- The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be more expensive than the Pro Max, but with less impressive specs.
- Apple’s new model aims to attract buyers with its design rather than performance.
- Leaks suggest the iPhone 17 Air may not live up to the excitement it initially generated.
When the very first rumors about a new iPhone model spread, Apple enthusiasts were excited. Some gossiped about this device being a replacement for the iPhone Plus; however, what became of interest to many was that this new phone would turn out to be a high-end device, most likely with a price way higher than that of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Apple iPhone 17 Air: The High-Price iPhone That Falls Short of the Pro Series
This started raising expectations of a super-tier device with great specs and an ultra-slim design. However, with more details coming to light, that initial burst of excitement has slowly worn off to show a phone that perhaps is not able to live up to the very great expectations placed on it.
The rumor mill started way back in May, speculating over a new iPhone model to serve in place of the Plus. Everyone was getting excited, and it only got juicier as the first reports came in: this new device, christened the iPhone 17 Air, would be pricier than the Pro Max. Already, many people were postulating that Apple was working on something truly special in terms of specs and probably an ultra-thin design.
This was rather short-lived. Thanks to a far-famed leaker, Ice Universe, a leaked graph with the details for the iPhone 17 models, including the much-anticipated iPhone 17 Air. The details were underwhelming. Instead of a modern beast, the iPhone 17 Air came off as more of a style statement rather than a powerhouse.
According to rumors. the iPhone 17 Air will come with a 6.65-inch OLED display featuring ProMotion technology that will dynamically switch between 1Hz and 120Hz refresh rates depending on the content at hand.
While this certainly isn’t a bad thing, it’s good to keep in mind that all four models within the iPhone 17 series are reportedly going to feature a ProMotion display. So, this isn’t something that sets the iPhone 17 Air apart.
The big letdown, though, is the device’s processor. There’s been a lot of speculation that the iPhone 17 Air will be fitted with the A19 chip, their standard processor in comparison to the more high-performance A19 Pro, said to be used by the Pro and Pro Max models.
This insinuates that the design may be appealing on the iPhone 17 Air, but it won’t be performing at the same level as its Pro brethren. It’s said that the iPhone 17 Air will come fitted with 8GB of RAM, just enough to handle Apple Intelligence but still short of the 12GB found on the Pro models. Again, rocking the notion, the iPhone 17 Air is for style and looks rather than performance.
It’s also expected to be light on cameras, with just one rear camera, placed at the top middle of the back panel. For that starting price of $1,299, which is $100 more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, this might be a hard sell.
Apple is reportedly going to market the iPhone 17 Air as a “snazzier” version of the base iPhone 17 model. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg wrote that it’s targeted at customers who do not really need or even want the performance, screen size, or cameras offered with a Pro model but still want something with a little style, which could very well be Apple’s Sally at capturing that small niche market where form factors are more important than performance.
Now the question is, would somebody pay more for a device with less performance? Gurman suggests that the iPhone 17 Air might push the shipments of iPhones in the year 2025. Of course, this makes it through when combined with the highly-anticipated iPhone SE 4. But it will be how far that model strikes a chord with consumers.
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The iPhone 17 Air is going to be something different for Apple’s roster. It’s a phone that not only dowse scales in design over performance but has a price tag higher than that of the top-of-the-line Pro Max model.
While this might grant it some special charm with one section of the market, on Apple’s part, it is a very dicey wager. Whether the iPhone 17 Air makes a bomb or is an absolute disaster will depend on the price consumers are ready to pay for something that looks nice but may not quite work in the way they want it to.
