There's a lot of buzz building around the iPhone 17 Air, because this new rumored iPhone could wind up being the thinnest iPhone ever should it replace the Plus model in Apple's lineup this fall.
But the iPhone 17 Pro Max will likely remain Apple's true flagship in terms of features, specs and especially price. Based on the leaked rumored and specs so far, there will likely be some pretty big differences between these two phones.
Which will be the best iPhone for you? This iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max comparison will break down everything we know so far.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | iPhone 17 Air (rumored) | iPhone 17 Pro Max (rumored) |
Price | $899 | $1,199 |
Display | 6.6 inches (120Hz) | 6.9 inches (120Hz) |
Chip | A19 | A19 Pro |
Rear camera | 48MP wide | 48MP wide, ultrawide and telephoto |
Front camera | 24MP | 24MP |
RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
Storage | 128GB | 256GB |
Modem | Apple | Qualcomm |
Thickness | 5.5-6mm | 8.73mm |
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Design and thickness
The iPhone 17 Air could very well be the thinnest phone on the market. The rumored dimensions vary, but we've heard it could be anywhere between 5.5 to 6mm thick.
By comparison, the current iPhone 16 Pro Max measures 8.25mm thick.
Interestingly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is tipped to feature a larger battery than its predecessor, so it could be even thicker at 8.73mm.
In terms of overall design, the iPhone 17 Air's back could house a single rear camera in a long pill-shaped camera bar. The flash would be on the far right side.
Rumors point to an aluminum and glass design for the iPhone 17 Air. And there may be just one speaker, instead of two for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is tipped to feature a new rectangular camera button that would go the length of the design and house the triple rear camera setup.
Apple may also ditch titanium on the iPhone 17 Pro Max and opt for aluminum.
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Displays
The iPhone 17 Air's display is rumored to be in the 6.6- to 6.7-inch range, so it will presumably be smaller than the iPhone 17 Pro Max's screen.
Just like the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to feature a large 6.9-inch panel.
The leaker Ice Universe has said that the iPhone 17 Air is the same size as the iPhone 17 Pro Max other than thickness, so it's possible they could have the same display size.
The good news is that both the iPhone 17 Air and Pro Max are both expected to feature 120Hz refresh rates, though that it definitely not confirmed.
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Cameras
It looks like Apple is going to keep the iPhone 17 Air very streamlined when it comes to cameras. The new model is rumored to feature only a single rear 48MP wide camera.
The front camera will likely be the same 24MP that's expected for the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, including the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is tipped to feature both a 48MP telephoto lens (presumably with 5x tetraprism zoom) and a 48MP ultrawide camera.
So those looking for the best camera phone will want to up for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Chip, RAM and storage
As you might expect, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is tipped to feature the more powerful internal hardware.
Rumors point to the iPhone 17 Pro Max getting an A18 Pro chip, 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage to start.
The iPhone 17 Air should get a slightly slower A19 chip, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
So both the iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro should be able to play the same demanding games, but I would expect the iPhone 17 Pro to offer better frame rates.
In addition, the extra ram inside the iPhone 17 Pro should lead to better performance in Apple Intelligence features, such as generating images or using Writing Tools.
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Battery
We don't have any specific info yet on the battery size for the iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but it's reasonable to expect that Apple will give the Air a significantly smaller battery given its thin profile.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is reportedly getting thicker to accommodate a larger battery. Based on teardowns, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 4,685 mAh battery. And in our iPhone 16 Pro Max battery testing, Apple's current premium flagship lasted an average of 17 hours and 35 minutes.
That's a superb result and good enough to make our list of the best phone battery life. I'm worried that the iPhone 17 Air could last several hours less due to its more constrained battery. But that remains to be seen.
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Modem
The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly be the second phone after the iPhone 16e to feature Apple's own C1 modem.
This modem doesn't support mmWave 5G, so you're not going to always get the fastest speeds, but the C! performed well in our iPhone 16e testing.
The C1 modem is also designed to be super efficient, and the iPhone 17 Air will need that without a large battery to squeeze out as much endurance as possible.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to stick with a Qualcomm 5G modem, so it should offer better performance in terms of speedy connectivity.
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Outlook
The iPhone 17 Air and IPhone 17 Pro Max seem like they are going to target very different audiences.
Based on the rumors and leaks, the iPhone 17 Air will be geared toward people who care about portability and style above everything else. It should easily slip into a front pocket without weighing you down.
At the same time, the iPhone 17 Air should offer good enough performance, even if it has a slightly lesser chip with less RAM and storage compared to Apple's Pro model.
The biggest iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max difference — other than the profile — will likely be the triple camera setup on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
If you want to be able to shoot ultrawide shots and get in very close with a powerful optical zoom, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will likely be for you.
Plus, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will likely offer a slightly larger display and bigger battery.
It all comes down to what you're looking for when shopping for the best phone for you.
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