iPhone Air iphone Air vs iPhone Pro

[gomakoto]

Here are the things the Air does not have compared to the pro.

• Single Speaker only
• No Lidar
• No MMWave Antenna
• Smaller Battery
• No Extra Camera Lenses
• No Vapor cooling, meaning it will throttle the CPU faster
• Smaller camera sensor
• Microphone is better on the pro

However, the Air makes up for it by being super thin and otherwise having the exact same:

• Screen is the same (slightly larger)
• Main camera is the same Edit: I removed this because it has a smaller camera sensor
• Front camera is the same
• Refresh rate is the same
• Pro Chip (minus one GPU core)

I was dead set on getting the pro as I always want "the best". However, it seems to me, that the best might now be subjective as the Air got the pro chip which frankly surprised me. I rarely use the extra camera lenses, in niche scenarios really, and they be nice to have but the shape of the device is something that you feel at all times.

Did I miss anything? Is there anything else missing from the Air that the pro has? To me, if I could choose one of those things to keep, it probably would be the telephoto lens or maybe the speaker. I wish I could see what the reviews have to say.

 

[Apple_Robert]

MR published an article this morning noting the differences.

Buyer's Guide: iPhone 17, Air, Pro, or Pro Max? 40 Differences Compared

Apple's four new iPhones launch later this month, with more differences between the latest models than ever before. Instead of the familiar...

www.macrumors.com

 

[mathiasinthe314]

I am right there with you. I keep flip flopping between the Pro and the Air. My current saved pre-pre-order is a 17 Pro. But I keep seeing the hands on videos from yesterdays event and the Air is just soooo beautiful. I am the same as you in that 95% of my photos are on the main lens or my front facing camera (which gets the same sensor as the Pro models this year) so my use case is minimal for the ultra wide and telephoto, though I do occasionally use them and appreciate what they bring in those moments. The single speaker is nagging at me a little too, I do talk on speaker when cooking or other certain activities around the house and there is background noise. So that might be a noticeable disadvantage. The smaller battery isn't really bugging me, because I was already planning to step down to the Pro from the Pro Max and was expecting 16 Pro level performance, but Apple has all around improved battery life on all models this year. So the battery expectations are met in the Air.

All I know is that I have FOMO and I don't want to regret my decision a month in. I am at least on iUP and can swap it out next year if I hate it, but 12 months is still a long time for something I use everyday.

 

[gomakoto]

I am right there with you. I keep flip flopping between the Pro and the Air. My current saved pre-pre-order is a 17 Pro. But I keep seeing the hands on videos from yesterdays event and the Air is just soooo beautiful. I am the same as you in that 95% of my photos are on the main lens or my front facing camera (which gets the same sensor as the Pro models this year) so my use case is minimal for the ultra wide and telephoto, though I do occasionally use them and appreciate what they bring in those moments. The single speaker is nagging at me a little too, I do talk on speaker when cooking or other certain activities around the house and there is background noise. So that might be a noticeable disadvantage. The smaller battery isn't really bugging me, because I was already planning to step down to the Pro from the Pro Max and was expecting 16 Pro level performance, but Apple has all around improved battery life on all models this year. So the battery expectations are met in the Air.

All I know is that I have FOMO and I don't want to regret my decision a month in. I am at least on iUP and can swap it out next year if I hate it, but 12 months is still a long time for something I use everyday.

Yeah I was flip flopping as well. And now I am excited to try something new. It will also be a better conversational piece and easily recognized as "the new cool phone". I rarely use the extra cameras and the Air essentially, is a high end device with the pro chip. If you play games, get the Pro. If you film a lot, and record a lot of video, get the pro.

If your phone mainly is a screen that you use to connect to the internet, then the Air fills that gap. I agree, speaker is a let down. But they had to leave some room for future upgrades.

 

[dizmonk]

I am right there with you. I keep flip flopping between the Pro and the Air. My current saved pre-pre-order is a 17 Pro. But I keep seeing the hands on videos from yesterdays event and the Air is just soooo beautiful. I am the same as you in that 95% of my photos are on the main lens or my front facing camera (which gets the same sensor as the Pro models this year) so my use case is minimal for the ultra wide and telephoto, though I do occasionally use them and appreciate what they bring in those moments. The single speaker is nagging at me a little too, I do talk on speaker when cooking or other certain activities around the house and there is background noise. So that might be a noticeable disadvantage. The smaller battery isn't really bugging me, because I was already planning to step down to the Pro from the Pro Max and was expecting 16 Pro level performance, but Apple has all around improved battery life on all models this year. So the battery expectations are met in the Air.

