iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro - the paradox of choice.
One of the reasons I left Android for iPhone was the constant barrage of new devices being released with Android. Literally a new phone every few months, which made me a serial buyer and seller. The guy at the AT&T store even knew me by first name at one point.
Things really peaked around 2010-2012, where I had a new phone every couple of months, and when I finally did decide to keep a phone, I would start rooting it and installing new ROMs several times a week, trying to tweak and change devices.
My priorities did change after a while with kids and moving for work, but the kids were still young, so I had time to tinker around and get the ideal setup for my device. The ideal though, kept changing, and from one day to the next, there would always be some issues with a ROM update causing some key feature to glitch out.
Once the Nexus line of phones came out, the frantic buying and selling was tamed a bit, but the other flagships got better and better, outpacing Google’s yearly upgrade that just didn’t cut it anymore.
Back to the serial upgrading and selling.
I realized I couldn’t keep living like this. I needed a simple solution and wanted out of the modding game. Even if I didn’t root an Android phone, I could install a custom launcher or custom icons, and there we go again with the constant tweaking and tinkering of the device instead of actually using the device!
I finally decided that this couldn’t go on forever, and in 2012, I decided to get an iPhone 5.
The best tech decision I ever made.
It still had limitations over Android, but now I had the best smartphone with the best camera that only upgrades once a year.
Now the process was simple:
Buy the newest iPhone each year. It will be the most premium device with the most features.
There was always the possibility of tinkering with the iPhone, but for some reason, the idea of jailbreaking never tempted me. It just felt right the way it was. The upgrade cycle was also a relief on my mind (and wallet), to wait until September to get the latest and sell the previous year’s device.
How I wish it was that easy today.
The journey between 2016 - 2024 was a pretty standard one, with the Plus or Pro Max versions dominating my decision. Only twice did I gravitate towards a non-flagship phone, and in one of those cases, the flagship phone (iPhone 12 Pro Max) was my wife’s phone of choice, making it easier for me to go polar opposite and get the 12 mini. Wherever I wanted to look at the 12 Pro Max, all I had to do was grab my wife’s phone and fondle it for a few minutes (don’t judge me).
After a year with the iPhone 12 mini, I realized that I needed to go back to my flagship days and life was good for 4 years straight:
2021 - iPhone 13 Pro Max
2022 - iPhone 14 Pro Max
2023 - iPhone 15 Pro Max
2024 - iPhone 16 Pro Max
The regular iPhone 17 is out of the question just to be clear, as I am going for the most premium experience. The question is, what is the most premium experience now??
This is a question not just for me, but for any iPhone enthusiast.
The iPhone Air speaks to my heart, but the iPhone 17 Pro speaks to my mind. The battle between the heart and mind has never been so hard until this year, and that’s because Apple has done something this year that they never did with the iPhone:
The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro in 2025 is the first time Apple has separated luxury and features. They used to be intertwined into one device, but now it has bifurcated into two polar opposites.
That feeling of, “wow, I can’t believe I have this beautiful device that is so capable,” is harder to answer.
You pick the Air, and you can marvel at its beauty and thinness, but it lacks in the camera department.
You pick the 17 Pro, and it reminds you of the sumo wrestler that’s strong, thick, and capable, but he ain’t gonna win any beauty contests.
Build quality and feel
iPhone 17 Pro is more rounded thanks to the unibody aluminum chassis, but it is also more slippery, making the polished Titanium on the Air more appealing with its grippy, secure feel. I drop my phones occasionally, and the last thing I want to see is a dent on my “premium” aluminum device.
That’s right, aluminum is much softer than titanium, and any hard crashes onto concrete on a naked iPhone (and even with some thin cases) is a recipe for dents and deep scratches. Durability is unbelievable on iPhone Air, with Titanium that’s almost unbendable, and more importantly undentable (I just made that up) when dropped from normal heights. You might see scuffs, but you will have to inspect the device closely to really find them. The plateau is also made of glass, making it much harder to scratch compared to iPhone 17 Pro’s aluminum plateau. From a fall, the plateaus are about even durability wise since aluminum will 100% scuff hard especially around the sharper edges, but the Air’s glass could break.
The feel in hand is about the same, yet different. The thicker, rounded 17 Pro is nice to wrap around the hand and sits well, but the thinner Air wraps around the hand just as well even though it is wider (71.9mm vs 74.7mm). Both feel comfortable in the hand, and both have a sense of amazement, giving off that, “I can’t believe I have this much power in my hand,” feeling whenever I hold them. I can easily touch my thumb to my middle finger when wrapping my hand around the phone.
Both devices look premium in different ways. I love the two-tone back of the Pro and really like the Deep Blue aluminum plateau that shimmers in the right kind of light. The camera lenses also look a lot better sitting on aluminum instead of glass, with camera rings that match the material and texture of the plateau. Symmetry is back on the 17 Pro, with the bottom USB-C port being flanked by an even number of speaker and microphone holes on either side. I can’t even remember the last iPhone flagship that had full symmetry at the bottom (after checking, it was the iPhone X).
iPhone Air looks more premium than the 17 Pro in other ways, with its high gloss titanium frame and also symmetrical microphone holes on the bottom. I am a bit disgruntled by the uneven USB-C port, and it does take away from the ultra-premium feel just a little bit. The thinness and lightness is another premium aspect in and of itself. The simplicity of the back glass and plateau is also elegant, with just one camera followed by a smooth pane of glass that covers the guts of the phone.
