Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone Air
The Apple iPhone 17 scores 7.9 in our rating, and the Apple iPhone Air scores 7.3. The Apple iPhone 17 leads in camera, battery and value for money, while the Apple iPhone Air is ahead in performance. At launch in the US, the Apple iPhone 17 cost $200 less ($799 vs $999).
Key differences
Why choose the Apple iPhone 17
- Bigger battery 3,692 mAh vs 3,149 mAh
- Faster wired charging 40 W vs 20 W
- Lower launch price $799 vs $999
- Faster wireless charging 25 W vs 20 W
- Stereo speakers
Why choose the Apple iPhone Air
- Bigger screen 6.5 inches vs 6.3 inches
- More RAM 12 GB vs 8 GB
- More storage 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB vs 256 GB / 512 GB
- Lighter 165 g vs 177 g
- Thinner 5.64 mm vs 7.95 mm
- Higher screen resolution 1260 × 2736 px vs 1206 × 2622 px
PhoneRanked scores
Calculated from specs, relative to phones from the same year and price range. How we rate phones
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Apple iPhone Air
Overall
7.9
7.3
Display
8.5
8.5
Performance
8.3
8.8
Camera
6.9
5.9
Battery
5.7
4.4
Design
8.8
8.7
Software support
7.4
7.4
Value for money
5.5
3.9
Display
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Apple iPhone Air
Size
6.3 inches
6.5 inches
Type
OLED, Super Retina XDR
OLED, Super Retina XDR
Resolution
1206 × 2622 px
1260 × 2736 px
Pixel density
460 ppi
460 ppi
Refresh rate
120 Hz
120 Hz
Adaptive refresh
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Peak brightness
3,000 nits
3,000 nits
HDR
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
Protection
Ceramic Shield 2
Ceramic Shield 2
Performance
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Apple iPhone Air
Process
3 nm
—
GPU
Apple GPU (5-core, with Neural Accelerators)
Apple 5-core GPU
RAM
8 GB
12 GB
Storage
256 GB / 512 GB
256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
Storage type
—
NVMe
microSD slot
✕ No
✕ No
Cameras
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Apple iPhone Air
Main camera
48 MP, f/1.6
48 MP, f/1.6
Optical stabilization
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Ultrawide
48 MP
—
Rear cameras
2
1
Rear video
4K@60
4K@60
Front camera
18 MP
18 MP
Front video
4K@60
4K@60
Battery and charging
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Apple iPhone Air
Capacity
3,692 mAh
3,149 mAh
Battery type
Li-Ion
Li-Ion
Wired charging
40 W
20 W
Wireless charging
25 W
20 W
Reverse wireless
✕ No
✕ No
Charger in box
✕ No
✕ No
Design and build
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Apple iPhone Air
Dimensions
149.6 × 71.5 × 7.95 mm
156.2 × 74.7 × 5.64 mm
Thickness
7.95 mm
5.64 mm
Weight
177 g
165 g
Form factor
Bar
Bar
Frame
Aluminum
Titanium
Back
Glass
Glass
Water resistance
IP68
IP68
Fingerprint
None
None
3D face unlock
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
SIM
eSIM only
eSIM only
Colors
Lavender, Mist Blue, Sage, White, Black
Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, Space Black
Connectivity and features
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Apple iPhone Air
5G
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth
6.0
6.0
USB
USB-C 2.0
USB-C 2.0
NFC
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
3.5 mm jack
✕ No
✕ No
Stereo speakers
✓ Yes
✕ No
Satellite
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
IR blaster
✕ No
✕ No
Software
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Apple iPhone Air
OS at launch
iOS 26
iOS 26
Security updates
5 years
5 years
Launch and price
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Apple iPhone Air
Announced
Sep 9, 2025
Sep 9, 2025
Released
Sep 19, 2025
Sep 19, 2025
Status
Released
Released
US launch price
$799
$999
Green marks the stronger value in a row. Specs come from official manufacturer data, cross-checked with established tech media; each phone page lists its sources. Report an error
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