All I know is that I have FOMO and I don't want to regret my decision a month in. I am at least on iUP and can swap it out next year if I hate it, but 12 months is still a long time for something I use everyday.

I have no interest in the Air. Personally, I think it's a bit of a gimmick. I'm definitely going with the Pro. Better battery and camera.

 

[gomakoto]

Looks like I forgot to mention that the Pro has:

• Studio quality 4 mic array

So it also has a better microphone.

 

[royinla14]

I am so torn. Always loved the small form factor of the mini in terms of weight but then gave up and moved to the Pro starting with the 14. Loved it and got used to it, and even got rid of my iPad mini at some point. Now I am torn as I always like the best like you said, plus dig the new orange color, but on the other hand, the Air brings back the light weight and thinner form I missed since the iPhone 6(!), still amazing in terms of performance based on the specs I read (I can manage with the battery and the one lens seems good as well for my level of photography)...
So I am now debating coming from 16 Pro what to do - Orange Pro or Gold Air? It may be the first time since iPhone 4 orders that I will go to the store first to check it out and skip pre-order.

 

[JPack]

• No Extra Camera Lenses
• Main camera is the same

No, the size of the Air camera sensor (1/1.56") is much smaller compared to the Pro (1/1.28"). This means low light shots will be less detailed.

A lot of people assume 48MP camera sensors are all the same. They're not. The iPhone 16e sensor is much smaller than iPhone 17/Air. And the 17/Air is much smaller than 17 Pro/Max.

I suspect a lot of people use the ultrawide lens without knowing it. The lens is selected automatically when taking close up shots, such as QR codes and printed pages.

 

[britboyj]

I really just want to see some examples of photos people took with the Air. Currently on an iPhone 16 Pro but the battery life has really fallen off a cliff.

 

[surferfb]

I am so torn. My heart wants the Air, but my head says get the Pro.

For me, cameras are the deciding factor. Did a comparison on my photos shot over the last year:

• 74% of my photos with the main camera
• 18% with telephoto
• 8% with ultra-wide

Looked through the photos shot with the telephoto/ultra-wide and while there aren't any "favorites," there are a few photos that I'd be legit bummed to not have. So I guess I am leaning Pro? But I keep coming back to the Air.

 

[gomakoto]

No, the size of the Air camera sensor (1/1.56") is much smaller compared to the Pro (1/1.28"). This means low light shots will be less detailed.

A lot of people assume 48MP camera sensors are all the same. They're not. The iPhone 16e sensor is much smaller than iPhone 17/Air. And the 17/Air is much smaller than 17 Pro/Max.

I suspect a lot of people use the ultrawide lens without knowing it. The lens is selected automatically when taking close up shots, such as QR codes and printed pages.

Thank you! I have edited the original post based on this.

 

[gomakoto]

I am so torn. My heart wants the Air, but my head says get the Pro.

For me, cameras are the deciding factor. Did a comparison on my photos shot over the last year:

• 74% of my photos with the main camera
• 18% with telephoto
• 8% with ultra-wide

Looked through the photos shot with the telephoto/ultra-wide and while there aren't any "favorites," there are a few photos that I'd be legit bummed to not have. So I guess I am leaning Pro? But I keep coming back to the Air.

How did you find this out?

Edit: I found a way. It's by creating a smart album in your photos app:

 

[Mescagnus]

No ALT-DP DisplayPort support on iPhone Air, whereas base iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have it. Weird decision by Apple. No display out.

 

[gomakoto]

No ALT-DP DisplayPort support on iPhone Air, whereas base iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have it. Weird decision by Apple. No display out.

Oh wow, strange with a pro chip too

 

[Mescagnus]

Oh wow, strange with a pro chip too

Yes. I'm hoping it's just an error or omission in the technical specifications. If there's no DisplayPort support, I'll go for 17 PM even though I like the Air so, so much more.

 

[Macalway]

My choice in the past has been weight vs seen size, etc. It seems like the Air can give you a good screen but also the reduced weight, and a generally more portable profile.

The Air still retains a premium aspect, like so many ultralights. I may go there just for the change, and cool factor, which of course is what the Air is about.

 

[mathiasinthe314]

I am so torn. My heart wants the Air, but my head says get the Pro.

For me, cameras are the deciding factor. Did a comparison on my photos shot over the last year:

• 74% of my photos with the main camera
• 18% with telephoto
• 8% with ultra-wide

Looked through the photos shot with the telephoto/ultra-wide and while there aren't any "favorites," there are a few photos that I'd be legit bummed to not have. So I guess I am leaning Pro? But I keep coming back to the Air.

