Apple iPhone Air and iPhone 17 review: Apple's strongest lineup in years

It’s been eight years since Apple (AAPL) last overhauled the iPhone’s design. In 2017, Apple introduced an edge-to-edge screen on the iPhone X. And not much has truly changed since then. Sure, the company has continued to upgrade its all-important smartphone’s chips and cameras, but authentically, things have sort of stagnated.

That long drought has come to an end with Apple’s all-new iPhone Air. Seemingly impossibly thin and light, the $999 Air makes its stablemates, the reworked $799 iPhone 17 and $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro, feel downright chunky by comparison.

While they might not get the spicy new design of the Air, the 17 and 17 Pro bring along their own improvements, including upgraded cameras and performance, not to mention a slick Cosmic Orange color for the Pros.

This is the most impressive iPhone lineup in years. Although it’s not without its trade-offs.

The Air is easily the star of Apple’s latest show. It’s just 5.64 millimeters thick, versus the 7.95mm-thick iPhone 17 and 8.75mm-thick iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. And at just 5.82 ounces, the Air feels shockingly lightweight, especially since it packs a 6.5-inch display.

The iPhone 17 weighs 6.24 ounces and has a 6.3-inch screen, while the 8.22-ounce Pro Max gets a 6.9-inch panel.

I realize all of these numbers are already pretty small and that a few millimeters here or there might not sound all that impressive, but actually holding the Air and then the 17 and 17 Pro is a different story altogether.

The Air does, however, come with some caveats. Apple, for instance, said its battery provides up to 27 hours of video playback. That’s in line with last year’s iPhone 16 Pro, but short of the new iPhone 17’s 30 hours of playback and well below the 17 Pro Max’s 39 hours.

That’s not to say the Air’s battery is bad. I used it throughout the day — streaming video content, playing games like “Balotro,” incessantly scrolling Reddit and Instagram, and checking my email — and had some 20% left to stream the Mets game at night. That’s right in line with the performance I’ve gotten out of the 16 Pro for the past year.

The Air also gets a single camera rather than the dual-camera setup on the iPhone 17 or triple-camera array on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Apple, though, uses cropping and software tricks to give the Air a 2x optical-like zoom. Details in photos taken with Air were sharp, and colors were even and natural.

But because there’s no wide-angle lens, you won’t be able to take the kind of macro photos you can on the iPhone 17 or 17 Pro and Pro Max.

Inside, the Air gets Apple’s latest A19 Pro chip, though it gets five GPU cores versus the six found in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The iPhone 17 gets Apple’s standard A19 chip.

The idea is to ensure the Pros are still the top dogs in the lineup when it comes to overall performance.

If you’re keeping score, the iPhone 17 Pro is just $100 more than the Air and provides more cameras, one more GPU core, and better battery life. Still, there’s something so compelling about the Air’s design that makes me want to keep grabbing for it instead of the 17 or 17 Pros.

The iPhone 17 now has twin 48-megapixel cameras around back and a more durable design. It also gets an enhanced Pro Motion display, which makes games run smoother and was previously only available on the pricier Pro models.

And because Apple dropped its 128GB storage option this year, you now get twice the storage of last year’s iPhone 16 for the same price. That makes the iPhone 17 quite an appealing option for folks looking to upgrade their iPhones without having to empty their wallets.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, meanwhile, get three 48-megapixel rear cameras with a new 8x telephoto lens, allowing you to take photos of distant subjects and very intrusive closeups of your cats, which I took plenty of.

The Pro and Pro Max’s battery improvements mean you’ll get plenty of use from your phone without worrying about charging it before leaving the office for an hours-long happy hour.

On top of that, the Pro models come with a new internal vapor chamber that cools the A19 Pro chips while gaming, ensuring steady performance during long play sessions. Samsung uses a similar technology in its Galaxy S series phones.

All iPhones get Apple’s new Center Stage selfie camera. Thanks to a larger square camera sensor, Apple has added the ability to take both horizontal and vertical selfies without having to awkwardly hold your phone sideways. You can set it to switch automatically when it sees people on the edge of the frame looking into the camera, or you can just switch it manually, which I prefer.

Of the three phones, I’d most likely choose the Pro or Pro Max for their extra cameras and battery performance, even if they are the priciest of the lot. If you’re less concerned about a telephoto lens, though, the iPhone Air is an easy choice, thanks to its striking looks and lightweight design.

But if you’re looking for the best deal of the group, the iPhone 17 is a great choice, thanks to its dual-camera setup, improved display, and enhanced battery life. The main thing is that after years of sameness, Apple has finally given us iPhones to get excited about again.

Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on X/Twitter at @DanielHowley.

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