Apple's annual iPhone launch this year brought a new premium device to its lineup — the iPhone Air. This ultra-thin device will certainly tempt anyone who appreciates a cutting-edge design. But should it turn the heads of would-be shoppers looking for the best iPhone out there?
My Tom's Guide colleagues and I think the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the pick of Apple's latest releases, and we don't have to strain to make that argument. The newest version of the Pro Max features Apple's top-performing processor, the longest-lasting battery we've ever tested on an iPhone, the largest iPhone screen and an impressive-as-usual camera setup. If you've got the cash to swing a purchase, this should be your top choice.
Still, the iPhone Air is an intriguing alternative. In this iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max comparison, we'll tally up what you sacrifice by opting for Apple's thinner phone — and the ways in which the Air outshines the Pro Max.
iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | iPhone Air | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
Starting price | $999 / £999 / AU$1,799 | $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149 |
Display | 6.5 inches | 6.9 inches |
CPU | A19 Pro | A19 Pro |
RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Rear cameras | 48MP wide (26mm, f/1.6) | 48MP wide (24mm, f/1.78), 48MP ultra-wide (13mm, f/2.2), 48MP telephoto (8x optical zoom) |
Front camera | 18MP (f/1.9) | 18MP (f/1.9) |
Colors | Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue |
Size | 6.15 x 2.9 x 0.22 inches (156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64mm) | 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 inches (163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm) |
Weight | 5.82 ounces (165 grams) | 8.22 ounces (233g) |
iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max price
Pricing is one area where the iPhone Air has an undisputed edge over the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the most expensive phone in Apple's lineup. You'll pay $999 for the Air compared to $1,199 for the Pro Max. iPhone 17 deals can save you money on either device, but the odds are you're going to pay less for the iPhone Air than you would for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Those prices are for the base model of each phone, which gets you 256GB of storage no matter what phone you buy. You can also choose 512GB and 1TB models of either device, but only the iPhone 17 Pro Max comes with a 2TB option. Of course, if you need a phone with that much storage, I'm guessing the iPhone Air was never really a consideration for you anyhow.
iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max design
Design is a key of differentiation between the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max, with Apple going as thin as possible with the former device and as big as possible with the latter.
Specifically, the iPhone Air measures 5.64mm thin, compared to the 8.75mm profile of the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The Pro Max is also taller and wider than the Air to accommodate its larger screen.
You're also toting around a lighter phone with the 5.82-ounce iPhone Air. That comapares to 8.22 ounces for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It's a difference you'll notice should you have the chance to hold both phones in your hand.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max sheds the titanium frame used by its predecessor for aluminum; if you're a titanium fan, turn to the Air which still uses that material. Both phones feature Ceramic Shield 2 up front with Ceramic Shield backs, so we're really talking about equal levels of durability.
The iPhone Air has more color options, with Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold and Sky Blue versions. To my eye, though, the three iPhone 17 Pro Max colors are more varied and eye-catching, with the Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue options standing out from anything the Air offers. There's also a silver iPhone 17 Pro Max, which looks a bit more staid.
iPhone 17 Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max display
Go for the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you want a bigger display, as no iPhone can match its 6.9-inch size. The Air uses a 6.5-inch panel, though both screens offer adaptive 120Hz refresh rates.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | iPhone Air | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
Brightness (nits) | 1,678 | 1,899 |
Color (DCI-P3) | 77.6% | 77.6% |
Accuracy (Delta-E) | 0.27 | 0.26 |
The iPhone 17 Pro Max proved to have the brighter display when we tested both phones with a light meter, giving off an 1,899-nit reading. The iPhone Air came in at a very respectable 1,678 nits. Color reproduction and accuracy were essentially the same between the two phones' displays, so really, it's screen size that's the chief factor to consider here.
iPhone 17 Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max cameras
The biggest sacrifice you'll make should you choose the iPhone Air over the iPhone 17 Pro Max involves the cameras on either phone. The Pro Max comes with a full complement of rear-lenses, with a trio of 48MP sensors letting you shoot wide, ultrawide and zoom shots. The iPhone Air comes with a single 48MP lens that pulls double-duty with regular shots and zooms — ultrawide pictures are out of the question.
