iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 rumours: Specs, price, and features compared

iPhone 17 Pro (6.3-inch) and iPhone 17 Pro Max (6.9-inch) are also expected to support reverse wireless charging
An undated image of an iPhone. — Canva

An undated image of an iPhone. — Canva

Apple is set to reveal the iPhone 17 series on September 9, which is rumoured to introduce four new models and officially replace the iPhone 16 series.

In addition to the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and the Pro Max, Apple is rumoured to introduce a brand new device, the iPhone 17 Air. The iPhone 17 Air is an ultra-thin model, which will replace the disappointing iPhone 16 Plus product.

iPhone 17 specifications

The base-level iPhone 17 is expected to see some of the largest upgrades in recent years. The largest upgrade expected is the long-awaited 120Hz display that has only been available on the Pro models. This is expected to allow for a much smoother performance and support for the use of higher frame rates in applications.

It is also expected that the screen size will increase slightly to 6.27 inches, with narrower bezels.

Camera upgrades are also expected. Apple is rumoured to be doubling the resolution of the selfie camera, from 12MP to 24MP. The charging speeds are also expected to improve to 35W, but it has been reported that this will be the only model to continue to use the prior generation A18 chip instead of the new A19.

iPhone 17 Air specifications

Apple's most significant modification could be the iPhone 17 Air, which will be only 5.5mm thick, but will have a noticeably larger 6.6-inch display than its predecessor. The iPhone 17 Air will use the new A19 chip, have a 24MP front-facing camera, and will have 35W charging.

However, the iPhone 17 Air will have compromises, including a smaller 2,900 mAh battery compared to the iPhone 17, and it will have only one rear-facing camera, 48MP, losing the ultrawide and telephoto lenses.

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max should experience the biggest performance jumps in the Pro models, due to the A19 Pro chip that exceeds the new A19 chip as it is based on 3nm, and the Pro series has 12 GB of RAM and vapour chamber cooling, which leads to better-optimised performance. 

Each camera on the dual 48MP telephoto lens can zoom up to 8x, so technically there will be a triple rear-firing cameras of 48MP.

The iPhone 17 Pro (6.3-inch) and iPhone 17 Pro Max (6.9-inch) are also expected to support reverse wireless charging and include a titanium frame with aluminium and faster charging speeds.