Apple iPhone Air vs Apple iPhone 17
The Apple iPhone Air scores 6.8 in our rating, and the Apple iPhone 17 scores 7.4. The Apple iPhone Air leads in performance, while the Apple iPhone 17 is ahead in camera, battery and value for money. At launch in the US, the Apple iPhone 17 cost $200 less ($799 vs $999).
Key differences
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
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
PhoneRanked scores
Calculated from specs, relative to phones from the same year and price range. How we rate phones
Spec
Apple iPhone AirApple iPhone 17
Overall
6.8
7.4
Display
8.6
8.6
Performance
8.8
8.3
Camera
5.9
6.9
Battery
4.4
5.7
Design
8.7
8.8
Value for money
4.0
5.6
Display
Spec
Apple iPhone AirApple iPhone 17
Size
6.5 inches
6.3 inches
Type
OLED, Super Retina XDR
OLED, Super Retina XDR
Resolution
1260 × 2736 px
1206 × 2622 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 AirApple iPhone 17
Process
—
3 nm
GPU
Apple 5-core GPU
Apple GPU (5-core, with Neural Accelerators)
RAM
12 GB
8 GB
Storage
256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
256 GB / 512 GB
Storage type
NVMe
—
microSD slot
✕ No
✕ No
Cameras
Spec
Apple iPhone AirApple iPhone 17
Main camera
48 MP, f/1.6
48 MP, f/1.6
Optical stabilization
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Ultrawide
—
48 MP
Rear cameras
1
2
Rear video
4K@60
4K@60
Front camera
18 MP
18 MP
Front video
4K@60
4K@60
Battery and charging
Spec
Apple iPhone AirApple iPhone 17
Capacity
3,149 mAh
3,692 mAh
Battery type
Li-Ion
Li-Ion
Wired charging
20 W
40 W
Wireless charging
20 W
25 W
Reverse wireless
✕ No
✕ No
Charger in box
✕ No
✕ No
Design and build
Spec
Apple iPhone AirApple iPhone 17
Dimensions
156.2 × 74.7 × 5.64 mm
149.6 × 71.5 × 7.95 mm
Thickness
5.64 mm
7.95 mm
Weight
165 g
177 g
Form factor
Bar
Bar
Frame
Titanium
Aluminum
Back
Glass
Glass
Water resistance
IP68
IP68
Fingerprint
None
None
3D face unlock
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
SIM
eSIM only
eSIM only
Colors
Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, Space Black
Lavender, Mist Blue, Sage, White, Black
Connectivity and features
Spec
Apple iPhone AirApple iPhone 17
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
✕ No
✓ Yes
Satellite
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
IR blaster
✕ No
✕ No
Software
Spec
Apple iPhone AirApple iPhone 17
OS at launch
iOS 26
iOS 26
Launch and price
Spec
Apple iPhone AirApple iPhone 17
Announced
Sep 9, 2025
Sep 9, 2025
Released
Sep 19, 2025
Sep 19, 2025
Status
Released
Released
US launch price
$999
$799
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
vs
vs
