Apple’s iPhone Air is one of the most significant releases in Apple’s smartphone history – but how does it compare to the (also brand spanking new) iPhone 17 Pro?
While you might assume that the slim dimensions of the iPhone Air mean it can’t compete with Apple’s Pro-level iPhone 17, you might be surprised – there are more similarities than some might expect.
That said, here’s how the two iPhones compare on paper, with our full in-depth comparison coming once we’ve spent some time with the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro.
If you’re curious, take a look at how the iPhone Air compares to the iPhone 17, and we’ve also gone through key differences between the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for those looking beyond Apple’s ecosystem.
Price and availability
The iPhone Air comes in at £999/$999 with 256GB of storage, and it’s set to go up for pre-order this Friday, 12 September, ahead of its on-sale date of 19 September.
The iPhone 17 Pro is a little pricier at £1099/$1099, following the same pre-order and release schedule as the Air.
The iPhone Air is thinner and lighter – but just as durable
The whole concept of the iPhone Air, as its name suggests, revolves around its lightweight build – and it’s incredibly impressive. It measures in at just 5.6mm thick and 165g, making it the thinnest iPhone that Apple has ever built, and matches the width of Samsung’s equally thin Galaxy S25 Edge that launched earlier this year.
The iPhone 17 Pro isn’t quite as svelte in the hand, measuring in at a more normal 8.8mm thick and 204g, despite the Air’s larger 6.5-inch screen compared to the Pro’s 6.3-inch alternative.
Interestingly, while it was once the Pro models that got the upgraded titanium frame, it’s the Air that sports a titanium finish this year, with the Pro model packing an aluminium unibody design instead.
Despite the ultra-thin dimensions of the Air, it’s just as durable as the Pro, with both offering IP68 dust and water resistance, along with Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and Ceramic Shield on the rear to protect from drops and scratches.
The iPhone 17 Pro sports a more advanced camera setup
The one downside to the iPhone Air’s slim dimensions is the lack of space for camera components – especially when it comes to zoom lenses that require a certain amount of physical space to operate.
That said, the iPhone Air sports a single 48MP Fusion camera that doubles up as both a main and a 24MP 2x telephoto lens, allowing you to get a little closer to the action.
The iPhone 17 Pro, on the other hand, offers a much more versatile triple 48MP Fusion camera system, comprised of a 48MP main, a 48MP ultrawide, and a new 48MP 4x telephoto that can be extended up to 8x. Apple claims that this combination of lenses offers a whopping eight levels of digital zoom in the native Camera app.
It also offers advanced video features like support for Apple’s cinema-level ProRes RAW video capture, making it the stronger option for photos and videos if that’s a priority.
Both pack high-end screen technology
The iPhone Air packs a new 6.5-inch screen that sits somewhere between the Pro’s 6.3-inch screen and the Pro Max’s 6.9-inch behemoth, offering the best of both worlds. And despite the excessively thin nature of the phone, it’s still packed with high-end screen tech that matches the iPhone 17 Pro in most regards.
It offers the same Super Retina XDR display tech with support for 120Hz ProMotion display tech – a first for a non-Pro iPhone, along with the regular iPhone 17 – along with super-slim bezels, always-on display tech and a peak brightness of 3000nits. It also packs the same seven-layer anti-reflective coating as the Pro, which should make it easier to see outside.
In fact, the only real difference between the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro is the size.
Both offer A19 Pro power – but there’s a difference
Despite not featuring Pro branding, the iPhone Air sports the same A19 Pro chipset as the iPhone 17 Pro – well, mostly anyway.
Look a little closer and you’ll see a slight difference in the two chipsets despite the same name; the A19 Pro in the iPhone Air has 6 CPU cores and 5 GPU cores, compared to the iPhone 17 Pro’s 6 and 6.
This will likely mean the iPhone 17 Pro has the upper hand in performance, especially when combined with a new vapour chamber cooling system, but we’ll have to see how the two perform in benchmarks in due course.
Both also come with the same offering of either 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB – though opting for the Pro Max will also include an additional 2TB option.
The iPhone 17 Pro should offer better battery life – but not by much
The iPhone Air has a much thinner chassis than the iPhone 17 Pro – over 3mm thinner, in fact – so you’d assume that battery life would be considerably worse with a much smaller cell packed into its chassis.
However, if Apple’s claims are true, there isn’t that much in it. Apple suggests that the iPhone Air can last for up to 27 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 17 Pro manages to squeeze 31 hours out of a full cell. Four hours is still four hours, but it’s not as big a difference as it could’ve been.
Of course, that’s just video playback and real-world performance will likely point towards more significant differences – but there’s the hope, at least, that the iPhone Air can last all day on a single charge. It’s more than we could say for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, anyway.
Early thoughts
Both the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro are shaping up to be some of the best iPhones Apple has ever released – but they’re for different people. Those who value an ultra-thin design and gorgeous aesthetics will be drawn to the Air, while those seeking the best cameras and battery life will likely opt for the Pro instead.
That said, we’ll save our final thoughts for our in-depth comparison once we’ve spent some time with both new iPhones.
