iPhone 17 Pro Max 17 Pro Max vs Air: Decision was not easy

[C7 POWER]

If anyone is still on the fence, I hope this may help.

So I had pre ordered the Cosmic Orange Pro Max for launch day delivery. On Friday UPS did not deliver the phone and looked like it could take a few days for them to locate the phone and deliver, so Saturday I went to the Apple Store and bought the Air so I could truly give it a try, as I know me.... and the first time I saw one at the Apple Store Id then spend the next year questioning if I would have liked the Air over the Pro. I am on the 1UP program, so I get a new PM annually.

I will say the Air truly exceeded my expectations on how much I was going to like it, and I forgot the excitement for having a truly new iPhone felt, not since the X did I have this awe when holding the phone.

The weight in my hand, how it feels in my hand, and when its in my pocket it was fantastic, Did not feel the weight pulling down on my shorts pockets, etc. The screen is stunning, especially with using the Liquid Glass theme, it just feels like a sheet of glass in your hand. The speaker did not bother me like I expected, It sounded fine for listening to You Tube, etc.

The battery life was fine, no issues with heavy use for the 48 hours either.

My Pro Max delivered today, and I cant get over how heavy this phone feels to me now that I have used the Air for 48 hours, The Pro Max truly feels like a brick now lol.

The decision was tough, much harder than I expected. But the single camera is what killed it for me, No wide angle lens especially became the deal breaker. I was at lunch gathering yesterday with my Corvette group, I tried to get a pic of the cars parked together and I could not get far enough back to get them all in a single frame, where as on the Pro I can just zoom out. I take lots of pictures through the year at car meets, or just day to day and sadly at the end of the day the single camera just was a deal breaker. The night shots are not even as clear on the Air as the Pro.

So this week I will return the Air.

The Air is a solid phone, and if the camera was at least a dual camera, I would have had no reason to return it. To those hating on the air without even truly experiencing it, It is a fantastic phone, both in looks, technology design, and feel.

 

[surferfb]

I don't want to return the Air, but like you, I am not enjoying the camera situation. At this moment I suspect I end up sending it back, but told myself I'd give it a full week before deciding. I'm definitely not going to be happy about it though. And if I'm being honest, I think I am less likely to return it now than when I ordered it (even if I suspect I still will).

 

[C7 POWER]

I don't want to return the Air, but like you, I am not enjoying the camera situation. At this moment I suspect I end up sending it back, but told myself I'd give it a full week before deciding. I'm definitely not going to be happy about it though. And if I'm being honest, I think I am less likely to return it now than when I ordered it (even if I suspect I still will).

Yeah it truly hurts to take it back, I hated resetting it and boxing it up because I do love it so much, But at the end of the day its not even having the ability to zoom out that killed it for me.

 

[vistokid]

The Air 2 will be the one to get.

 

[C7 POWER]

The Air 2 will be the one to get.

Next year Ill get the Foldable, so the Air will not even be on my radar when that comes out lol.

 

[C7 POWER]

I will say the Pro Max now feels so dang heavy after using the Air for 2 days lol

 

[surferfb]

I will say the Pro Max now feels so dang heavy after using the Air for 2 days lol

I've intentionally not picked up my old one because I am going to the Apple Store tomorrow to check out the new Pro Maxes.

I am a little concerned I'll pick it up and say "NOPE" and just resign myself to wearing a messenger bag with my actual camera in it (thereby completely eliminating the benefits of the smaller device 🤣 😂 🤣)

 

[Nikos]

My 17 Pro Max has been sitting in the box since launch day, when I decided to pick up the Air on a whim that I've been using exclusively since.

I'm still sort of conflicted on which to keep. I'm planning on switching to the 17 Pro Max later today and hoping that things will fall into perspective.

So far, I'm pretty sure I can live with the Air's shortcomings in favor of its form factor. For me, it's the most exciting iPhone Apple has released since the iPhone X.

 

[MaxVerstappen]

Great review. Shame that you can’t live with just one camera?! Not having a go but people these days are so obsessed with capturing everything, whatever happened to actually living in the moment? There is simply no reason to record or photograph everything 100 times over to get that perfect shot that does not even exist etc.

