Apple's four new iPhones launch later this month, with more differences between the latest models than ever before.


Instead of the familiar split between standard and Pro models, Apple has introduced the new iPhone Air, expanded the feature gap between tiers, and refined each model to serve a clearer audience. The result is a four-device family that ranges from the affordable and practical iPhone 17 to the feature-packed iPhone 17 Pro Max, with distinct trade-offs in size, materials, camera hardware, and battery life along the way. All models share Apple's latest A19 chip platform, meaning performance is fairly consistent across the board, but their designs, display sizes, and camera features are more specialized than ever before.

This guide offers a detailed look at every difference—dimensions, design, cameras, battery life, and pricing—so you can make an informed choice. Whether you prioritize design, photography, or battery life, this year's iPhones are no longer one-size-fits-all devices, and understanding the lineup is key to choosing the best model for you and your budget.

Sizes and Weights

	‌iPhone 17‌	‌iPhone‌ Air	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max
Height	5.89 inches (149.6 mm)	6.15 inches (156.2 mm)	5.91 inches (150.0 mm)	6.43 inches (163.4 mm)
Width	2.81 inches (71.5 mm)	2.94 inches (74.7 mm)	2.83 inches (71.9 mm)	3.07 inches (78.0 mm)
Depth	0.31 inches (7.95 mm)	0.22 inches (5.64 mm)	0.34 inches (8.75 mm)	0.34 inches (8.75 mm)
Weight	6.24 ounces (177 grams)	5.82 ounces (165 grams)	7.27 ounces (206 grams)	8.22 ounces (233 grams)

Designs

‌iPhone 17‌	‌iPhone‌ Air	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max
Anodized aluminum frame	Polished titanium frame	Anodized aluminum unibody	Anodized aluminum unibody
	Camera plateau	Camera plateau	Camera plateau
Ceramic Shield front	Ceramic Shield front and back	Ceramic Shield front and back	Ceramic Shield front and back
6.3-inch display	6.5-inch display	6.3-inch display	6.9-inch display
Available in White, Black, Mist Blue, Sage, and Lavender	Available in Cloud White, Space Black, Sky Blue, and Light Gold	Available in Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange	Available in Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange

Battery Life and Charging

‌iPhone 17‌	‌iPhone‌ Air	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max
3,692 mAh battery	3,149 mAh battery	4,252 mAh battery	5,088 mAh battery
Up to 30-hour battery life	Up to 27-hour battery life	Up to 33-hour battery life	Up to 39-hour battery life
MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W	‌MagSafe‌ wireless charging up to 20W	‌MagSafe‌ wireless charging up to 25W	‌MagSafe‌ wireless charging up to 25W
Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with 40W adapter or higher	Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher, or 30W adapter or higher paired with ‌MagSafe‌ Charger	Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with 40W adapter or higher	Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with 40W adapter or higher

Camera Hardware

‌iPhone 17‌	‌iPhone‌ Air	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max
Dual rear cameras	Single rear camera	Triple rear cameras	Triple rear cameras
48-megapixel ultra wide camera		48-megapixel ultra wide camera	48-megapixel ultra wide camera
		48-megapixel telephoto camera	48-megapixel telephoto camera
0.5x, 1x, and 2x optical zoom options	1x and 2x optical zoom options	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x optical zoom options	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x optical zoom options
		LiDAR Scanner	LiDAR Scanner
True Tone flash	True Tone flash	Adaptive True Tone flash	Adaptive True Tone flash

Camera Features

‌iPhone 17‌	‌iPhone‌ Air	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max
Macro photography		Macro photography	Macro photography
Spatial photos		Spatial photos	Spatial photos
		ProRAW	ProRAW
Cinematic mode		Cinematic mode	Cinematic mode
		ProRes video recording	ProRes video recording
		ProRes RAW	ProRes RAW
		Academy Color Encoding System	Academy Color Encoding System
		Apple Log 2 video recording	Apple Log 2 video recording
		Genlock support	Genlock support
Macro video recording, including slo‑mo and time‑lapse		Macro video recording, including slo‑mo and time‑lapse	Macro video recording, including slo‑mo and time‑lapse
Slo‑mo video support up to 1080p at 240 fps	Slo‑mo video support up to 1080p at 240 fps	Slo‑mo video support for 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps	Slo‑mo video support for 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps

