Apple iPhone 17 256GB VS Apple iPhone Air

Both the Apple iPhone 17 256GB and the Apple iPhone Air offer waterproof designs, with an IP68 rating and a waterproof depth rating of 6 meters, ensuring they can handle splashes and brief submersion in water. However, there are some differences in their physical dimensions and weight. The iPhone 17 is slightly heavier at 177 g compared to the 165 g of the iPhone Air. The iPhone 17 is also thicker at 7.95 mm, while the iPhone Air is slimmer at 5.64 mm.

The iPhone 17 is also more compact in height and width, measuring 149.6 mm and 71.5 mm, respectively, while the iPhone Air is taller and wider, with a height of 156.2 mm and a width of 74.7 mm. In terms of volume, the iPhone 17 has a larger overall size at 85.04 cm³, compared to the iPhone Air’s 65.81 cm³. Both devices have the same operating temperature range, with a minimum of 0 °C and a maximum of 35 °C.

Neither device has a rugged build or can be folded. Overall, the iPhone 17 is slightly bulkier and more compact, while the iPhone Air is thinner and larger in its other dimensions.

Both the Apple iPhone 17 256GB and the Apple iPhone Air feature OLED/AMOLED displays, offering rich colors and deep blacks. In terms of size, the iPhone 17 has a 6.3″ screen, while the iPhone Air has a slightly larger 6.5″ display. Both displays have the same pixel density of 460 ppi, ensuring sharp visuals with fine details. The resolution on the iPhone 17 is 1206 x 2622 px, while the iPhone Air has a slightly higher resolution of 1260 x 2736 px.

Both devices support a 120Hz refresh rate and 120Hz touch sampling rate, providing smooth scrolling and responsive touch interactions. Brightness levels are identical on both devices, with a typical brightness of 1000 nits, making them easily readable in bright environments. Both models also support HDR10 and Dolby Vision for enhanced dynamic range, but neither supports HDR10+.

Additional features such as an Always-On Display and a contrast ratio of 2000000:1 are present on both devices, delivering a premium viewing experience. Both phones lack branded damage-resistant glass, do not feature a secondary screen, and have a touch screen.

The Apple iPhone 17 256GB and the Apple iPhone Air both feature the Apple A19 and Apple A19 Pro chipsets, respectively, with identical CPU configurations. Both devices have two high-performance cores running at 4.26 GHz and four efficiency cores at 2.51 GHz. The GPU clock speed is the same at 1490 MHz for both phones. However, the iPhone Air has an advantage in Geekbench 6 performance, with a multi-core result of 9746 compared to the iPhone 17's 8810, and a single-core result of 3895 versus the iPhone 17's 3608.

In terms of RAM, the iPhone 17 comes with 8GB, while the iPhone Air is equipped with 12GB. Both devices use RAM with a speed of 4800 MHz, and both feature the same 3 nm semiconductor size, integrated graphics, and support for 64-bit processing. Additionally, both phones support big.LITTLE technology, have 6 CPU threads, and include features like NX bit, HMP, and TrustZone for security.

When it comes to storage, the iPhone 17 offers 256GB of internal storage, while the iPhone Air has a significantly larger 1024GB. Both phones have the same maximum memory bandwidth of 78.8 GB/s and L2 cache of 16 MB. The iPhone 17 has a maximum memory amount of 12GB, which matches the iPhone Air's actual RAM, and neither device supports ECC memory. The number of transistors in both devices is 20000 million, and they both have a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 10W, using DDR5 memory at version 5.

The Apple iPhone 17 256GB and the Apple iPhone Air have similar camera features, but there are some differences in the main camera setup. The iPhone 17 features a dual-lens main camera with 48 MP for each lens, while the iPhone Air has a single 48 MP lens. Both devices have a wide aperture of 1.6f on the main camera, but the iPhone 17 has an additional lens with a wider aperture of 2.2f. Both phones support 2x optical zoom and offer phase-detection autofocus for photos and continuous autofocus for video recording, along with 2160p video at 60 fps. They also share features like built-in optical image stabilization, HDR10 recording, and Dolby Vision recording capabilities.

Both devices include a front camera with 18 MP and a wide aperture of 1.9f. The front camera on both phones lacks a dual-lens setup and a front-facing LED flash. The iPhone 17 has a few additional advanced features, including manual exposure, manual ISO, manual shutter speed, and manual focus, all of which are also supported by the iPhone Air. Both models support slow-motion video recording, in-camera panoramas, timelapse function, and touch autofocus. Additionally, both devices support HDR10 recording, Dolby Vision recording, and can create panoramas in-camera.

