This year’s most unique iPhone model will be the iPhone 17 Air, a brand new entry to Apple’s lineup. And while prior reports indicated it would have a lot in common with the base iPhone 17, new rumors make it sound a lot closer to the Pro models than we thought.
Key iPhone 17 Air features will be more like Pro models
This year, the iPhone 17 Air will replace the ‘Plus’ model in Apple’s lineup.
And like previous Plus models, the Air was initially expected to share many features with the base iPhone 17.
For example, the Air and base model were rumored to have less RAM than the Pro models. They were also thought to include a less powerful A19 chip, and build materials of a lower quality than the Pro line.
But a string of recent rumors has shifted the Air closer to the Pro models in these three areas:
- More RAM
- A19 Pro chip
- External design
Ming-Chi Kuo this spring claimed the iPhone 17 Air could feature 12GB of RAM just like the Pro models. The iPhone 17, meanwhile, will stick with 8GB.
Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital has now corroborated the rumor: iPhone 17 Air will be getting Pro-level RAM.
In that same post, the leaker today says Apple’s upgrading the Air’s chip too.
Rather than the A19 chip previously expected, iPhone 17 Air could now get an A19 Pro chip with one less GPU core.
How much difference is there between an A19 and A19 Pro besides the GPU count? We don’t yet know. But it will be curious if Apple does indeed give its Air model a ‘Pro’-class chip.
Additionally, Apple’s Pro models often distinguish themselves with titanium finishes and more muted color options.
But this year, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to use aluminum rather than titanium, losing a key design differentiator.
Meanwhile, the leaked iPhone 17 Air colors appear not far off from what we might expect in Pro models. Three of the four seem similar to the Pro’s current Black, White, and Desert colors. And the fourth is a shade of blue that’s reportedly not very saturated.
iPhone 17 Air vs. Pro: wrap-up
To be clear, Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro models will still have plenty of advantages over the Air. RAM, the chip, and external design are not at all the only areas for differentiation.
Two big ones that will matter a lot to users are cameras and battery life. If you want the best camera system and best battery life, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will be hard to beat.
But those features aside, it sounds like the iPhone 17 Air might be more like a Pro model than we thought.
How popular do you expect iPhone 17 Air to be compared to iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max? Let us know in the comments.
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