Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max VS Apple iPhone Air

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone Air both offer waterproof designs, with an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP68, meaning they can withstand submersion in water up to 6 meters deep. However, the two devices differ in their overall design dimensions and weight. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is significantly heavier at 233 g compared to the iPhone Air's 165 g, making the Air lighter and potentially easier to handle. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is also thicker at 8.75 mm, while the iPhone Air has a slimmer profile at 5.64 mm.

In terms of size, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is larger with a height of 163.4 mm and a width of 78 mm, whereas the iPhone Air is slightly smaller with a height of 156.2 mm and a width of 74.7 mm. The volume of the iPhone 17 Pro Max is also larger at 111.52 cm³ compared to the iPhone Air's 65.81 cm³.

Both models have the same waterproof depth rating of 6 meters, and neither device features a rugged build. They also share the same operating temperature range, with both being rated for use between 0 °C and 35 °C. Additionally, neither device can be folded, and both lack a provided specification for the lowest potential operating temperature beyond 0 °C.

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone Air both feature OLED/AMOLED displays, ensuring vibrant colors and deep blacks. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a larger screen size of 6.9″ compared to the 6.5″ screen on the iPhone Air. Despite the size difference, both devices have the same pixel density of 460 ppi, offering sharp and detailed visuals. The resolution on the iPhone 17 Pro Max is slightly higher at 1320 x 2868 px, whereas the iPhone Air has a resolution of 1260 x 2736 px, though the difference in resolution is minimal.

Both models support a 120Hz refresh rate and a 120Hz touch sampling rate, ensuring smooth scrolling and responsive touch input. The typical brightness on both devices is the same at 1000 nits, so outdoor visibility should be equally good on either phone. Additionally, both phones support HDR10, Dolby Vision, and have a contrast ratio of 2000000:1, delivering rich and dynamic content. Neither device has HDR10+ support.

Both phones come with an Always-On Display feature, providing useful information even when the screen is off. Neither device includes branded damage-resistant glass, and both phones lack a secondary screen. Lastly, both models are equipped with a touch screen for user interaction.

Both the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone Air are equipped with the same chipset, the Apple A19 Pro, featuring the Apple A18 GPU. Both devices offer identical CPU speeds with 2 high-performance cores running at 4.26 GHz and 4 efficiency cores running at 2.51 GHz. They also have the same GPU clock speed of 1490 MHz and support integrated LTE, making for a similar performance foundation in terms of processing power and connectivity.

When it comes to memory, both phones feature 12GB of RAM running at 4800 MHz, with the same maximum memory bandwidth of 78.8 GB/s. They both have 16 MB of L2 cache, and neither supports ECC memory. The maximum memory amount is also capped at 12GB for both models. In terms of Geekbench 6 scores, the iPhone 17 Pro Max scores slightly higher in the multi-core test with 10223 compared to the iPhone Air's 9746, and a marginal difference is also seen in the single-core test, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max scoring 3933 versus 3895 on the iPhone Air.

Other specs are consistent across both devices, such as the use of big.LITTLE technology, 64-bit support, and integrated graphics. Both phones also share the same thermal design power (TDP) of 10W, a transistor count of 20000 million, and the same DDR memory version (5). Notably, neither device utilizes multithreading, and both devices include the NX bit, HMP, and TrustZone features for added security.

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone Air both feature 18 MP front cameras with the same wide aperture of 1.9f. While both devices include built-in optical image stabilization and support for video recording in 2160p, the iPhone 17 Pro Max supports 120 fps in video recording, whereas the iPhone Air supports 60 fps. Both models support HDR10 and Dolby Vision recording, and neither device includes a front-facing LED flash.

The main camera setup on the iPhone 17 Pro Max is more advanced with a triple-lens configuration, offering 48 MP for each lens and optical zoom up to 8x. In comparison, the iPhone Air features a single-lens 48 MP main camera with a narrower aperture of 1.6f and only 2x optical zoom. Both models share features like phase-detection autofocus, continuous autofocus during video recording, and manual exposure and shutter speed adjustments, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max supports laser autofocus, while the iPhone Air does not.

