Which one is best for you? through NewsFlicks

Now that we have noticed the real iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Professional fashions — they have been published on the Apple iPhone match lately — it is time to make a decision in case you are able to improve to probably the most more moderen units. Should you watched Apple’s keynote or pored via Engadget’s liveblog, you most likely spotted the Air and 17 Professional proportion slightly a couple of similarities — most of the specifications are similar, or just about so.

For starters, each run the brand new A19 Professional chip, giving each and every of them a efficiency edge over the non-Professional A19 within the baseline iPhone 17. And their displays, our bodies and fundamental function units — high-refresh ProMotion displays, Apple Intelligence, scratch-resistant Ceramic Protect back and front, Digital camera Keep an eye on button, MagSafe wi-fi charging — are all in large part aligned, too. And there may be just a $100 delta of their value tags, with the iPhone Air beginning at $999 and the iPhone 17 Professional at $1,099.

However those two telephones have two very other audiences. The Professional, as standard, is designed to be the no-compromise iPhone, whilst the Air is a lot more of a manner commentary. It is the thinnest iPhone ever, and that incorporates some notable compromises.

To that finish, let’s take a deep dive at the key spaces the place the newly presented iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Professional diverge. (For extra of lately’s Apple releases, take a look at our hands-on with the brand new AirPods Professional 3 and the Apple Watch Sequence 11.)

Measurement and weight

The iPhone Air is Apple’s thinnest telephone but, at simply 5.6mm thick. When compared, the iPhone 17 Professional is 8.75mm thick — that is greater than 3mm thicker than the Air! I am virtually positive the Air would get misplaced between my sofa cushions on day one.

In the case of the display dimension, the iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch show, which is greater than the 17 Professional’s 6.3-inch display. (If you wish to have better nonetheless, the iPhone 17 Professional Max is a whopping 6.9 inches diagonally). However the display tech makes use of the similar Tremendous Retina XDR generation with all of the identical bells and whistles — ProMotion excessive refresh charge, P3 colour gamut, True Tone. They will have to glance just about similar.

As for weight, the Air with its titanium casing pointers the scales at simply 5.82 oz. (165 grams), whilst the iPhone 17 Professional weighs 7.27 oz. (206 grams) with an aluminum chassis. That is a tad greater than the iPhone 16 Professional’s weight of seven.03 oz. (199 grams), most probably because of the more moderen type’s better battery.

If making a decision to improve to the 17 Professional Max as a substitute, it has a bigger 6.9-inch show and weighs a whopping 8.22 oz. (233 grams).

However lengthy tale quick, the Air’s superthin design and wispier weight is just about the rationale you are purchasing this telephone.

Cameras

Here is the place the most important variations lie: the cameras. Whilst the iPhone 17 Professional has 3 rear 48MP cameras, the iPhone Air has only one (additionally 48MP, although it serves as two cameras in a single). Here is what they come with:

iPhone 17 Professional rear cameras: The Professional boasts a triple array “Professional Fusion digicam gadget,” the place the 3 48MP cameras mix to provide .5x, 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x optical zoom choices. The Professional additionally provides macro images, spatial footage and will shoot in ProRAW symbol mode. Video choices also are full-tilt, with 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient video recording as much as 120fps, along side a litany of refined choices that may enchantment to extra severe video shooters (ProRES Uncooked, Genlock fortify, cinematic mode and extra).

iPhone Air rear digicam: Through comparability, the Air has a unmarried 48MP Fusion digicam gadget that delivers most effective 2x optical zoom along with usual. That still manner it lacks even the ultrawide (.5x) mode discovered within the baseline iPhone. Video recording is in a similar way restricted to simply part the Professional’s framerate, albeit nonetheless in 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient.

Each telephones have the new Heart Degree 18MP front-facing “selfie” digicam, which removes the want to rotate your telephone to take a panorama photograph. You as a substitute simply faucet to amplify the sphere of view. And when others sign up for the photograph, the digicam robotically expands the view. And when you are on a video name, the digicam makes use of synthetic intelligence to regulate the body. In addition they each be offering Twin Seize, so you’ll shoot from the back and front cameras concurrently.

Nonetheless, the digicam compromises are arguably the Air’s largest shortfall. Do not get this telephone if you happen to like lengthy zooms, ultrawide photographs or top-notch video high quality.

Battery existence

Battery existence scores will have to all the time be serious about a grain of salt. That stated, Apple claims the Air will ship as much as 27 hours of video playback and will rise up to a 50% price in half-hour. The excellent news is that mainly fits the battery claims of final 12 months’s iPhone 16 Professional. The dangerous information is that it falls neatly in need of the brand new and progressed battery specifications in this 12 months’s 17 Professional. That type is rated as much as 33 hours of video playback and as much as a 50% price in simply 20 mins with a 40-watt charger.

Now, in contrast to the cameras, there is a workaround for the Air’s shorter battery existence. Apple provides an add-on iPhone Air MagSafe battery which snaps directly to the Air’s bottom and will get you as much as 40 hours of video playback. However it prices $99 and fattens up your superthin telephone — does not that kinda get you again to sq. one?

Worth

The iPhone Air begins at $999, which fits the cost on the 256GB tier of the iPhone Plus type it is changing (which in order that occurs to be my favourite). In order that’s $100 greater than the beginning value of final 12 months’s 128GB Plus, however with the garage doubled, I suppose I will be able to’t bitch an excessive amount of.

For 512GB, it’s going to value you $1,199; and if you happen to splurge on 1TB, you can be paying $1,399. And the Air is to be had in 4 lighter colour palettes.

However, the iPhone 17 Professional begins at $1,099 with 256GB, which is simply $100 extra. You’ll be able to additionally select 512GB for $1,299 or 1TB for $1,499. (The iPhone 17 Professional Max begins at $1,199 for 256GB and is going as much as $1,999 for 2TB.) The Professional is available in most effective 3 colours, although the Cosmic Orange is surprisingly daring for the iPhone Professional line.

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Professional: How to select

As I recommended above, the iPhone Air is definitely crowd pleasing, however you in reality want to you should definitely’re able to simply accept the ones digicam and battery compromises. The iPhone 17 Professional is a lot more of a “no compromise” selection, albeit one that is much less of a looker (relying on how you are feeling about that new “digicam plateau” on the peak). That stated, consider you’ll all the time default to the baseline iPhone 17, which is arguably higher than ever — and has some great function one-ups at the Air, as well.

If I have been opting for between the Air and the Professional, I do know which one will be the transparent winner for me — however I will go away that call as much as you as a result of I am conserving out (and hopeful) for a foldable iPhone in 2026. Within the intervening time, you’ll take a look at Engadget’s preliminary hands-on impressions of the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Professional and baseline iPhone 17, in addition to our complete evaluations of the ones fashions coming within the close to long run.

Complete specifications comparability