Apple
iPhone 17 Pro Max
A19 Pro · 6.9″ LTPO · Titanium
98
/ 100
From $1,199
VS
iPhone 17 Pro Max wins by 6
Apple
iPhone 17 Air
A19 · 6.6″ · 5.4 mm thin
92
/ 100
From $999
Specdex verdict
iPhone 17 Pro Max takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, iPhone 17 Pro Max lands at 98 and iPhone 17 Air at 92. That puts iPhone 17 Pro Max ahead by 6 points — a decisive margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick iPhone 17 Pro Max if…
- ✓Industry-leading A19 Pro silicon
- ✓New vapor-chamber cooling
- ✓Apple Intelligence Gen 2
Pick iPhone 17 Air if…
- ✓Thinnest iPhone ever (5.4 mm)
- ✓Light in hand (165 g)
- ✓Still 120Hz ProMotion
Score breakdown
iPhone 17 Pro Max
98 cpu 100
gpu 98
camera 98
battery 90
display 95
design 96
iPhone 17 Air
92 cpu 97
gpu 94
camera 86
battery 76
display 92
design 100
Specs side-by-side
Spec
iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Air
Display
6.9″ LTPO OLED, 120Hz, 2868×1320
6.6″ LTPO OLED, 120Hz
Chipset
Apple A19 Pro (3 nm)
Apple A19 (3 nm)
RAM
12 GB
8 GB
Storage
256 / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB
256 / 512 GB / 1 TB
Rear camera
48 MP + 48 MP UW + 48 MP 6× tele
—
Battery
4800 mAh
3200 mAh
Charging
45W wired, 30W MagSafe
—
OS
iOS 19
iOS 19
Weight
232 g
165 g
IP rating
IP68
—
iPhone 17 Pro Max
Pros
- +Industry-leading A19 Pro silicon
- +New vapor-chamber cooling
- +Apple Intelligence Gen 2
Cons
- −Premium price
- −Weight crept up with titanium chassis
- −Still 45 W charging ceiling
iPhone 17 Air
Pros
- +Thinnest iPhone ever (5.4 mm)
- +Light in hand (165 g)
- +Still 120Hz ProMotion
Cons
- −Single rear camera
- −Battery smaller than Plus (3200 mAh)
- −No telephoto
FAQ: iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 17 Air
Which is better, iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Air? +
iPhone 17 Pro Max scores 98 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 6. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is iPhone 17 Pro Max worth the price? +
At $1,199, iPhone 17 Pro Max delivers a Specdex score of 98 — strongest in cpu.
Is iPhone 17 Air worth the price? +
At $999, iPhone 17 Air delivers a Specdex score of 92 — strongest in design.
Does iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Air last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.