Other Differences

‌iPhone 17‌	‌iPhone‌ Air	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌	‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max
A19 chip	A19 Pro chip	A19 Pro chip	A19 Pro chip
5-core GPU	5-core GPU	6-core GPU	6-core GPU
8GB memory	12GB memory	12GB memory	12GB memory
Stereo speakers	Mono speaker	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
		Studio-quality four-mic array	Studio-quality four-mic array
USB-C (USB 2)	USB-C (USB 2)	USB-C (USB 3 for up to 20x faster transfers)	USB-C (USB 3 for up to 20x faster transfers)
256GB or 512GB storage	256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage	256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage

Pricing

	256GB	512GB	1TB	2TB
‌iPhone 17‌	$799	$999
‌iPhone‌ Air	$999	$1,199	$1,399
‌iPhone 17 Pro‌	$1,099	$1,299	$1,499
‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max	$1,199	$1,399	$1,599	$1,999

Which One Should You Choose?

Apple's latest ‌iPhone‌ lineup is more segmented than ever, with clear distinctions in size, design, and hardware to suit different needs. All four models share the same core performance, so your choice comes down to priorities like design, camera versatility, and price.

• iPhone 17: Best for those who need a good, practical all-round ‌iPhone‌ at an affordable price.


• iPhone Air: Best for those who want the thinnest and lightest ‌iPhone‌ in a groundbreaking new premium design with a medium-sized display, but are willing to accept noticeable compromises on camera features, battery life, charging speed, and speakers.


• iPhone 17 Pro: Best for those who want the versatile new 48-megapixel telephoto camera and a large range of additional camera features and hardware in a smaller package, along with better mics and faster USB speeds.


• iPhone 17 Pro Max: Best for "pro" users who need the rich feature set of the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌, but with the largest possible display, battery life, and storage.

The ‌iPhone 17‌ should be the default option for most users, with the ability to move up to the Air as a design-led option, the Pro as a creator-focused device, and the Pro Max delivering everything in the largest format.

Pre-orders of the new ‌iPhone‌ lineup open on Friday, September 12, with launch on Friday, September 19.

This article, "Buyer's Guide: iPhone 17, Air, Pro, or Pro Max? 40 Differences Compared" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has added a "groundbreaking" new memory security feature to its new iPhone 17 lineup called Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE), which the company describes as "the most significant upgrade to memory safety in the history of consumer operating systems."


The new security feature targets spyware tools like Pegasus that exploit vulnerabilities to hack targeted devices. According to Apple, MIE provides comprehensive, always-on memory-safety protection covering the kernel and over 70 userland processes, built on the Enhanced Memory Tagging Extension (EMTE).

The new feature is supported by the new A19 and A19 Pro chips found across the iPhone 17 lineup as well as the iPhone Air. Apple says it has also added memory safety improvements for older hardware that doesn't support the new memory tagging features. In addition, Apple is making EMTE available to all Apple developers in Xcode as part of the new Enhanced Security feature that the company released earlier this year during WWDC.

The approach includes mitigation for Spectre V1 attacks that Apple claims works with "virtually zero CPU cost," addressing performance concerns that have plagued similar security features in the past. Apple says these changes make "mercenary spyware" significantly more expensive to develop, and present a major challenge to the surveillance industry.

Based on our evaluations pitting Memory Integrity Enforcement against exceptionally sophisticated mercenary spyware attacks from the last three years, we believe MIE will make exploit chains significantly more expensive and difficult to develop and maintain, disrupt many of the most effective exploitation techniques from the last 25 years, and completely redefine the landscape of memory safety for Apple products.

For in-depth information about the new MIE security feature, readers should refer to Apple's Security Research blog.
This article, "iPhone 17 Introduces 'Groundbreaking' New Memory Security Feature" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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