Your dad and your grandad probably just enjoyed their Corvettes with a couple of pictures of their cars and that was that. Simple life.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[aevan]

I tried to get a pic of the cars parked together and I could not get far enough back to get them all in a single frame, where as on the Pro I can just zoom out.

Interesitng - I'd think the telephoto would be the one I'd miss more. But it seems most people care about the wide one more.

 

[beerglass007]

The Air 2 will be the one to get.

I holding out for the air 3

 

[beerglass007]

If anyone is still on the fence, I hope this may help.

So I had pre ordered the Cosmic Orange Pro Max for launch day delivery. On Friday UPS did not deliver the phone and looked like it could take a few days for them to locate the phone and deliver, so Saturday I went to the Apple Store and bought the Air so I could truly give it a try, as I know me.... and the first time I saw one at the Apple Store Id then spend the next year questioning if I would have liked the Air over the Pro. I am on the 1UP program, so I get a new PM annually.

I will say the Air truly exceeded my expectations on how much I was going to like it, and I forgot the excitement for having a truly new iPhone felt, not since the X did I have this awe when holding the phone.

The weight in my hand, how it feels in my hand, and when its in my pocket it was fantastic, Did not feel the weight pulling down on my shorts pockets, etc. The screen is stunning, especially with using the Liquid Glass theme, it just feels like a sheet of glass in your hand. The speaker did not bother me like I expected, It sounded fine for listening to You Tube, etc.

The battery life was fine, no issues with heavy use for the 48 hours either.

My Pro Max delivered today, and I cant get over how heavy this phone feels to me now that I have used the Air for 48 hours, The Pro Max truly feels like a brick now lol.

The decision was tough, much harder than I expected. But the single camera is what killed it for me, No wide angle lens especially became the deal breaker. I was at lunch gathering yesterday with my Corvette group, I tried to get a pic of the cars parked together and I could not get far enough back to get them all in a single frame, where as on the Pro I can just zoom out. I take lots of pictures through the year at car meets, or just day to day and sadly at the end of the day the single camera just was a deal breaker. The night shots are not even as clear on the Air as the Pro.

So this week I will return the Air.

The Air is a solid phone, and if the camera was at least a dual camera, I would have had no reason to return it. To those hating on the air without even truly experiencing it, It is a fantastic phone, both in looks, technology design, and feel.

I felt that as soon as I used it on the Apple Store. It looks and feels amazing but that's where it ends

If you think the PM is a brick you can have your cake and eat it with a standard Pro. Pretty much the same size as air and weight but all the pro features. I know its not really as thin and light but its closer than a PM and honestly feels like its this years sweet spot

 

[MaxVerstappen]

I felt that as soon as I used it on the Apple Store. It looks and feels amazing but that's where it ends

Not really. It also performs great. I’m glad Apple decided to go with the Pro chip(binned) and 12GB ram. No wonder it costs more than the regular.

 

[beerglass007]

Not really. It also performs great. I’m glad Apple decided to go with the Pro chip(binned) and 12GB ram. No wonder it costs more than the regular.

I'm afaid it does when compared to a Pro. The battery is less, the speaker is mono, the usb is slow, the charger is slower, the camera/s

Not many people will notice the difference between a A18,A19 or A19 Pro CPU and 5 or 6 GPU cores but they will basics like battery charging, battery capacity etc etc

The air is pretty nice and I was drawn into it for sure. Really shinny shinny tech but I came to my senses when I looked at what really matters and the basics are a downgrade from 14/15/16 Pro model

 

[MaxVerstappen]

I'm afaid it does when compared to a Pro. The battery is less, the speaker is mono, the usb is slow, the charger is slower, the camera/s

Not many people will notice the difference between a A18,A19 or A19 Pro CPU and 5 or 6 GPU cores but they will basics like battery charging, battery capacity etc etc

The air is pretty nice and I was drawn into it for sure. Really shinny shinny tech but I came to my senses when I looked at what really matters and the basics are a downgrade from 14/15/16 Pro model

It all comes down to your preference.

