iPhone Air Is the iPhone Air worth it in this case?

[iJeff0124]

Hi everyone, looking for some advice.
I’m considering upgrading to the iPhone Air, and I know that in the US it’s widely considered poor value because it’s only $100 less than the 17 Pro. But where I live, prices are completely different. Air is about $999 but 17 Pro is about $1399.
Given that difference, I’m wondering if the Air becomes a fine option.I don’t use or care about the Pro-only or missing features the Air lacks (ultra-wide, macro, LiDAR, ProRes/ProRAW, Cinematic, one speaker, worse battery etc). I’ve already compared them and those aren’t important to my use case. With this pricing/difference, does the Air become a better value? Also, the base iPhone 17 isn’t really an option for me — the size feels a bit too small, and in my country it’s actually just very slightly more expensive than the Air. Older iPhones like the 16 aren't for me too because it's a bit older and lacks 120hz and also still $850 here and I also keep my phone for a very long time.
I'm kinda leaning towards the Air but I'm asking because sometimes people bring up long term or real world factors I didn't consider. I'm not looking for validation_ just extra perspectives before I decide. So any input would be great. Thanks!

 

[Spinarelo]

At $400 cheaper than the Pro the Air is definitely worth it!!!! If the air was $400 cheaper than the pro here in the U.S. it would sell like hotcakes

 

[ayephoner]

Based on your post, if I were you, I'd get the Air.

 

[subjonas]

With your situation, it seems the Air is the logical choice. If you value a thin or light device, you'll be especially happy with it.
There are also the long-term factors of resale value and yet-to-be-known battery degradation to consider, but if you're keeping it for a long time then resale probably doesn't matter to you, and in my opinion battery degradation is not a worry since one can always replace the battery if need be.

 

[MarkX]

If the regular 17 is too small for you then so is the 17 pro, It kind of makes your choice easy!

 

[srbNYC]

For what's it's worth: I've got "upgrade anytime" from Spectrum, and they had a sale so I switched from iPhone 17 to the Air--and I'm super happy. No IRL battery issues that I was afraid of, and the more limited camera serves me just fine. It's a delight to carry and use.

 

[Christopher Kim]

+1 I think the Air is a good choice for you. Biggest feature lacks, as someone who was a Day 1 Air purchaser, coming from a 15 Pro Max. Is 1) lack of telephoto zoom lens (and ultra-wide, but for me, it's the Zoom lens that I miss the most), and 2) Single speaker (only if you use Facetime / Speaker calls, or watch a lot of videos, without using AirPods), and 3) slightly less battery (about the same as the 17 - only matters if you're a power user).

If those factors aren't an issue for you, then the Air at that relative price point is great.