After hanging on to my iPhone 14 Professional for just a few years, I’ll probably improve to an iPhone 17 mannequin this yr. Usually, I solely take into account the Professional fashions, however the rumored iPhone 17 Air sounds intriguing. After reflecting on rumors, I’ve realized that upgrading to this gadget won’t have as many compromises as I first thought.
In fact, the iPhone 17 Air shouldn’t be but official. Apple ought to announce the gadget in September, and rumors might change between every now and then. Under, I’ve in contrast the iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 17 Air as issues presently stand.
Show
The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to have a 6.6-inch OLED show, which might be significantly bigger than the iPhone 14 Professional’s 6.1-inch OLED show.
ProMotion, the characteristic that permits a variable refresh charge as much as 120Hz for smoother video and scrolling, has been restricted to the Professional fashions because it debuted on the iPhone 13 Professional fashions. Nevertheless, the iPhone 17 Air can be rumored to assist ProMotion, so taking place to a non-Professional mannequin would not require giving up 120Hz.
Just like the iPhone 14 Professional, the iPhone 17 Air is anticipated to have Face ID and a Dynamic Island, so you wouldn’t need to accept a notch once more.
A bonus with the iPhone 17 Air: It ought to have considerably thinner bezels across the display screen.
Thickness and Weight
The primary promoting level of the iPhone 17 Air ought to be its ultra-thin, aluminum design. Based on Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the gadget will measure simply 5.5mm at its thinnest level, which might make it the thinnest iPhone ever.
iPhone 14 Professional fashions are amongst Apple’s heaviest iPhones, having not but benefited from the newer titanium design with tapered edges launched on the iPhone 15 Professional fashions. Customers upgrading from an iPhone 14 Professional to an iPhone 17 Air ought to discover a exceptional enchancment in thinness, lightness, and pocketability.
Battery Life
Okay, however that ultra-thin design implies that battery life will take a substantial hit, proper?
Not essentially.
Whereas actual battery life specs stay to be seen, do not forget that the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be outfitted with a 6.6-inch show, which might make the gadget bodily bigger than the iPhone 14 Professional. Meaning extra inner area for a bigger battery, so the iPhone 17 Air’s battery life won’t be as unhealthy as one may assume.
Additionally remember the fact that the iPhone 14 Professional is just a few years outdated now. Not solely did Apple make energy effectivity enhancements on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 fashions, however even additional developments are probably with the iPhone 17 fashions.
Cameras
If pictures is necessary to you, the iPhone 17 Air’s rear digicam system will probably be considered one of its greatest downsides. The gadget is rumored to be outfitted with solely a single 48-megapixel rear digicam, with no devoted Telephoto or Extremely Vast cameras.
That mentioned, upgrading from an iPhone 14 Professional to an iPhone 17 Air won’t be all that unhealthy on this division. Whereas it might lack a Telephoto digicam, it can probably have Apple’s so-called “Fusion” digicam, which allows a 2x “optical-quality” Telephoto possibility. “Optical-quality” shouldn’t be true optical zoom, however it’s meaningfully higher than blurry digital zoom.
There’ll undoubtedly nonetheless be a variety of superior digicam options that stay restricted to the Professional fashions, however the iPhone 17 Air will probably be a superbly tremendous alternative for informal customers who largely take point-and-shoot photographs.
One plus is that the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to have a 24-megapixel entrance digicam, whereas the iPhone 14 Professional has a 12-megapixel entrance digicam.
Apple Intelligence
Whether or not you assume Apple Intelligence is beneficial or overhyped, the iPhone 17 Air is anticipated to assist it, whereas the iPhone 14 Professional doesn’t.
Meaning you’ll have entry to instruments that may aid you to put in writing, summarize your notifications, create customized emoji, robotically take away objects from the backgrounds of photographs, and extra. Quite a lot of Siri enhancements are additionally coming in iOS 18.4, together with on-screen consciousness, understanding of non-public context, and deeper per-app controls.
Different Specs
Past having a bigger show and a thinner design, the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to have many different upgraded specs in comparison with the iPhone 14 Professional:
A19 chip (vs. A16 Bionic chip)
USB-C port (vs. Lightning port)
8GB of RAM (vs. 6GB)
Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 (vs. Wi-Fi 6)
Alternatively, the iPhone 17 Air’s single speaker can be a downgrade.
Whereas this has but to be rumored, the iPhone 17 Air can be more likely to have an Motion button, instead of the iPhone 14 Professional’s Ring/Silent change. It’s much less clear if the iPhone 17 Air can have a Digital camera Management button, however on condition that the characteristic is on the market on all 4 iPhone 16 fashions, it looks like there’s a first rate likelihood that it’ll.
Another factor to bear in mind is that the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be eSIM-only, with no bodily SIM card slot. Should you bought your iPhone 14 Professional within the U.S., this would possibly not matter, as that mannequin is already eSIM-only there. In different international locations, it’s a change to take into accounts, however notice that your entire iPhone 17 lineup could be eSIM-only in additional international locations regardless. It’s a change that you’ll have to face ultimately.
