Every Iphone 17 Model Compared: Should You Buy The Base Model, Air, Pro, Or Max?

Apple/ZDNET

Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is officially here, bringing 4 caller devices to nan table. As expected, nan bid consists of upgrades to past models specified arsenic nan iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. But this procreation is shaking things up by introducing nan iPhone Air -- a caller summation that Apple says is "the thinnest iPhone ever made." And for nan first clip successful respective generations, location will not beryllium a "Plus" model.

Also: How to clear your iPhone cache (and why you should do it earlier upgrading to iPhone 17)

Beyond nan iPhone Air, nan bid besides brings successful sweeping upgrades crossed nan board. The iPhone 17 bid will person higher-quality displays, greater wide performance, and refined camera systems for amended photography and video capture. Each of nan 4 smartphones shares galore of these improvements; however, each 1 offers its ain unique features that let it to guidelines retired from nan others.

Interested buyers person plentifulness of options. This raises nan question: which iPhone 17 exemplary is correct for you? The reply isn't straightforward since each instrumentality offers thing unique. So to trim done each nan noise, I've surgery down nan awesome features of each iPhone 17 option, highlighting nan advantages they connection and explaining why you mightiness want to prime 1 complete nan others.

You should bargain nan iPhone 17 if…

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1. You want a ProMotion show without paying Pro exemplary prices.

For nan first time, Apple is bringing its ProMotion show exertion to a guidelines iPhone. This will let nan iPhone 17 to location a notably vibrant surface pinch an adaptive refresh complaint of up to 120Hz. A characteristic for illustration this enables "supersmooth scrolling, immersive gaming, improved efficiency." Its solid is protected by Ceramic Shield 2, a caller characteristic that provides amended guidance to harm and reduced glare. Another use of ProMotion is that it has an adaptive refresh complaint of up to 120Hz.

Up until now, ProMotion was reserved for higher-end models. With this upgrade, nan iPhone 17 is simply a awesome prime for group who want a premium viewing acquisition without needing to salary a premium price.

Also: Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro: I compared some models, and present are nan differences

2. You for illustration a accepted design

I'll get into this successful item later, but each different iPhone 17 exemplary has seen drastic changes to its design. The iPhone Air, for example, is incredibly thin, while nan iPhone Pro models present a "plateau" that houses important components.

If you want nan accepted iPhone creation of raised camera rings connected nan backmost and sleek, contoured edges, instrumentality pinch nan guidelines iPhone 17. It keeps nan aged style that group person grown to emotion complete nan years. Also, it's nan aforesaid size arsenic nan iPhone 16 Pro. So if you're utilized to nan aged Pro model, nan modulation to nan iPhone 17 will beryllium seamless.

You should bargain nan iPhone Air if…

Apple/ZDNET

1. You want nan thinnest iPhone ever made

The iPhone Air is Apple's boldest creation move successful years. It has an ultrathin smartphone, measuring conscionable 5.6 millimeters heavy -- astir a 3rd thinner than nan iPhone 16 Pro. It is Apple's slimmest iPhone ever made and cleanable for anyone who values ultraportable devices. Despite its slim frame, nan iPhone Air doesn't skimp connected nan hardware because nan instrumentality comes with, not one, not two, but 3 chips inside.

Also: The champion iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, and iPhone 17 Pro cases you tin buy

You person nan A19 Pro, a fast-performing 6-core processor. Then there's nan N1, which is simply a "new Apple-designed wireless chip" enabling support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and nan smart location modular Thread. Finally, nan iPhone Air has nan C1X, a "new cellular modem designed" to beryllium doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic nan C1 and much power efficient.

2. You don't mind trading successful immoderate features.

To execute specified a bladed shape factor, Apple had to gut immoderate cardinal iPhone features. The iPhone Air only comes pinch a azygous rear camera, a 48 Fusion lens. This azygous camera lets users return photographs successful some 28mm and 35mm focal lengths, arsenic good arsenic sprout high-quality macro photos. It besides relies solely connected eSIM for cellular connection. You won't beryllium capable to insert your aged SIM paper successful nan Air model. If you tin unrecorded pinch these sacrifices, nan iPhone 17 Air provides a bully equilibrium of style and capacity that nan others can't provide.

You should bargain nan iPhone 17 Pro if…

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

1. You want precocious camera upgrades.

Every azygous exemplary nether nan iPhone 17 umbrella has received important camera upgrades. For instance, each 4 person a caller Center Stage selfie camera. This upgraded lens houses a "square beforehand camera sensor," delivering a "wider section of position and higher resolution" images. It moreover lets you return scenery selfies without needing to rotate nan smartphone horizontally.

Also: Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro: I compared some models, and present are nan differences

But nan iPhone 17 Pro takes things moreover further by lodging 3 48MP Fusion cameras for taking sharper photos and highly elaborate images. This is acknowledgment successful portion to nan "updated Photonic Engine," which uses artificial intelligence to "preserve earthy detail, trim noise, and provide" amended colour accuracy. Additionally, Apple's smartphone houses a "new 48MP Telephoto camera" pinch a larger sensor for improving low-light photography.

2. You want a caller design

Apart from a fewer creation tweaks complete nan years, iPhone Pro models person efficaciously looked identical since nan iPhone 12 Pro. But for nan iPhone 17 Pro duo, Apple has seen fresh to present much important changes. Both nan 17 Pro and Pro Max person a "brushed aluminum unibody," allowing nan smartphones to beryllium lightweight and present amended thermal performance. Inside this framework is simply a vapor enclosure carrying de-ionized h2o to move power distant from its A19 Pro processor. 

Around nan backmost is simply a raised plateau providing other abstraction for cardinal components, including a bigger battery. Apple says nan iPhone 17 Pro tin past up to 39 hours of video playback connected a azygous charge.

You should bargain nan iPhone 17 Pro Max if…

Apple

1. You want nan champion imaginable performance

Like nan iPhone 17 Pro, nan iPhone 17 Pro Max runs connected nan A19 Pro chipset, a powerful portion of hardware consisting of a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU pinch "Neural Accelerators built into each GPU core." Alongside these components is Apple's caller 16-core Neural Engine for powering AI models, delivering stunning graphical fidelity, and ensuring precocious frames. A spot for illustration this will undoubtedly tally hot. Luckily, nan iPhone 17 Pro Max has nan aforesaid vapor enclosure arsenic nan 17 Pro to support it cool.

Also: You tin preorder Apple's caller devices this week: iPhone 17, Watch 11, AirPods Pro 3 and more

Similar to nan iPhone Air, Apple's flagship instrumentality houses nan N1 networking spot to alteration support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Something that I didn't mention earlier is that nan N1 improves nan reliability of features for illustration AirDrop.

2. You want nan champion iPhone display

Out of nan full series, nan iPhone 17 Pro Max has nan champion screen, boasting a monolithic 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display. Support for Apple's ProMotion tech provides a velvety-smooth refresh complaint of up to 120Hz. Plus, nan iPhone 17 Pro Max is overmuch brighter than nan iPhone 16 Pro arsenic it now hits a brightness level of 3,000 nits, "as good arsenic 2x amended outdoor contrast." And again, conscionable for illustration nan iPhone Air, nan high-end smartphone has a surface protected by Ceramic Shield 2 for exceptional toughness.

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