The titanium does overall beat out the 17 Pro in terms of overall premium build because thicker aluminum is just not as premium or rigid as thinner, polished titanium. No matter how wonderful and nostalgic Molly Anderson’s voiceover was for the iPhone 17 Pro launch, with a British accent that is right in line with Jony Ive, it won’t transform aluminum into a premium material.
Cameras
iPhone Air is very sleek and feels like the future, but it also regresses in the camera department which is a big deal for me. I miss taking ultra-wide photos and telephoto portraits of my children, but I also take a lot of photos of papers and receipts. The one annoying thing on an iPhone with an ultra-wide camera is when it auto switches to macro mode when taking pictures of said receipts. Not a problem on the Air! As for kid photos, the wife takes more than I do and they’re amazing quality on her 16 Plus, so do I really need the 3 lenses? I also have a Canon M50 with a macro lens. It is a beginner camera but will still outshines any mobile camera if you know what you’re doing (I mostly know what I’m doing and don’t just use the dummy modes on cameras).
I did test out the camera system on the 17 Pro, and it is really a big jump in quality and convenience. The 4x telephoto is the perfect balance between Apple’s 3x and 5x, and I can easily get good portrait shots even in my modestly sized living room. Of course if I do want to zoom in more, going to 8x still produces very nice photos at 12 megapixels that are really a treat to look at. Once again, this is only a big deal for me mainly because of kids, or else the cameras wouldn’t be a huge factor. The front facing cameras are the same on both devices, and it is a huge improvement with the square sensor that acts as a Center Stage camera when on a FaceTime call.
The iPhone Air’s main camera is also very serviceable, and even has a closer focusing distance than the 17 Pro still making it capable for pseudo-macro shots. You obviously don’t have ultrawide or telephoto capabilities. Still, not a deal breaker if all you want is a decent camera and you don’t really zoom in too much. The single camera also gives the back of the phone a cleaner look. But damn, those Pro cameras really have taken it to another level this year.
Display
As a Pro Max user for many years, the 6.3-inch Pro size is feeling just a bit too small for me, but it feels great in the hand. The 6.9-inch Pro Max display is also surprisingly comfortable since the device feels lighter than my 16 Pro Max did. I think that has to do with the extra thickness and lower overall density of the device. The iPhone Air feels like the perfect balance with its 6.5-inch display. If the Air was any smaller, it would be a non-contender, but I think Apple had to make it 6.5-inches in order to get the biggest battery they could. Once again, a very hard decision - the 17 Pro feels amazing in the hand, the 17 Pro Max doesn’t feel cumbersome, but the Air feels and looks like a Pro Max device from years past, looking even better from a distance when lying flat on a surface giving the illusory feeling that you’re just looking at a display panel and not a phone.
Battery
It’s a win-win for both devices. Most people thought the iPhone Air battery would be atrocious, but it matches the battery life of the iPhone 16 Pro. The 17 Pro and Pro Max get big battery upgrades from previous years, and even if you’re going from any recent Pro Max device to the 6.3-inch 17 Pro, you will have better battery life than your previous, bigger device. If you’re a 16 Pro Max user that wants to “downgrade“ to a smaller 17 Pro, the battery life numbers are equal per Apple’s benchmarks.
The iPhone Air is also no slouch either and easily lasts all day with normal use, equaling the battery life of an iPhone 16 Pro. Impressive battery life all around this year for both devices, considering what you are getting form factor wise.
I am getting less than ideal battery life on the iPhone Air, but that’s because I just. can’t. put. the. device. down!
Performance
For most normal users, there is no difference in performance between these phones. Your standard social media, photos and videos, call, texts, etc., are all going to be smooth with no hiccups.
Of course, if you’re a true Pro user, you already know the Pro is for you. People who want the Air but think it will be a slower device because it has one less GPU core don’t need to worry. Aside from the cameras, I would say the Air is 99% capable of doing everything the iPhone 17 Pro can do.
With iPhone Air, you can have your cake and eat it too.
If you could only pick one…
This is the million-dollar question, or the $1,000 question:
Which device do I pick?
I had to use the 17 Pro in isolation for almost two weeks, followed by the Air for a week. The choice was hard when using the 17 Pro, but it became much easier when using the iPhone Air.
iPhone Air is the way to go if you’re really looking for a fresh experience with the least amount of sacrifices. Sacrifices, not compromises because there is nothing compromised on the iPhone Air.
It really just boils down to this:
Which device gives you that feeling, that whenever you pick it up, makes you think, “Damn, I can’t believe I have this much power in my hands.”
For me, it’s iPhone Air…
I think.
Because those cameras…on the iPhone 17 Pro…man they’re good.
But it feels cheaper than the Air…that just feels amazing every time you hold it.
But the Pro’s Plateau looks amazing especially in Deep Blue with the light shimmering on it just right.
I’m still torn between these two devices. I can’t make up my mind.
I’m cooked.