iPhone Air is much thinner compared to the iPhone 17 Pro. (Apple) Now that we've seen the actual iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models — they were revealed at the Apple iPhone event today — it's time to decide if you're ready to upgrade to one of the newer devices. If you watched Apple's keynote or pored through Engadget's liveblog, you probably noticed the Air and 17 Pro share quite a few similarities — many of the specs are identical, or nearly so. For starters, both run the new A19 Pro chip, giving each of them a performance edge over the non-Pro A19 in the baseline iPhone 17. And their screens, bodies and basic feature sets — high-refresh ProMotion screens, Apple Intelligence, scratch-resistant Ceramic Shield front and back, Camera Control button, MagSafe wireless charging — are all largely aligned, too. And there's only a $100 delta in their price tags, with the iPhone Air starting at $999 and the iPhone 17 Pro at $1,099. But these two phones have two very different audiences. The Pro, as usual, is designed to be the no-compromise iPhone, while the Air is much more of a fashion statement. It's the thinnest iPhone ever, and that comes with some notable compromises. To that end, let's take a deep dive on the key areas where the newly introduced iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro diverge. (For more of today's Apple releases, check out our hands-on with the new AirPods Pro 3 and the Apple Watch Series 11.) Size and weight The iPhone Air is Apple's thinnest phone yet, at just 5.6mm thick. In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro is 8.75mm thick — that's more than 3mm thicker than the Air! I'm almost certain the Air would get lost between my couch cushions on day one. When it comes to the screen size, the iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch display, which is larger than the 17 Pro's 6.3-inch screen. (If you want larger still, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a whopping 6.9 inches diagonally). But the screen tech uses the identical Super Retina XDR technology with all the same bells and whistles — ProMotion high refresh rate, P3 color gamut, True Tone. They should look pretty much identical. As for weight, the Air with its titanium casing tips the scales at just 5.82 ounces (165 grams), while the iPhone 17 Pro weighs 7.27 ounces (206 grams) with an aluminum chassis. That's a tad more than the iPhone 16 Pro's weight of 7.03 ounces (199 grams), probably due to the newer model's larger battery. If you decide to upgrade to the 17 Pro Max instead, it has a larger 6.9-inch display and weighs a whopping 8.22 ounces (233 grams). But long story short, the Air's superthin design and wispier weight is pretty much the reason you're buying this phone. The Air is pretty light and thin in comparison to all other iPhones. (Apple) Cameras Here's where the biggest differences lie: the cameras. While the iPhone 17 Pro has three rear 48MP cameras, the iPhone Air has just one (also 48MP, though it serves as two cameras in one). Here's what they include: iPhone 17 Pro rear cameras: The Pro boasts a triple array "Pro Fusion camera system," where the three 48MP cameras combine to offer .5x, 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x optical zoom options. The Pro also offers macro photography, spatial photos and can shoot in ProRAW image mode. Video offerings are also full-tilt, with 4K Dolby Vision video recording up to 120fps, along with a litany of sophisticated options that will appeal to more serious video shooters (ProRES Raw, Genlock support, cinematic mode and more). iPhone Air rear camera: By comparison, the Air has a single 48MP Fusion camera system that delivers only 2x optical zoom in addition to standard. That also means it lacks even the ultrawide (.5x) mode found in the baseline iPhone. Video recording is similarly limited to just half the Pro's framerate, albeit still in 4K Dolby Vision. Both phones have the new Center Stage 18MP front-facing "selfie" camera, which eliminates the need to rotate your phone to take a landscape photo. You instead just tap to expand the field of view. And when others join the photo, the camera automatically expands the view. And when you're on a video call, the camera uses artificial intelligence to adjust the frame. They also both offer Dual Capture, so you can shoot from the front and back cameras simultaneously. The iPhone 17 Pro has three rear-facing cameras. (Apple) Still, the camera compromises are arguably the Air's biggest shortfall. Don't get this phone if you like long zooms, ultrawide shots or top-notch video quality. Battery life Battery life ratings should always be taken with a grain of salt. That said, Apple claims the Air will deliver up to 27 hours of video playback and can get up to a 50% charge in 30 minutes. The good news is that basically matches the battery claims of last year's iPhone 16 Pro. The bad news is that it falls well short of the new and improved battery specs on this year's 17 Pro. That model is rated up to 33 hours of video playback and up to a 50% charge in just 20 minutes with a 40-watt charger. Apple Now, unlike the cameras, there's a workaround for the Air's shorter battery life. Apple offers an add-on iPhone Air MagSafe battery which snaps on to the Air's backside and gets you up to 40 hours of video playback. But it costs $99 and fattens up your superthin phone — doesn't that kinda get you back to square one? Price The iPhone Air starts at $999, which matches the price at the 256GB tier of the iPhone Plus model it's replacing (which just so happens to be my favorite). So that's $100 more than the starting price of last year's 128GB Plus, but with the storage doubled, I guess I can't complain too much. For 512GB, it'll cost you $1,199; and if you splurge on 1TB, you'll be paying $1,399. And the Air is available in four lighter color palettes. On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 with 256GB, which is just $100 more. You can also choose 512GB for $1,299 or 1TB for $1,499. (The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199 for 256GB and goes up to $1,999 for 2TB.) The Pro comes in only three colors, though the Cosmic Orange is unusually bold for the iPhone Pro line. iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro: How to choose As I suggested above, the iPhone Air is certainly eye-catching, but you really need to make sure you're ready to accept those camera and battery compromises. The iPhone 17 Pro is much more of a "no compromise" choice, albeit one that's less of a looker (depending on how you feel about that new "camera plateau" at the top). That said, remember you can always default to the baseline iPhone 17, which is arguably better than ever — and has some nice feature one-ups on the Air, to boot. If I were choosing between the Air and the Pro, I know which one would be the clear winner for me — but I'll leave that decision up to you because I'm holding out (and hopeful) for a foldable iPhone in 2026. In the meantime, you can check out Engadget's initial hands-on impressions of the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and baseline iPhone 17, as well as our full reviews of those models coming in the near future. $100 more for a Pro model really isn't that bad. (Apple) Full specs comparison iPhone Air iPhone 17 Pro Starting price $999 $1,099 Dimensions 6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 inch 5.91 x 2.83 x 0.34 inch Weight 5.82 ounces (165 grams) 7.27 ounces (206 grams) Processor A19 Pro chip A19 Pro chip Display 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display Storage 256GB / 512GB / 1TB 256GB / 512GB / 1TB Battery Up to 27 hours Up to 33 hours Camera Main: 48MP Fusion camera system / 48MP Fusion MainFront: Center Stage 18MP Main: 48MP Pro Fusion camera system / 48MP Fusion Main /48MP Fusion Ultra Wide / 48MP Fusion TelephotoFront: Center Stage 18MP Colors Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, Space Black Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-air-vs-iphone-17-pro-which-one-is-right-for-you-001538431.html?src=rss