Other features on both devices include the ability to shoot raw images, create in-camera panoramas, and use manual ISO and white balance settings. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max offers more advanced options such as laser autofocus and the ability to shoot in 360° panorama mode, which the iPhone Air lacks. Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a BSI and CMOS sensor, while the iPhone Air has the same sensors but with no support for shooting raw photos.

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone Air share many similarities when it comes to operating system features. Both devices include clipboard warnings, location and camera/microphone privacy options, Mail Privacy Protection, and the ability to block app tracking and cross-site tracking. Additionally, both models support features like dark mode, Wi-Fi password sharing, battery health checks, focus modes, and customizable notifications.

Other common features between the two devices include the ability to offload apps, Live Text, full-page screenshots, SharePlay, PiP, AirPlay, and Quick Start. Both devices also support widgets, have offline voice recognition, voice commands, and track the current position of the mobile device. They also both offer notification permissions, media pickers, and have sharing intents.

The only notable difference between the two is that the iPhone 17 Pro Max includes an extra dim mode, while the iPhone Air does not. Both devices lack theme customization, dynamic theming, split screen support, the ability to be used as a PC, a front-facing LED flash, and a multi-user system.

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone Air both feature wireless charging with a wireless charging speed of 30W. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a larger battery capacity at 5088 mAh, compared to the iPhone Air's 3149 mAh. In terms of charging speed, the iPhone 17 Pro Max supports faster charging at 40W, while the iPhone Air supports 20W fast charging. Both models do not include reverse wireless charging and come with a rechargeable, non-removable battery.

Battery life on the iPhone 17 Pro Max is rated at 39 hours, while the iPhone Air offers 27 hours of battery life. Both devices feature a battery level indicator for monitoring charge status.

Neither device comes with a charger in the box, and both lack a removable battery. Additionally, both models support fast charging and offer wireless charging, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max is equipped with a more powerful charging setup overall.

Both the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone Air lack a 3.5 mm audio jack, so wired headphones cannot be directly connected. In terms of audio output, the iPhone 17 Pro Max features stereo speakers, providing a richer audio experience. On the other hand, the iPhone Air does not have stereo speakers, which may impact the overall sound quality and volume.

Neither device supports advanced Bluetooth audio codecs such as aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, or LDAC. Both phones also lack a radio, meaning they do not support traditional FM radio reception.

Both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone Air are equipped with three microphones, which help with voice quality during calls and audio recording.

Both the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone Air support 5G connectivity and feature the same Wi-Fi capabilities, supporting Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7. Each device supports 1 SIM and 1 eSIM, has Bluetooth version 6, and includes NFC for contactless payments and pairing. Both devices also offer the same download and upload speeds, with download speeds of 10000 MBits/s and upload speeds of 3500 MBits/s.

Both devices come with a USB Type-C port, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max has USB 3.2, while the iPhone Air features USB version 2. Neither device includes an external memory slot, HDMI output, or an infrared sensor. They are also equipped with similar sensors, including a gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, compass, GPS, and cellular module. Both devices feature 3D facial recognition, but neither has a fingerprint scanner or an iris scanner.

Both models also have emergency SOS via satellite, crash detection, and support Galileo for navigation. The iPhone 17 Pro Max includes an infrared sensor, which the iPhone Air lacks. Neither phone includes motion tracking, optical tracking, a built-in projector, or a heart rate monitor. Both devices support stylus input, but neither comes with a stylus included.

Both the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone Air feature a video light, which can assist with low-light photography or video recording. Neither device includes a sapphire glass display, curved display, or an e-paper display. These specifications are identical for both models.

In summary, both devices offer the same miscellaneous features with no differences between them in this category.