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iPhone Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max

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Starting at

£637.19

£999 new

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Starting at

£923.39

£1,199 new

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iPhone AirStarting at £637.19See options
iPhone 17 Pro MaxStarting at £923.39See options
No reviews yet
1.0/5 (1 review)

In a nutshell

They share the same A19 Pro chip, the same 48MP main camera and the same 120Hz refresh rate. The iPhone Air has the lower launch price, a lighter 165g body and a smaller 6.5-inch screen. The iPhone 17 Pro Max counters with a 4x optical telephoto, longer battery life and a bigger 6.9-inch screen.

At 256GB, the iPhone Air launched at £999 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max at £1199.

Available models

iPhone Air

Capacity

Condition grades in stock

Pristine, Excellent, Great, Good

iPhone 17 Pro Max

Capacity

Condition grades in stock

Pristine, Excellent, Great, Good

Durability

iPhone Air 94/100
iPhone 17 Pro Max 89/100

Both should get OS updates for the same length of time, until about 2032 (est.).

Frame:The iPhone Air has a titanium frame and the iPhone 17 Pro Max an aluminium one.

Weight:The iPhone Air weighs 165g and the iPhone 17 Pro Max 231g, so the iPhone Air is the lighter phone.

Water and dust:Both are rated IP68, the same protection against dust and water.

Front glass:Both have the same Ceramic Shield 2 on the front.

Released

2025
2025

Updates until (est.)

2032
2032

Water resistance

IP68
IP68

Frame

Titanium
Aluminium

Weight

165gLighter
231g

Release date

19 September 2025
19 September 2025

Front glass

Ceramic Shield 2
Ceramic Shield 2

Dimensions

156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64 mm
163.4 x 78 x 8.75 mm

Biometrics

Face ID
Face ID

Repairability

EU repairability class C
EU repairability class C

Performance

iPhone Air 94/100
iPhone 17 Pro Max 94/100

The same A19 Pro chip in both, so expect the same everyday speed.

Storage:The iPhone Air launched in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB and the iPhone 17 Pro Max in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB.

Memory:Both have the same 12GB of RAM.

AI features:Both support Apple Intelligence, the same AI suite.

Chip

A19 Pro
A19 Pro

RAM

12GB
12GB

Storage options

256GB, 512GB, 1TB
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

AI features

Yes
Yes

Screen quality

iPhone Air 98/100
iPhone 17 Pro Max 98/100

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the bigger screen, at 6.9 inches.

Size:The iPhone 17 Pro Max's 6.9-inch screen is bigger than the 6.5-inch screen on the iPhone Air.

Panel:The iPhone Air uses a Super Retina XDR OLED panel at 2736 x 1260 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max a Super Retina XDR OLED panel at 2868 x 1320.

Smoothness:Both refresh at the same 120Hz.

Brightness:Both peak at the same 3000 nits, by the makers' figures.

Screen size

6.5"
6.9"Bigger screen

Screen type

Super Retina XDR OLED
Super Retina XDR OLED

Refresh rate

120Hz
120Hz

Resolution

2736 x 1260
2868 x 1320

Peak brightness

3000 nits (maker figure)
3000 nits (maker figure)

Camera

iPhone Air 40/100
iPhone 17 Pro Max 85/100

Only the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a telephoto lens, so it is the one for zooming in.

Ultrawide:Only the iPhone 17 Pro Max has an ultrawide camera, a 48MP one. The iPhone Air has none.

Zoom:Only the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a telephoto lens, with 4x optical zoom. The iPhone Air offers a 2x crop from its main sensor instead.

Video:The iPhone Air records video at up to 4K 60fps Dolby Vision and the iPhone 17 Pro Max at up to 4K 120fps Dolby Vision.

Main camera:Both use a 48MP main camera, the same resolution.

Main camera

48MP
48MP

Ultrawide

None
48MPMore megapixels

Telephoto

None
48MP

Optical zoom

None
4xMore zoom

Front camera

18MP
18MP

Video recording

4K 60fps Dolby Vision
4K 120fps Dolby Vision

2x zoom

Crop from the main sensor, no telephoto lens
–

Battery

iPhone Air 78/100
iPhone 17 Pro Max 100/100

The iPhone 17 Pro Max lasts longer on Apple's figures, up to 37 hours of video against 27.

Battery life:Apple rates the iPhone Air at up to 27 hours of video playback and the iPhone 17 Pro Max at up to 37 hours.

Capacity:The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the bigger battery, 4823mAh against 3149mAh.

Wireless charging:For wireless charging, the iPhone Air supports MagSafe 20W, Qi2 20W and the iPhone 17 Pro Max MagSafe 25W, Qi2 25W.

Battery

3149mAh
4823mAhBigger battery

Wireless charging

MagSafe 20W, Qi2 20W
MagSafe 25W, Qi2 25W

Video playback (maker)

Up to 27 hours
Up to 37 hours

Connectivity

iPhone Air 78/100
iPhone 17 Pro Max 95/100

Both have 5G and the same Wi-Fi 7.

Port:The iPhone Air has USB-C (USB 2, 480Mb/s) and the iPhone 17 Pro Max USB-C (USB 3, 10Gb/s). The iPhone 17 Pro Max's port moves files faster over a cable.

SIM:The iPhone Air takes Dual eSIM and the iPhone 17 Pro Max Nano-SIM + eSIM.

Bluetooth:Both have the same Bluetooth 6.

5G

Yes
Yes

Port

USB-C (USB 2, 480Mb/s)
USB-C (USB 3, 10Gb/s)

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7

SIM

Dual eSIM
Nano-SIM + eSIM

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 6
Bluetooth 6

Our verdict

Buy the iPhone Air if you want the lower launch price and a lighter 165g body. Buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you want a 4x optical telephoto and longer battery life.

Buy the iPhone Air if

  • You want the lower launch price
  • You want a lighter 165g body
  • You want a smaller 6.5-inch screen
Shop from £637.19

Buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max if

  • You want a 4x optical telephoto
  • You want longer battery life
  • You want a bigger 6.9-inch screen
Shop from £923.39

FAQs

Only the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a telephoto lens, with 4x optical zoom. The iPhone Air offers a 2x crop from its main sensor instead.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max's 6.9-inch screen is bigger than the 6.5-inch screen on the iPhone Air.

Every Reboxed phone has a minimum of 80% battery health. If you want the closest thing to new, some phones offer our New Battery Upgrade, professionally installed before your phone is dispatched. If it's available, you'll see it on the product page.

Pristine, Excellent, Great and Good. Pristine has zero blemishes and at least 90% battery health. Good can show noticeable wear on the casing but works perfectly. Every grade is TechCheck certified and comes with a 12-month warranty.

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