I want a thin, sleek and a lightweight iPhone. Air is the phone for me.

 

[surferfb]

Interesitng - I'd think the telephoto would be the one I'd miss more. But it seems most people care about the wide one more.

I did the math. Out of my photos: 76% main camera, 18% telephoto, 6% ultra wide. I always wondered why the ultra wide went on the regular phones instead of the telephoto. But turns out everyone loves ultra wide except for me 🤣

 

[Thats_Not_Marcus]

The Air 2 will be the one to get.

Absolutely.If they make the Air better with two cameras, better battery, then I am all in for that upgrade.

 

[subjonas]

I've intentionally not picked up my old one because I am going to the Apple Store tomorrow to check out the new Pro Maxes.

I am a little concerned I'll pick it up and say "NOPE" and just resign myself to wearing a messenger bag with my actual camera in it (thereby completely eliminating the benefits of the smaller device 🤣 😂 🤣)

Are you ok pocketing a Pro Max? If so, this probably won't relate to you, but I wear a fanny pack (cross body) now with my Pro Max in it because I hate how it feels in my pocket. I've been contemplating getting an Air that I can maybe tolerate pocketing, and getting a good dedicated PaS camera to carry in my fanny pack. You're right it sort of negates the benefit of the thinner phone if I still carry a fanny pack with yet another device--but there are still positives. A good PaS camera has a larger sensor and higher optical zoom than the iPhone Pro camera. I can choose to leave behind the fanny pack on occasions where it's not practical to wear or when I know I won't need the PaS, and I'll be able to (hopefully) comfortably pocket my phone and it will also still have a decent camera. And even when wearing the fanny pack, I'd still get the benefit of being able to use a thinner phone that's more comfortable in the hand and in the pocket, and pocketing a phone is generally easier/faster than a fanny pack (maybe depending on the fanny pack).

But the main question for me is how much more I'll like holding and pocketing the Air over the Pro Max. It would likely have to be much better to be worth it. I'm also not sure the Air screen size is right for me. At the moment I'm trying to use the Pro Max as a replacement for my iPad Mini (mainly used at home)--that's the reason I went Max. The Max size does just an ok job, so I'm not sure if the smaller Air screen will cut it.

 

[ssledoux]

Saw it in store today for the first time. It is quite a beautiful device, and I fully intended for that to be my upgrade from my 15PM, but when it came down to it, I ordered the regular size pro. I had to go look and be sure I wasn’t going to regret my decision, but, as gorgeous as the screen was (and really, to me, the perfect size - right between the pro and pro max), I left feeling pretty good about my choice.

My eyes aren’t loving the smaller pro since there are some texts that just will not zoom, but overall I’m super happy I went back to a smaller phone.

 

[thecautioners]

Great review. Shame that you can’t live with just one camera?! Not having a go but people these days are so obsessed with capturing everything, whatever happened to actually living in the moment? There is simply no reason to record or photograph everything 100 times over to get that perfect shot that does not even exist etc.

Your dad and your grandad probably just enjoyed their Corvettes with a couple of pictures of their cars and that was that. Simple life.

Just my 2 cents.

To be honest, in my case, I have a very, very poor memory. It’s a problem. I’m only 39 but I have a lifelong history of depression and trauma which has wreaked havoc on my brain’s functioning ability. I am disabled from it. I also attribute further cognitive decline to the ketamine (Spravato) treatment that I have been getting for the depression for 5 years now, it has been 100% effective in putting my depression into complete remission, but it has had unfortunate cognitive effects that cannot be overlooked.

All that is to say, I document my life via lots of photos so that I can look back and remember. My kids are 13 and 7 and I don’t want to miss out. I will forget entire events until I’m scrolling through memories and come across them. My youngest loves to look back at old photos of herself from before she started forming her own memories, we have fun with it

 

[JtheLemur]

I am having massive deja vu, this is the exact same thread as this one lol:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/spent-weekend-w-air-17-pro-settled-on-the-pro.2467094/