Apple hasn’t officially announced the iPhone 17 lineup, but we expect an event announcement later this month and the actual reveal in about four weeks. One highly anticipated change this year is the arrival of the iPhone 17 Air, replacing the iPhone 16 Plus with an ultra-thin model. Here’s how the iPhone 17 Air display size will compare to the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max.
As you can see in Majin Bu’s latest post on X, the iPhone 17 Air display size sits nearly in between the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. The leaker shared a comparative look at screen protectors for each upcoming model:
For a couple years, the standard iPhone and Pro models shared the same display size, while the Plus version and Pro Max displays were sized identically. With the iPhone 16 line, Apple shrank the already thin bezels around the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max displays, creating a tiny amount of additional display over the non-Pro phones.
After three Plus models, iPhone 17 Air is changing the formula in more than one dimension. The dramatically thinner phone is expected to have a 6.6-inch display compared to the 6.7-inch screen on the iPhone 14/15/16 Plus models. The iPhone 17 will continue to have the smallest display, 6.1 inches, while the 17 Pro is expected to keep last year’s 6.3-inch display.
For iPhone users who want the biggest display size, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will continue to reign supreme with a nice 6.9-inch screen. Phablet fans will need to wait another year for the first foldable iPhone, which is said to feature a 7.58-inch inner display.
Does the iPhone 17 Air display size appeal to you? At 6.6 inches, it sits neatly between the 6.3-inch Pro and 6.9-inch Pro Max. Still, it’s more Plus-sized than standard iPhone-sized.
For me, the single camera system compared to the triple camera system on Pro models is the biggest reason for me to look past it. For others, battery life will likely be the biggest tradeoff. (Apple is expected to make a battery pack again to remedy battery life shortcomings for the Air model.)
Still, Apple needs to ship an ultra thin iPhone for a year to master the technology before it releases a foldable version that relies on the thinner body (only in two halves).
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