While both phones have similar overall capabilities, the iPhone 17's dual-lens setup on the main camera provides extra flexibility, but the iPhone Air is almost identical in terms of its features and functionality, with the main distinction being the dual-lens versus single-lens design on the rear camera.

Both the Apple iPhone 17 256GB and the Apple iPhone Air run the same operating system, offering an array of similar features aimed at enhancing privacy, convenience, and customization. Both devices have clipboard warnings, location privacy options, camera/microphone privacy options, Mail Privacy Protection, and support for blocking app tracking and cross-site tracking. They also share functionality such as on-device machine learning, notification permissions, media picker, and Wi-Fi password sharing.

In terms of personalization, both devices support dark mode, focus modes, customizable notifications, and Live Text. However, theme customization and dynamic theming are not available on either device. Both devices support PiP (Picture-in-Picture), AirPlay, widgets, and voice commands, as well as tracking the current position of the device. Features like Quick Start, SharePlay, and offline voice recognition are available on both models. Neither device can be used as a PC, and both have child lock functionality and share intents for media.

The two devices are virtually identical in terms of operating system features, offering the same privacy and usability options. The only slight difference is that both are closely matched in their functionality without any major distinctions in the operating system capabilities.

The Apple iPhone 17 256GB and the Apple iPhone Air both feature rechargeable batteries with wireless charging capabilities. The iPhone 17 has a larger 3692 mAh battery, compared to the 3149 mAh battery in the iPhone Air. Both devices support fast charging, but the iPhone 17 supports a faster charging speed of 40W, while the iPhone Air supports a slower 20W charging speed. The wireless charging speed is the same on both models, at 30W.

Both phones do not have reverse wireless charging and do not come with a charger. They also lack removable batteries but include battery level indicators, making it easy to track charge levels. The iPhone 17 offers a longer battery life at 30 hours, while the iPhone Air provides a slightly shorter battery life of 27 hours.

In terms of battery performance, the iPhone 17 has a larger capacity and faster charging, contributing to its longer battery life compared to the iPhone Air, which has a smaller battery and slower charging speed.

Both the Apple iPhone 17 256GB and the Apple iPhone Air lack a 3.5 mm audio jack, which means neither supports wired headphones through that traditional connection. However, in terms of audio output, the iPhone 17 features stereo speakers, while the iPhone Air does not have stereo speakers. Both devices lack support for high-quality wireless audio codecs like aptX, LDAC, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Lossless.

Both models include three microphones, which should help with noise cancellation and better call quality. Neither device has a radio, and both are equipped with standard wireless audio technologies, though the iPhone 17 has the advantage of stereo speakers for a richer sound experience.

In summary, while both phones share similar audio-related specifications, the key difference is the presence of stereo speakers on the iPhone 17, making it superior in terms of sound output compared to the iPhone Air, which lacks stereo speakers.

The Apple iPhone 17 256GB and the Apple iPhone Air both offer 5G support and a range of advanced connectivity features. Both devices support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), with the iPhone Air additionally supporting Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), giving it an edge in terms of Wi-Fi capabilities. Both models also feature Bluetooth version 6, USB Type-C with USB version 2, and NFC support. Download and upload speeds are identical for both devices, with a download speed of 10000 Mbits/s and an upload speed of 3500 Mbits/s.

Both phones include dual SIM functionality (1 SIM + 1 eSIM), emergency SOS via satellite, crash detection, and a range of sensors including a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, and compass. Neither device supports ANT+ or includes a heart rate monitor. Both models are equipped with a barometer and have 3D facial recognition for security. Neither phone includes an infrared sensor, iris scanner, or stylus, nor do they support a built-in projector.

The key differences are in the Wi-Fi capabilities, with the iPhone Air supporting Wi-Fi 6E in addition to the other Wi-Fi versions. Apart from this, both phones offer very similar connectivity and feature sets, including the use of 3D facial recognition, GPS, and satellite SOS features, with no other major distinctions.

Both the Apple iPhone 17 256GB and the Apple iPhone Air are equipped with a video light, making them suitable for low-light video recording. Neither device features sapphire glass displays, curved displays, or e-paper displays, meaning both have traditional display designs with no special display technology in these areas.

In summary, the miscellaneous features of both devices are essentially identical, with both offering a video light but lacking any advanced display technologies such as sapphire glass, curved displays, or e-paper displays.

There are no significant differences in this category between the two devices.