Now that we’ve seen the actual iPhone Air<\/a> and iPhone 17 Pro models \u2014 they were revealed at the Apple iPhone event<\/a> today \u2014 it’s time to decide if you’re ready to upgrade to one of the newer devices. If you watched Apple’s keynote or pored through Engadget’s liveblog<\/a>, you probably noticed the Air and 17 Pro share quite a few similarities \u2014 many of the specs are identical, or nearly so.<\/p>\n For starters, both run the new A19 Pro chip, giving each of them a performance edge over the non-Pro A19 in the baseline iPhone 17. And their screens, bodies and basic feature sets \u2014 high-refresh ProMotion screens, Apple Intelligence, scratch-resistant Ceramic Shield front and back, Camera Control button, MagSafe wireless charging \u2014 are all largely aligned, too. And there’s only a $100 delta in their price tags, with the iPhone Air starting at $999 and the iPhone 17 Pro at $1,099.<\/p>\n But these two phones have two very different audiences. The Pro, as usual, is designed to be the no-compromise iPhone, while the Air is much more of a fashion statement. It’s the thinnest iPhone ever, and that comes with some notable compromises.<\/p>\n To that end, let’s take a deep dive on the key areas where the newly introduced iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro diverge. (For more of today’s Apple releases, check out our hands-on with the new AirPods Pro 3<\/a> and the Apple Watch Series 11<\/a>.)<\/p>\n The iPhone Air is Apple’s thinnest phone yet, at just 5.6mm thick. In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro is 8.75mm thick \u2014 that’s more than 3mm thicker than the Air! I’m almost certain the Air would get lost between my couch cushions on day one.<\/p>\n When it comes to the screen size, the iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch display, which is larger than the 17 Pro’s 6.3-inch screen. (If you want larger still, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a whopping 6.9 inches diagonally). But the screen tech uses the identical Super Retina XDR technology with all the same bells and whistles \u2014 ProMotion high refresh rate, P3 color gamut, True Tone. They should look pretty much identical.<\/p>\n As for weight, the Air with its titanium casing tips the scales at just 5.82 ounces (165 grams), while the iPhone 17 Pro weighs 7.27 ounces (206 grams) with an aluminum chassis. That’s a tad more than the iPhone 16 Pro’s weight of 7.03 ounces (199 grams), probably due to the newer model’s larger battery.<\/p>\n If you decide to upgrade to the 17 Pro Max instead, it has a larger 6.9-inch display and weighs a whopping 8.22 ounces (233 grams).<\/p>\n But long story short, the Air’s superthin design and wispier weight is pretty much the reason you’re buying this phone.<\/p>\nSize and weight<\/h2>\n