iPhone 17 Pro Pro vs Air Decision

[techspin]

And the verdict for the phone I’m keeping is…..the Air!!!

Nahh I’m playing, I’m keeping the Pro. For anyone who picked the Air, I understand 100%. I was close. You ever make a pie but take it out a few minutes too early cuz you’re a fatty like me and want to eat it asap? That’s what the Air is. It has the form factor of a futuristic phone, but it is simply half-baked with all of the missing features. Even the base model has more features which is wild. Back into the oven it goes and hopefully we’ll have a tasty apple strudel by next September. With pro features and two speakers, please.

^ so this is what I would’ve said if I kept the pro. But I’m keeping the Air cuz I’m a superficial creature with more emotions than logic. Form over function. Pay more for less. Who needs decent sound or cameras? Not this guy. Fml. It’s so thin though.

 

[pdauser92]

The Air is a beautiful device but three weeks after release I can still order an Air from Apple, Amazon etc for next day delivery in the UK. I’ve never seen that happen for a newly released iPhone.

I’m probably going to stick to a Pro but it’s interesting to see other people’s experiences.

 

[Donkey Man]

Aluminum is the poor man's titanium - and let us all be honest here: the 17 Pro is probably the ugliest phone in Apple's history.

 

[Donkey Man]

If you can’t decide, do the following apply to you? If you choose 3 out of the 6, then just get the pro and carry on.

A) I enjoy iPhone photography and value the flexibility of x8 zoom and ultra-wide.
B) Raw and log formats are important.
C) Tired of overheating issues.
D) Speaker sound is important.
E) Watching any media landscape. Mono sound from one side of the phone pisses me off.
F) I need the longest battery life without going max size.

A - NO
B - NO
C - NO
D - NO
E - NO
F - NO

So just get the Air.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

It's crazy that the Air is still available in every Apple store near me for same day pickup. I'm used to seeing iPhones sold out to mid-October.

I'll be popping in to a store this weekend to check them out in person. Can't betray the Mini Gang, but man is the Air nice to look at.

 

[Blaidd]

It’s THE iPhone to get this year imo

 

[tomtad]

Get a regular 17, you'll thank yourself

 

[GDF]

It's crazy that the Air is still available in every Apple store near me for same day pickup. I'm used to seeing iPhones sold out to mid-October.

I'll be popping in to a store this weekend to check them out in person. Can't betray the Mini Gang, but man is the Air nice to look at.

Same here. iPhone Pro’s both versions are sold out until mid to late Oct, with some Pros (very few) available for pickup, but a ways a way from me. I guess is anyone upgrades every year, then the Pro’s are probably the way to go for resale value. I always get top dollar for mine locally. Not sure the Air will be that way next year.

 

[NotApplicable]

Many pros and pro maxes available for immediate ISPU in the greater Seattle area

 

[techspin]

It’s THE iPhone to get this year imo

Most people who voted on this poll picked the Air. I dunno if the MR crowd is really representative of the general population. In daily use, you reap the benefits of the nicer form factor every time you touch it. The other drawbacks are highly dependent on each person's use case.

 

[ZipZap]

The Air is a beautiful device but three weeks after release I can still order an Air from Apple, Amazon etc for next day delivery in the UK. I’ve never seen that happen for a newly released iPhone.

I’m probably going to stick to a Pro but it’s interesting to see other people’s experiences.

It's because every social media person is applying their use case to their phone reviews and making the Air seem bad. I love the Air and glad I moved downs from the 16PM. My use case never needed the PM.

 

[Meedoss]

So says everyone now

 

[techspin]

Alright, wrapping this up. As someone who took a while to choose between the pro and the Air, after more time with just the air, I’m happy with my choice. If you want to have the best camera system and sound volume/quality, stick with the pro. Yea, you can filter your photo album to see what lens you’ve used the most, but it still comes down to what you feel like you’re missing. The Air takes great photos, but this is definitely a sacrifice you’re making. For those who keep saying carry a real camera if you’re serious about photos, give your face a high five. With that logic, you don’t even need a camera on a phone. Let’s go back to our Nokias and Blackberrys and rent videos from Blockbuster.

The sound is worse and someone at Apple needs to be fired. Don’t let the Air apologists convince you otherwise. However, in my daily use, it’s not that bad. However, I also don’t really watch stuff in landscape. Scrolling on social media is a better experience than the pro just due to how nice the form factor is. Here’s where the speakers are important. If you’re hard of hearing or need the max volume for video calls, the base or the pros are what you should be looking at. The only times I ever max out the volume slider on any iPhone I’ve had are for phone calls and speakerphone. A mono speaker produces less rich sound and higher pitches where distortion happens (on all iPhones) are more noticeable than a stereo setup. If you already have trouble hearing calls on a pro phone, for your own sake don’t even bother looking at the air. I use a combination of bluetooth sound systems, the phone’s speaker, and AirPods. My phone calls have been clear and sound fine. If you regularly listen to content at 75% volume or more on phone speakers, first of all what are you doing. Your ability to discern high quality audio is questionable, but I’d say go ahead and get the pro instead.

