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Apple’s new iPhone 17 lineup is an exciting one, and it has introduced the iPhone Air, a model that perfectly balances flagship performance with lightweight portability. It’s a fresh addition to the series that carries all the flagship features, along with a high-end price point.
That said, it’ll be interesting to see how it holds up against the base iPhone of this generation. This article takes a closer look at both devices, comparing their specifications, performance, camera capabilities, and more.
iPhone Air vs iPhone 17: What are the differences?
The Apple iPhone Air is one of the few innovative launches from Apple in a long time. What makes it even more exciting is not that it is the thinnest iPhone ever, but the fact that it packs more power than the base model iPhone 17. Let's delve deeper into the specs in the sections below.
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Here are the detailed specs of the two phones:
Also read: Apple iPhone 17 vs Google Pixel 10: Which is the better flagship phone?
Performance
The new iPhone Air is a powerhouse, running on Apple’s A19 Pro chipset. This justifies its higher price point, as the chip outperforms the standard A19 processor with a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, enabling it to handle AI-driven tasks and graphics-intensive games quite well. However, the Air's slimmer build has raised concerns with heating and battery drain.
The iPhone 17 is powered by the A19 chip, which is an excellent processor in its own right. It also features a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, matching the A19 Pro in core count, though a minor performance gap remains between the two. Its larger build helps withn heat dissipation and offers comparatively better battery life while gaming.
Despite having the Air's A19 Pro chip, there isn't a huge difference in gaming performance, with both phones showing comparatively similar framerates. We looked at performance numbers from demanding titles like Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding, Assassin's Creed Mirage, and multiplayer titles like PUBG and COD Mobile, and the performance on both devices is more or less the same.
Camera
There’s a noticeable difference between the camera setups of the two phones. The iPhone Air features a single 48MP Fusion camera that doubles as both a 48MP main lens and a 12MP 2x telephoto lens. Photos from the Air look impressive, offering excellent detail and clarity in both well-lit and low-light conditions.
The iPhone 17, however, comes with a dual 48MP Fusion camera setup, with one wide and one ultrawide lens. It supports up to 4x optical zoom and includes all the Pro camera features missing from the Air.
Both devices can record up to 4K video at 60 FPS, delivering similar overall quality with only slight variations in color tone. These differences are subtle and noticeable only when compared side by side.
The main difference we noticed between the cameras of the two phones is that the iPhone 17's dual-camera setup captures more depth and vibrance compared to the Air's single camera. There isn't a huge difference in terms of quality, but more in terms of color, shadows, and depth, which makes the base model 17 a much better pick for photography.
Display and build
The new iPhone Air features a slightly larger 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display, compared to a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR on the iPhone 17. Both devices feature a 120Hz refresh rate and support a peak brightness of up to 3000 nits. This makes them nearly identical in display quality apart from size.
One major downside of the Air is the lack of an additional speaker. It features just one speaker, which makes the audio rather dull. This is quite noticeable when you're watching content or playing games. The iPhone 17's speakers produce a richer sound thanks to its dual-speaker setup.
The new Air is equipped with Apple’s C1X cellular modem, offering impressive speed while being ideally suited to its slim form factor. The iPhone 17, on the other hand, features the Snapdragon X80 modem and delivers even faster performance but with a slightly bulkier design.
Battery
With a thinner build comes a smaller battery pack. The Air provides around 27 hours of video playback. The iPhone 17's battery is not only bigger but also gets you around 30 hours of video playback. Both phones provide an all-day battery thanks to their efficient chipset. However, based on real-world scenarios and reviews, the iPhone 17 would be a better pick for long runtimes.
Final verdict
This brings us to the end of our comparison between the new iPhone Air and the iPhone 17. Based on the overall evaluation, the base model iPhone 17 stands out as the better choice in terms of performance, offering a capable processor, a slightly superior camera system, and longer battery life.
While the Air boasts a more advanced chip and a slimmer design, it comes with a few compromises that make it a less practical option for power users looking for the most well-rounded daily driver.
Check out other articles by Sportskeeda:
- iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: Which is the best smartphone?
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max: Screen, camera, and other features