We haven't done head-to-head photo comparisons with the Air and Pro Max, but we have tested out those phones against comparable models from Samsung. In the iPhone Air vs. Galaxy S25 Edge face-off, the Air held its own on most shots, but once you zoomed in past the 2x optical-quality close-ups that Apple's phone promises, Air photos looked a lot fuzzier. In contrast, the iPhone 17 Pro Max beat out the Galaxy S25 in their 200-photo face-off.
The bottom line is you'll have great flexibility with the Pro Max, not only with the dedicated ultrawide camera but also the telephoto lens' support for 4x optical zooms. The iPhone Air takes colorful photos and excels in low-light, but it suffers from the limitations you might expect from a single-lens camera.
There are some other limitations to the iPhone Air's camera setup that go beyond hardware. It can't shoot at 120 fps like the iPhone 17 Pro Max can, supporting 4k resolution at a maximum of 60 fps. It also lacks support for Cinematic mode video, though the Air can capture video from both its front and rear camera simultaneously, just like the iPhone 17 Pro Max can.
When it comes to front cameras, though, the Air and Pro Max find themselves on equal footing. Both offer Apple's new 18MP Center Stage camera, which automatically adjusts the orientation of selfies depending on how many people need to fit into the shot.
iPhone 17 Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max performance
Both phones feature Apple's A19 Pro system on chip, but not all A19 Pro chipsets are created equal. The silicon powering the iPhone 17 Pro Max has an extra GPU core, giving it six such cores to the iPhone Air's five. That difference is reflected in our benchmark results, particularly when it comes to graphics testing.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Geekbench | Adobe Premiere Rush | 3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited |
iPhone Air | 3,723 / 9,665 | 23 seconds | 29.5 fps / 7,764 |
iPhone 17 Pro Max | 3,871 / 9,968 | 22 seconds | 46.6 fps / 12,260 |
The iPhone 17 Pro Max posts better scores on the Geekbench test measuring overall CPU performance, though the difference likely won't be noticeable in real-world phone usage. The bigger gap in multicore numbers between the Pro Max and the Air suggests the former phone is more adept at multitasking and processor-intensive tasks, though.
The difference in graphics benchmarks is far more noticeable. On 3DMark's Solar Bay Unlimited test, the iPhone 17 Pro Max posted a 46.6 frames per second result, compared to 29.5 fps for the iPhone Air. If I were serious about gaming, I'd make the iPhone 17 Pro Max my iPhone of choice, not just because of those numbers but because Apple's Pro phones also come with a vapor chamber to help with sustained performance.
The iPhone Air doesn't completely lag behind the iPhone 17 Pro Max. When we had both phones transcode a video using Adobe Premiere Rush, the Air handled the tasks in 23 seconds, which is just 1 second behind the iPhone 17 Pro Max's blazing time.
iPhone 17 Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max battery life and charging
Apple hasn't revealed battery sizes for its new phones, but it's clear after testing that the larger iPhone 17 Pro Max has a clear edge over the iPhone Air when it comes to lasting longer on a charge. We had both phones surf the web until they ran out of power, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max turning in a time of 17 hours and 54 minutes — the best time we've ever seen an iPhone produce on our test.
In contrast, the iPhone Air ran out of juice after 12 hours and 2 minutes. That's more than an hour better than the average phone, but it's nearly 6 hours shy of what iPhone 17 Pro Max users can expect.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max also benefits from faster charging, as we were able to fill the phone's larger battery to 64% after 30 minutes of charging. In that same time, the iPhone Air got to 55%. On paper, that's not a huge gap, but it's something you'll notice when you're trying to top off your phone.
iPhone 17 Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max outlook
Our iPhone 17 Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max comparison isn't meant to say which phone is better than the other, as the answer to that question varies depending on what you're looking for in a handset. If you want a thin phone that doesn't break the bank, Apple's Air is an excellent choice.
But that option comes with some trade-offs, some of which are more readily apparent than others. The iPhone 17 Pro Max offers a more versatile array of cameras and video capabilities, it lasts longer on a charge and it handles graphically demanding games better than the iPhone Air. If those qualities matter to you, the Pro Max is the better choice.
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