Which phone has better performance, the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max or the Apple iPhone Air?

Both Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Apple iPhone Air feature the A19 Pro (3nm), offering similar performance levels in day-to-day use.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone Air – Price, Specs & Features

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max alternatives

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Apple iPhone Air alternatives

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Apple iPhone 15 Pro

OnePlus 13

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

Samsung Galaxy S23+

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

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Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

A19 Pro
3 nm
4832 mAh
40W
6.9"
1320 x 2868 pixels
48 MP
4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps
Specs

Apple iPhone Air

A19 Pro
3 nm
3149 mAh
20W
6.5"
1260 x 2736 pixels
48 MP
4K@24/25/30/60fps
Specs

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max Comparison & Specs

Apple iPhone Air

General

Launch Date

September 09, 2025

Availability

Available Now

iOS 26

OS Updates

7 Years

Security Updates

7 Years

AI Features

Apple Intelligence

Body

Dimensions

163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm

156.2 x 74.7 x 5.6 mm

Thickness

8.8 mm

5.6 mm

Weight

233 g

165 g

Build Details

Aluminum Alloy Frame, Ceramic Shield back

Titanium Frame (grade 5), Ceramic Shield back

IP Rating

IP68 (dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min))

Display

Size

6.9 inches

6.5 inches

Type

LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Anti-reflective coating

Refresh Rate

120 Hz

Peak Brightness

3000 nits

Resolution

1320 x 2868 pixels

1260 x 2736 pixels

Pixel Density

460 ppi

Aspect Ratio

19.5:9

Screen to Body Ratio

90.7 %

89.9 %

Protection

Ceramic Shield 2

Performance

Chipset¹

Apple A19 Pro

Process Size

3 nm

CPU

Hexa-core
2x4.26 GHz
4 efficiency cores

GPU

Apple GPU (6-core graphics)

Apple GPU (5-core graphics)

RAM & Storage

12GB 256GB (NVMe)
12GB 512GB (NVMe)
12GB 1024GB (NVMe)
12GB 2048GB (NVMe)

12GB 256GB (NVMe)
12GB 512GB (NVMe)
12GB 1024GB (NVMe)

RAM Type

LPDDR5X

Expandable Memory

Camera

Main Camera

48 MP
f/1.78, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS

48 MP
f/2.8, 100mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, Up to 40x Digital Zoom, Up to 4x Optical Zoom

48 MP
f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF
TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth)

48 MP
f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS, Up to 10x Digital Zoom, Up to 2x Optical Zoom

OIS

Yes

Features

Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)

Video Recording

4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps
1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps
720@30fps

4K@24/25/30/60fps
1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps
720@30fps

Video Recording Features

10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, 3D (spatial) video/audio, stereo sound rec.

HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec.

Selfie Camera

18 MP
f/1.9, (wide), PDAF, OIS

Selfie Features

HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec., ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2

HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec.

Selfie Video Recording

4K@24/25/30/60fps
1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS

Connectivity

SIM

Dual SIM (Nano + eSIM)

Dual SIM (eSIM + eSIM)

5G Support

Yes

24 5G bands
n1, n2, n3, n5, n6, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n26, n28, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n75, n77, n78, n79

VoLTE

Yes

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi Details

802.11 be, MIMO

Wi-Fi Features

Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile Hotspot

USB

USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort

USB Type-C 2.0

Bluetooth

6.0

NFC

Yes

GPS

Yes with A-GPS, Glonass

Yes

Infrared

UWB (Ultra Wideband)

Yes

Battery

Capacity

4832 mAh

3149 mAh

Type

Li-Ion

Removable

Wired charging

40W

20W

Charging Speed

50% in 20 min

50% in 30 min

Reverse Wired Charging

4.5W

Wireless Charging

25W

20W

Reverse Wireless Charging

Charger in the Box

Sound

Stereo Speakers

Yes

3.5mm Headphone Jack

FM Radio

Extra Features

Sensors

Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

Others

Emergency SOS, Messages via satellite, Roadside Assistance via satellite

Colors and Pricing

Colors

Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue

Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue

Price in India

₹149900

₹119900

FAQs

Which phone has better performance?

Both Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Apple iPhone Air feature the Apple A19 Pro (3nm), offering similar performance levels in day-to-day use.

Which phone offers longer software support?

Both Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Apple iPhone Air offer the same software support — 7 years of OS updates and 7 years of security updates.

Which phone has a better display?

Both Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Apple iPhone Air feature AMOLED displays, offering vibrant colors and deeper blacks. Both smartphones offer the same 120 Hz refresh rate. Both devices deliver the same brightness level at 3000 nits. Notably, Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max offers a higher screen resolution, resulting in sharper visuals and more detailed content.

Which phone has a bigger battery and faster charging?

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max comes with a larger 4832 mAh battery, which may offer longer usage on a single charge. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max also supports faster wired charging at 40W, compared to 20W on Apple iPhone Air. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max offers faster wireless charging at 25W, while Apple iPhone Air supports 20W.

Which phone has better water and dust resistance?

Both phones feature the same IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Can I buy these phones on Amazon?

Apple iPhone Air – Check price here

¹ Scores can vary even with the same chipset due to RAM, thermals, and software optimization.