Every iPhone 17 model compared: Should you buy the base model, Air, Pro, or Max?

Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup is formally right here, bringing 4 new units to the desk. As anticipated, the collection consists of upgrades to previous fashions such because the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Professional, and iPhone 17 Professional Max. However this technology is shaking issues up by introducing the iPhone Air — a brand new addition that Apple says is “the thinnest iPhone ever made.” And for the primary time in a number of generations, there won’t be a “Plus” mannequin.

Past the iPhone Air, the collection additionally brings in sweeping upgrades throughout the board. The iPhone 17 collection may have higher-quality shows, better general efficiency, and refined digicam methods for higher pictures and video seize. Every of the 4 smartphones shares many of those enhancements; nonetheless, every one provides its personal distinctive options that enable it to face out from the others.

patrons have loads of choices. This raises the query: which iPhone 17 mannequin is best for you? The reply is not easy since every machine provides one thing distinctive. So to chop by means of all of the noise, I’ve damaged down the most important options of each iPhone 17 choice, highlighting the benefits they provide and explaining why you would possibly wish to choose one over the others.

You can purchase the iPhone 17 if…

1. You desire a ProMotion show with out paying Professional mannequin costs.

For the primary time, Apple is bringing its ProMotion show know-how to a base iPhone. This can enable the iPhone 17 to accommodate a notably vibrant display screen with an adaptive refresh charge of as much as 120Hz. A function like this permits “supersmooth scrolling, immersive gaming, improved effectivity.” Its glass is protected by Ceramic Defend 2, a brand new function that gives higher resistance to wreck and lowered glare. One other good thing about ProMotion is that it has an adaptive refresh charge of as much as 120Hz.

Up till now, ProMotion was reserved for higher-end fashions. With this improve, the iPhone 17 is a superb alternative for individuals who desire a premium viewing expertise with no need to pay a premium value.

2. You like a standard design

I will get into this intimately later, however each different iPhone 17 mannequin has seen drastic modifications to its design. The iPhone Air, for instance, is extremely skinny, whereas the iPhone Professional fashions introduce a “plateau” that homes vital elements.

If you’d like the normal iPhone design of raised digicam rings on the again and glossy, contoured edges, persist with the bottom iPhone 17. It retains the previous fashion that individuals have grown to like through the years. Additionally, it is the identical dimension because the iPhone 16 Professional. So should you’re used to the previous Professional mannequin, the transition to the iPhone 17 will likely be seamless.

You can purchase the iPhone Air if…

1. You need the thinnest iPhone ever made

The iPhone Air is Apple’s boldest design transfer in years. It has an ultrathin smartphone, measuring simply 5.6 millimeters thick — roughly a 3rd thinner than the iPhone 16 Professional. It’s Apple’s slimmest iPhone ever made and excellent for anybody who values ultraportable units. Regardless of its slim body, the iPhone Air does not skimp on the {hardware} as a result of the machine comes with, not one, not two, however three chips inside.

You’ve gotten the A19 Professional, a fast-performing 6-core processor. Then there’s the N1, which is a “new Apple-designed wi-fi chip” enabling assist for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and the sensible house normal Thread. Lastly, the iPhone Air has the C1X, a “new mobile modem designed” to be twice as quick because the C1 and extra power environment friendly.

2. You do not thoughts buying and selling in some options.

To realize such a skinny kind issue, Apple needed to intestine some key iPhone options. The iPhone Air solely comes with a single rear digicam, a 48 Fusion lens. This single digicam lets customers take images in each 28mm and 35mm focal lengths, in addition to shoot high-quality macro photographs. It additionally depends solely on eSIM for mobile connection. You will not be capable to insert your previous SIM card within the Air mannequin. When you can reside with these sacrifices, the iPhone 17 Air gives an excellent stability of favor and efficiency that the others cannot present.

You can purchase the iPhone 17 Professional if…

1. You need superior digicam upgrades.

Each single mannequin below the iPhone 17 umbrella has obtained substantial digicam upgrades. As an illustration, all 4 have a brand new Heart Stage selfie digicam. This upgraded lens homes a “sq. entrance digicam sensor,” delivering a “wider area of view and better decision” photos. It even allows you to take panorama selfies with no need to rotate the smartphone horizontally.

However the iPhone 17 Professional takes issues even additional by housing three 48MP Fusion cameras for taking sharper photographs and extremely detailed photos. That is thanks partially to the “up to date Photonic Engine,” which makes use of synthetic intelligence to “protect pure element, scale back noise, and supply” higher colour accuracy. Moreover, Apple’s smartphone homes a “new 48MP Telephoto digicam” with a bigger sensor for bettering low-light pictures.

2. You desire a recent design

Other than just a few design tweaks through the years, iPhone Professional fashions have successfully regarded similar because the iPhone 12 Professional. However for the iPhone 17 Professional duo, Apple has seen match to introduce extra important modifications. Each the 17 Professional and Professional Max have a “brushed aluminum unibody,” permitting the smartphones to be light-weight and ship higher thermal efficiency. Inside this body is a vapor chamber carrying de-ionized water to maneuver warmth away from its A19 Professional processor. 

Across the again is a raised plateau offering additional area for key elements, together with a much bigger battery. Apple says the iPhone 17 Professional can last as long as 39 hours of video playback on a single cost.

You can purchase the iPhone 17 Professional Max if…

1. You need the very best efficiency

Just like the iPhone 17 Professional, the iPhone 17 Professional Max runs on the A19 Professional chipset, a strong piece of {hardware} consisting of a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU with “Neural Accelerators constructed into every GPU core.” Alongside these elements is Apple’s new 16-core Neural Engine for powering AI fashions, delivering gorgeous graphical constancy, and guaranteeing excessive frames. A chip like it will undoubtedly run scorching. Fortunately, the iPhone 17 Professional Max has the identical vapor chamber because the 17 Professional to maintain it cool.

Much like the iPhone Air, Apple’s flagship machine homes the N1 networking chip to allow assist for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. One thing that I did not point out earlier is that the N1 improves the reliability of options like AirDrop.

2. You need the very best iPhone show

Out of the whole collection, the iPhone 17 Professional Max has the very best display screen, boasting a large 6.9-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show. Help for Apple’s ProMotion tech gives a velvety-smooth refresh charge of as much as 120Hz. Plus, the iPhone 17 Professional Max is far brighter than the iPhone 16 Professional because it now hits a brightness degree of three,000 nits, “in addition to 2x higher outside distinction.” And once more, identical to the iPhone Air, the high-end smartphone has a display screen protected by Ceramic Defend 2 for distinctive toughness.

Alternate options to think about