I just ran the same analysis and was pretty surprised. I looked at the last two years on my 15PM and 16PM and found that 18.7% were ultrawide, 77.3% was main lens, and only 4% were with the telephoto.

The amount of ultrawide being so high and telephoto being so low were surprising. It does make me wonder if I’ll miss the ultra wide. The telephoto photos are nothing spectacular. But some of the ultrawides are good photos that couldn’t have been captured as easily or fully with the main lens.

That does push me back towards the Pro some.

 

[alia]

I'm struggling with this same question. I'm normally a Pro Max user, and I've basically replaced my fancier camera setup with my phone for big trips where I want to take great photos. I was thinking of going to the Air this year since I have no big travel plans, so if I absolutely can't deal with it, by the time I have a big trip in 2027, I can go back to the Pro Max (or maybe get the foldable 18 and go back to using my Leica).

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Here are the things the Air does not have compared to the pro.

• Single Speaker only
• No Lidar
• No MMWave Antenna
• Smaller Battery
• No Extra Camera Lenses
• No Vapor cooling, meaning it will throttle the CPU faster
• Smaller camera sensor
• Microphone is better on the pro

However, the Air makes up for it by being super thin and otherwise having the exact same:

• Screen is the same (slightly larger)
• Main camera is the same Edit: I removed this because it has a smaller camera sensor
• Front camera is the same
• Refresh rate is the same
• Pro Chip (minus one GPU core)

I was dead set on getting the pro as I always want "the best". However, it seems to me, that the best might now be subjective as the Air got the pro chip which frankly surprised me. I rarely use the extra camera lenses, in niche scenarios really, and they be nice to have but the shape of the device is something that you feel at all times.

Did I miss anything? Is there anything else missing from the Air that the pro has? To me, if I could choose one of those things to keep, it probably would be the telephoto lens or maybe the speaker. I wish I could see what the reviews have to say.

Sure if you do not do much photography you can blow off the vastly superior camera competence of the iPhone Pros [subject to real-world testing that has not happened yet].

 

[4sallypat]

I never use any of the camera lenses, 5G mmW, microphones, nor use it for social media or anything intensive.

My 16 Pro is a waste IMO and it's heavy.

I just want: AOD, all day battery life, satellite connectivity, and accurate GPS for aviation.

I do not live on the iPhone and consider it a secondary or tertiary device whereas my MacBook and Mac Studio are my 90% of the time used devices.

Air is perfect for me.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I just ran the same analysis and was pretty surprised. I looked at the last two years on my 15PM and 16PM and found that 18.7% were ultrawide, 77.3% was main lens, and only 4% were with the telephoto.

The amount of ultrawide being so high and telephoto being so low were surprising. It does make me wonder if I’ll miss the ultra wide. The telephoto photos are nothing spectacular. But some of the ultrawides are good photos that couldn’t have been captured as easily or fully with the main lens.

That does push me back towards the Pro some.

Looking backwards has very limited value. Of course when available tele was poor we took less tele! It seems to me [until I real-world test] that the new all 48 MP setup will likely allow significant improvement in smoothness moving among 13mm to 200mm [35mm equivalence] compositions.

Pretty amazing stuff from a flat slab of aluminum that fits in my pocket.

 

[gomakoto]

Sure if you do not do much photography you can blow off the vastly superior camera competence of the iPhone Pros [subject to real-world testing that has not happened yet].

That’s the thing, I mainly shoot photos of myself at places I go. I don’t zoom into things really.

 

[Garethe86]

I am right there with you. I keep flip flopping between the Pro and the Air. My current saved pre-pre-order is a 17 Pro. But I keep seeing the hands on videos from yesterdays event and the Air is just soooo beautiful. I am the same as you in that 95% of my photos are on the main lens or my front facing camera (which gets the same sensor as the Pro models this year) so my use case is minimal for the ultra wide and telephoto, though I do occasionally use them and appreciate what they bring in those moments. The single speaker is nagging at me a little too, I do talk on speaker when cooking or other certain activities around the house and there is background noise. So that might be a noticeable disadvantage. The smaller battery isn't really bugging me, because I was already planning to step down to the Pro from the Pro Max and was expecting 16 Pro level performance, but Apple has all around improved battery life on all models this year. So the battery expectations are met in the Air.

All I know is that I have FOMO and I don't want to regret my decision a month in. I am at least on iUP and can swap it out next year if I hate it, but 12 months is still a long time for something I use everyday.

I'm with you, I have the Pro Max on pre-order, and have so far resisted the temptation to set up another for the Air and then make a decision tomorrow night. The phone is really beautiful and has everything I want. I would miss the 4x Zoom, but I use a Pixel for my real serious photos anyway.