with Center Stage support. The iPhone 17 also has a better battery with faster charging.

The iPhone Air is a new thing for Apple this year. This device replaced the Plus model from the previous generations, offering potential buyers a stylish, ultra-thin smartphone that is only 0.22 or 5.64 mm thick. Unlike the rest of the lineup, it is made from polished titanium and has only one 48MP rear-facing camera. Despite the thinness, Apple crammed the A19 Pro chip inside with a five-core GPU, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage. Also, the iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch display with ProMotion, always-on mode, and 3,000 nits of peak brightness.

As for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the flagship models are thicker than the Air (0.34 inches or 8.75 mm) and made of a special aluminum alloy. Displays remain mostly the same (only the brightness is now at 3,000 nits), while the most important changes focus on a new triple 48MP Fusion camera, the more powerful Apple A19 Pro chip with a six-core graphics, and notably bigger batteries. Apple says that eSIM variants of the iPhone 17 Pro Max can play up to 39 hours of video on a single charge.

And here are detailed specs of each device:

iPhone 17 iPhone Air iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max
Size and weight 5.89 x 2.81 x 0.31 inches, 6.24oz
149.6 x 71.5 x 7.95 mm, 177 g
6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 inches, 5.82oz
156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64 mm. 165 g
5.91 x 2.83 x 0.34 inches, 7.27 oz
150 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm, 206 g

6.43 x 3.07 x 0.34 inches, 8.22 oz
163.4 x 78 x 8.75 mm, 233 g

Display 6.3" 2,622x1206
3000 nits peak brightness
1 nit min brightness
Dynamic Island
120Hz ProMotion
Always-on display
Ceramic Shield 2
6.5" 2,736x1,260
3000 nits peak brightness
1 nit min brightness
Dynamic Island
Always-on-Display
1-120Hz
6.3"
2622x1206
3000 nits peak brightness
1 nit min brightness
Dynamic Island
Always-on-Display
1-120Hz
6.9"
2868x1320
1000/1600/3000 nits brightness
1 nit min brightness
Dynamic Island
Always-on-Display
1-120Hz
Case Aluminum frame
Action Button
Camera Control
Polished Titanium frame
Ceramic Glass 2
Ceramic Glass
Action Button
Camera Control
Aluminum Unibody
Ceramic Glass 2
Ceramic Glass
Action Button
Camera Control
Aluminum Unibody
Ceramic Glass 2
Ceramic Glass
Action Button
Camera Control
CPU 6-core A19
5-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
6-core A19 Pro
5-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
6-core A19 Pro
6-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
RAM 8GB

12GB

Storage 256GB / 512GB 256GB / 512GB / 1TB 256GB / 512 GB / 1TB / 2TB (Pro Max-only)
Main Cameras

48MP Fusion + 48MP Fusion ultra-wide

Sensor-shift OIS
Trune Tone Flash
Photonic Engine
Photographic Styles
Smart HDR 5

48MP Fusion

Sensor-shift OIS
Trune Tone Flash
Photonic Engine
Photographic Styles
Smart HDR 5

48MP Fusion + 48MP Fusion ultra-wide + 48MP Fusion telephoto

0.5x / 1x / 8x optical zoom

Second-gen sensor-shift OIS
Adaptive True Tone Flash
Photonic Engine
Deep Fusion
Smart HDR 5 for photos
Photographic Styles
Macro Photography
Spatial photos
ProRAW

Front Camera

18MP Center Stage camera
Center Stage for photos
Dual Capture
Ultra-stabilized video

Photonic Engine
Photographic Styles
Smart HDR 5
Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps

Video Recording

Cinematic mode with shallow depth of field at 4K HDR 30 fps

Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps)

Slow-mo video at up to 4K 120 fps
Log video recording
Academy Color Encoding System
Spatial Video recording
4K video at 60 fps

Macro video recording
Action Mode

4K Dolby Vision video recording up to 60 fps

Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps)

Slo‑mo video support up to 1080p at 240 fps
Spatial Video recording

4K Dolby Vision video recording up to 120 fps (Fusion Main), up to 60 fps (Fusion Ultra Wide, Fusion Telephoto)

Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps)

Cinematic mode for videos with shallow depth of field, 4K HDR 30 fps

ProRes RAW
Apple Log 2
Genlock support
ProRes video up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording
Slow-mo video at up to 4K 120 fps
Log video recording
Academy Color Encoding System
Spatial Video recording
4K video at 60 fps

Macro video recording
Action Mode

Connectivity

GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+
5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)
Wi-Fi 7
Second-gen UWB chip
Thread
Bluetooth 6
Emergency SOS via satellite
Crash detection

SIM No physical SIM
Dual eSIM support
Dual eSIM support
Battery TBD mAh
30h video playback
TBD mAh
33 h video playback
40 h video playback with MagSafe Battery
TBD mAh
33 h video playback
TBD mAh
39 h video playback
Ports and charging USB-C 2.0
25W MagSafe wireless charging
25W Qi2
Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter.
USB-C 2.0
Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher
20W MagSafe wireless charging
USB-C (10Gb/s), MagSafe and Qi2
25W MagSafe wireless charging
25W Qi2
Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter.
Colors Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, Black Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, Space Black Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, Silver
Price $799+ $999+ $1,099+
$1,199+

Apple"s entire 2025 iPhone lineup will be available for preorder on Friday, September 12. Shipments begin on Friday, September 19.

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