Despite these clear compromises, the Air has been a pleasure to use, which what I feel is most important. The larger screen on the Air vs pros is more enjoyable than I initially realized. The form factor is just perfect. Putting a case on the Air is a crime.

 

[techspin]

Yoo problem solved lol. From a place called sandmarc.

Honestly though, it's actually not a terrible option for those times where you know it'll come in handy. Apple should come up with their own sleek slip on solution like they have with their MagSafe battery.

 

[Aneef]

And the verdict for the phone I’m keeping is…..the Air!!!

Nahh I’m playing, I’m keeping the Pro. For anyone who picked the Air, I understand 100%. I was close. You ever make a pie but take it out a few minutes too early cuz you’re a fatty like me and want to eat it asap? That’s what the Air is. It has the form factor of a futuristic phone, but it is simply half-baked with all of the missing features. Even the base model has more features which is wild. Back into the oven it goes and hopefully we’ll have a tasty apple strudel by next September. With pro features and two speakers, please.

^ so this is what I would’ve said if I kept the pro. But I’m keeping the Air cuz I’m a superficial creature with more emotions than logic. Form over function. Pay more for less. Who needs decent sound or cameras? Not this guy. Fml. It’s so thin though.

too many plot twists

 

[techspin]

too many plot twists

Yea haha. The Air is a pleasure to hold and use on a daily basis so no regrets. The reactions of people who have never seen it is great also.

 

[Spinarelo]

Couldn't decide so I did the most sensible thing, and hung on to my 16PM. I'm just going to see what next year brings

 

[Apple_Robert]

 

[jntdroid]

"turns out we don't all care about the same things"

"people have different sets of priorities, and those priorities affect how the downsides a device impact them"

Mind blown...

This video should be posted in multiple threads. That said, my hunch is he'll still fall back on his Pro for day to day use. But I love his communication style and perspectives on all of it - makes some great points.

 

[Kendo]

I have a 14 Pro and I can’t stand the weight. I was so sure of getting an iPhone Air but ended up getting the 17 Pro for a few reasons. Keep in mind AT&T gave me full trade-in value for my 14 Pro where I could get $1,100 towards a 17 Pro or $830 towards an Air

1) I got $270 more value for my trade-in getting the 17 Pro

2) The credits are for a 3-year contract. My 14 Pro (with its 6GB RAM) isn’t exactly flying in its 3rd year with constant app and tab reloads. I feel the 17 Pro will have longer legs in both battery and power than the Air by the 3rd year

3) Since the Air is in its 1st gen, I’m guessing by the 3rd gen it will have more battery life, 2 speakers, and 2 cameras. I’d have total buyers remorse if by the 3rd year my Air is like comparing the original iPhone to the iPhone 4 (which added FaceTime, camera flash, Retina display, etc.). There’s just so much room for improvement by the time iPhone Air 3 hits vs the incremental improvements of the Pro line

Will definitely be getting the next Air after my 3 years with the 17 Pro.

 

[James6s]

I was in a dilemma a few weeks ago after deciding to try a 17 Pro, I ended up keeping the Air.

Despite the smaller footprint the 17 Pro & my previous 16 Pro felt like thick heavy little bricks, and this mattered because of having carpel tunnel and hand surgery’s recently.

The Air is significantly thinner and 40g lighter making it much more comfortable to use for me, and having a bigger screen was another huge plus.

Also battery life was closer than I thought it would be.

The Air is a unique device and looking at a spec sheet some will say it’s compromised, but using it feels anything but to me. Definitely my favourite iPhone for a long time.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I tend to buy a phone for what it can do and the last 2 iPhones I've had have been the Pro Max. If I was upgrading this year, it would have been another Pro Max. My phone goes in a case straight away so the feel of the frame is completely irrelevant. The camera is the main pull for me and I don't really understand the few people I have seen on here who have swapped Pr's for the Ait because of 'how it feels' and this supposed 'premium' feel. I've handled the Air and sure its an iPhone like any other, but its entry level and for people who don't need the Pro features, its certainly not a serious replacement if someone wants or needs the best of what Apple can offer.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Couldn't decide so I did the most sensible thing, and hung on to my 16PM. I'm just going to see what next year brings

I mean, if you've got a 16 Pro Max, I think keeping it is a wise choice. I have one too and will possibly upgrade next year. My wife has a 17 Pro and I can't say I can see anything on it at all that feels like an advantage over my 16 Pro Max. The 8X telephoto is something i might use once in a blue moon, and something I can very much do without until next year.

 

[Cattivik83]

In my experience, the AIR being the real novelty, I consider it a test/tender smartphone to see sales. From what I've read, there's already talk of the AIR2, and I'm sure it will be the start of a new series, but it might also be a flop, although I doubt it. The PROs are trendy now, and from what I see, there's no longer the same exaggerated belief as I have. I've been using Apple since 1996, and I'm not just talking about Macs. Since the PROs were born, I've always used only those. I travel often and take a lot of photos, and I need reliability in all aspects, not just in the photographic department.
The AIR is a nice device, a bit too expensive without these exciting new features.