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

I was torn between the Air 512GB vs Pro 17 512GB (both white/silver) but I went with the Pro because of two things: Cameras & Speakers.

Even though I don't take photography on phones seriously, I'd like to have the ability for different cameras whenever I do take it seriously, so it was a no brainer.

The air does feel amazing in hand, and I don't use cases at all, just a MagSafe wallet/stand/finger holder combo (there is no perfect one btw I keep hopping between different brands) so the thinness does disappear after a while and the Pro 17 feels right in the hand.

If Apple adds a second camera (wide) & better speakers to next years Air I may reconsider, but 1 camera is a no no for me.

One upside on the Air is also the small increment in screen size, so it sits between the Pro and Max, which I also liked. Felt like a perfect size for me...
 
I currently own the iPhone Air 512GB Sky Blue. At launch, I placed and cancelled my order for the Air 3 times. Finally, deciding to get the iPhone Air. I am getting old and I don’t know how many iPhones I will own in the future, so I decided to get the most different iPhone available since the launch of iPhone X. For me, the battery is not an issue, the speaker is not an issue and camera is not issue. It’s new and different. It does not make my shorts fall off. I’m happy. 😬
 
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I don't know how this decision could not be easy? The devices are so vastly different in terms of features, you either need them or you don't. If you want a basic iPhone and fancy paying £200 more than the better iPhone 17, you get the Air. If you value having a good camera with you and better all-round specs, you get the 17 Pro. That is why the range is structured the way it is and Apple provide the side-by-side comparision option on their website.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
I don't know how this decision could not be easy? The devices are so vastly different in terms of features, you either need them or you don't. If you want a basic iPhone and fancy paying £200 more than the better iPhone 17, you get the Air. If you value having a good camera with you and better all-round specs, you get the 17 Pro. That is why the range is structured the way it is and Apple provide the side-by-side comparision option on their website.
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Definitely not as easy as you think. I had the Air and the 17 Pro and waffeled between both. Kept the Air as that is the one I kept grabbing and felt so different than the 17 Pro. Even today wonder if I should have kept the 17 Pro over the Air, as liked both. So, not as simple as you make it, but at least it is for you! 🙂
 
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The-Real-Deal82 said:
I don't know how this decision could not be easy? The devices are so vastly different in terms of features, you either need them or you don't. If you want a basic iPhone and fancy paying £200 more than the better iPhone 17, you get the Air. If you value having a good camera with you and better all-round specs, you get the 17 Pro. That is why the range is structured the way it is and Apple provide the side-by-side comparision option on their website.
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At least for me, I vastly, vastly preferred the Air in hand but was very concerned about losing the telephoto lens. So I was legitimately torn. If I knew for a fact “not having the telephoto will be fine” or “not having the telephoto is going to be a big problem” it would have been easy, but since the telephoto is (for me) a want, not a need, it was an incredibly hard decision.
 
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C7 POWER said:
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.
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I very happily went with the Air, but I agree that a wide-angle lens would be the perfect addition. My calculus, though, was that the wide-angle lens is something I used occasionally, but the look/feel/weight/materials aspects of the Air are things I appreciate every time I pick up the phone.
 
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I get the camera issue not having a great wide angle lens but from my time having my Air since preordering it, this device has done everything I needed an iPhone to do while keeping it's ultra thin and light form which I really love about this device. If the need for a wide angle lens is required I have my 13 Mini which has a great wide angle lens and it takes great quality pictures for my needs. This is how I overcome the wide angle lens issue as this iPhone is also very light but also compact which makes it a great backup iPhone to my Air.
 
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I am coming from an iPhone 14 Pro Max. I have had both the Air and the iPhone 17 Pro Max for 2 days of solid use of each. Even doing A/B testing across a number of things.

Conclusions so far:

  • The Air is great in many respects. Its light weight and thinness is much better for usability compared to the PM. Its screen and front facing camera are also the same as the PM. And its build quality and potential resistance to dents and scratches stand out. Finally, screen is good: I don’t miss the larger PM screen when using it.
  • The PM is loaded with everything, so that’s great. Its camera is much better than the Air. Battery life is better. Sound, and not just from music, is better including on FaceTime. But the PM is thicker than my 14 PM and close to as heavy. This thing is a brick which is a big con. I dislike the top edge to edge camera bump as it makes it seem top heavy.
The more I test the more I realize there are layers of things that make the PM better in several areas. For instance, it has 3 mics and the Air only 2. The PM also does stronger audio processing to narrow a voice to eliminate background noise.

Right now I’m torn between the two devices and will decide which one within about a week.
 
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