Comparing The iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max And iPhone Air
This year’s iPhone range sees some major advancements in both technology and usability. We asked for a longer battery life, brighter screens, and better camera capabilities, and that’s what we got. The big question is which version is right for you: the standard iPhone 17, the premium 17 Pro, the top-of-the-range 17 Pro Max or the ultra-slim iPhone Air (no ‘17’ on that yet, but we wonder what future iterations will be called).
To help work out which is snazzier, which is best value for money and which might be right for you, here’s our lowdown on how the models compare.
Price
Price comes first – we’ll only consider paying more if the upgrade is worth it. So let’s bear in mind that the iPhone 17 starts at £799, making it the most affordable option. The iPhone Air, despite being positioned as a more premium option with its revolutionary ultra-thin design, comes in at £999: just £200 over the base model.
For those seeking higher-end capabilities, the iPhone 17 Pro begins at £1,099 for the 256GB model. The flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max commands the highest price at £1,199, but delivers the most advanced technology Apple has ever packed into a smartphone.
The price points already seem reasonable: Apple has not really raised prices despite upgrading the spec, and prices are $1-for-£1, so we’re effectively paying less than our US counterparts.
Camera
We’re seeing solid improvements across the board. The standard iPhone 17 features all 48MP rear cameras for the first time, which brings sharp photography to the entry-level device. It’s especially clever that the iPhone Air has the Fusion technology found in all these models – it means that with minimal real estate for lenses, it offers the equivalent of a range of lenses.
On the front, the 18MP Center Stage camera comes to even the standard model, providing higher resolution selfies with image stabilisation that keeps you in the centre of video frames. All models support Dual Capture, which lets you film the front and rear cameras at the same time.
For premium options, The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max represent the pinnacle of mobile photography with their three 48MP Fusion cameras: a main, ultrawide, and an all-new telephoto system. Apple are already market leaders with their zoom, but their 8x optical zoom is impressive, and these two models have better night mode performance too – so these cameras will be a real flex at concerts.
Performance and Battery Life
The big boost with this range is the A19 chip, which as expected makes things go faster, smoother and more efficiently, which is key to battery life. The standard phone runs on the A19 chip, while the rest use the A19 Pro chip that can handle more demanding tasks, like running complex Apple Intelligence (Apple’s AI system) tasks, 4K video editing and advanced gaming. Balancing the better chip with more demanding features (and in the case of the iPhone Air, a phone that’s 28% slimmer), battery life is either maintained or improved: Apple says the Air has up to 27 hours video playback, the standard model has 30, the Pro has 31, the Pro Max has 37. And happily, all models support rapid charging – expect them to reach 50 percent charge in just 20 minutes (or 30 minute for the Air) using a high-wattage USB-C power adapter, which needs to be bought separately.
Design and Display
The biggest divergence in this year’s model is how they look. The iPhone 17 is 6.3” in screen size, the 17 Pro is 6.3″, the 17 Pro Max is 6.9”. And at 6.5”, we’ve got the brand new iPhone Air – this weighs just 165g (compared to the 204g of the 17 Pro) and is Apple’s thinnest model yet, at 5.6 mm. We do wonder how fragile it is, especially as many phones live in back pockets these days. But all the phones in this year’s range carry the durable Ceramic Shield 2 front, and only the standard iPhone doesn’t have a Ceramic Shield 2 back. If you drop it in the loo (don’t say it hasn’t nearly happened), they’re all water resistant for up to 30 minutes.
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max feature bolder colour options that depart from the muted tones of other iPhones – we love the Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue. The camera function is now in a raised ‘camera plateau’ that runs across the back, a little like a Google Pixel.
Yet there are many similarities. With a 120Hz refresh rate, meaning super smooth graphics, the standard iPhone has finally caught up to the other models and Apple’s competitors. They’re all now enhanced by ProMotion technology, and have Always On Display.
When you use it out in the sun, it’s great to note that all models have up to 3000 nits of peak outdoor brightness – the highest ever on iPhone.
Tech features
The iPhone 17 models all support Apple Intelligence, Face ID, and Wi-Fi 7, ensuring fast and reliable wireless connectivity for years to come. They also all feature excellent safety features, like Crash Detection, Roadside Assistance and SOS via Satellite, so you can reach emergency services even without phone network.
Which model is right for you?
It seems that Apple has made the standard 17 high-spec and reasonably-priced enough to encourage phone owners to upgrade to this rather than the 15 or 16 Pro models.
However, thanks to their top-of-the-range chip and camera set-up, the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are the best phones on the market today – if you can afford the price tag. The iPhone Air is an interesting experiment: will we value slimness over extra camera functionality of the Pro models? Only time – and sales – will tell.
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