Apple iPhone 17 Air
Price:
$999
(originally launched at $999)
256GB base variant · Launched September 2025 · Current Status: Available
Apple iPhone 17 Air is Apple's first-ever "Air" branded iPhone, featuring an ultra-slim 5.6mm titanium frame with Ceramic Shield 2 protection, a 6.5-inch 120Hz ProMotion LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display with Dynamic Island, a single 48MP Fusion rear camera with 2x optical-quality telephoto, 18MP Center Stage front camera, 12GB RAM, and the A19 Pro chipset with a 5-core GPU.
LAUNCH
| Announced | September 9, 2025 |
| Released | September 19, 2025 |
| Status | Available |
DISPLAY
| Screen Size | 6.5 inches |
| Resolution | 2736 x 1260 pixels (Super Retina XDR) |
| Pixel Density | ~460 ppi |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz ProMotion (1Hz to 120Hz adaptive) |
| Display Type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Always-On Display |
| Brightness | 1000 nits (typical), 1600 nits (peak HDR), 3000 nits (peak outdoor) |
| Features | Dynamic Island, True Tone, Wide color gamut (P3) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield 2 (front and back) |
PERFORMANCE
| Chipset | Apple A19 Pro (3nm, N3P) — binned version |
| CPU | Hexa-core (4.26 GHz clock speed) |
| GPU | Apple-designed 5-core GPU |
| Neural Engine | Yes (16-core Neural Engine) |
| RAM | 12 GB (LPDDR5) |
| Cooling | Vapor chamber cooling system |
| Operating System | Launched with iOS 26; fully compatible with latest iOS releases |
| Machine Learning / AI | A19 Pro Neural Engine; Apple Intelligence: Supported |
| Graphics Support | Metal 3, Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing |
GAMING PERFORMANCE — COMMUNITY/THIRD-PARTY REPORTS
| PUBG Mobile / BGMI | 120 FPS on Ultra frame rate settings (120Hz display support); maintains 90+ FPS after thermal throttling |
| Free Fire | Stable 90 FPS on Ultra graphics settings |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | 120 FPS on Low/Medium graphics + Ultra frame rate; 60 FPS lock on High/Very High graphics settings |
| Genshin Impact | Supports up to 60 FPS on Highest graphics; minor frame drops to 50–55 FPS during extended heavy battle scenes due to thermal throttling in ultra-thin chassis |
| AAA Console Games | Runs native console ports at 30 FPS with MetalFX Upscaling; 30 FPS is not stable and can drop to 20 FPS due to thermal constraints |
| Asphalt 9: Legends | Supports up to 60 FPS on maximum graphic preset with steady performance |
| Overall Gaming Performance | Powered by 12GB RAM and the 5-core A19 Pro GPU. The ultra-thin 5.6mm chassis limits sustained performance — thermal throttling occurs faster than Pro models. Good for casual gaming, but heavy 3D titles cause noticeable warmth and frame drops. |
BENCHMARK — ANTUTU & GEEKBENCH RESULTS
| AnTuTu v10 Total | ~2,033,552 (third-party test results across iOS v10 database) |
| AnTuTu CPU | ~470,000 |
| AnTuTu GPU | ~600,000 |
| AnTuTu Memory | ~480,000 — 50% improvement due to 12GB RAM |
| AnTuTu UX | ~483,000 |
| Geekbench 6 Single-Core | ~3,500 – 3,600 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi-Core | ~9,200 – 9,400 |
| Geekbench 6 Metal (GPU) | ~32,000 – 33,000 |
REAR CAMERA
| Main Camera | 48 MP Fusion, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), sensor-shift OIS, 100% Focus Pixels |
| 2x Telephoto (Crop) | 12 MP, 52mm (enabled by 48MP sensor crop), 2x optical-quality zoom |
| Ultra Wide | Not Available (single camera only) |
| Telephoto | Not Available |
| LiDAR Scanner | No |
| Photo Digital Zoom | Up to 10x digital zoom |
| Stabilization | Sensor-shift Optical Image Stabilization |
| Camera Features | Photonic Engine, Smart HDR 5, Night Mode, Panorama (up to 63MP), True Tone flash, Photographic Styles, 28mm & 35mm focal length support |
FRONT CAMERA
| Camera | 18 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide) TrueDepth camera system |
| Aperture | f/2.2 |
| Focus | Autofocus with Focus Pixels |
| Features | Center Stage (automatic face tracking and framing), 4K video recording, Portrait Mode, Smart HDR 5, Retina Flash, Animoji & Memoji, Square sensor allows portrait and landscape images regardless of phone orientation |
VIDEO RECORDING
| Rear Video | 4K UHD @ 24/25/30/60fps, 1080p @ 25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 60 fps, Cinematic mode, Action mode (2.8K @ 30fps), Dual Capture Video (records from front and rear cameras simultaneously) |
| Video Digital Zoom | Up to 6x digital zoom |
| ProRes | Not Supported |
| ProRes RAW | Not Supported |
| Slow Motion | 1080p @ 120fps / 240fps |
| Front Video | 4K UHD @ 24/25/30/60fps, 1080p @ 25/30/60/120fps |
| Audio | Stereo audio recording, Spatial Audio |
BATTERY
| Battery Type | Li-Ion, built-in (non-removable) |
| Battery Capacity | 3,149 mAh (Apple official spec; compact design limits battery size) |
| Video Playback | Up to 27 hours (Apple official specification) |
| Extended Video Playback | Up to 40 hours with optional MagSafe Battery Pack ($99) |
CHARGING
| Wired Charging | Fast charging via USB-C (up to 50% in ~30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher; supports up to 40W-60W variable charging) |
| Fast Charging | Yes (USB Power Delivery) |
| MagSafe | Yes (MagSafe wireless charging up to 20W — slower than Pro models' 25W) |
| Qi Wireless Charging | Yes (Qi2 standard, up to 15W) |
| Full Charge Time | ~59 minutes with Apple's 40W-60W charger |
| Reverse Wired Charging | Yes (4.5W output via USB-C) |
CONNECTIVITY
| 5G | Yes (sub-6 GHz and mmWave variants; Apple C1X modem — 2x faster and 30% more power efficient than previous generation) |
| 4G | Yes, Gigabit-class LTE (4x4 MIMO and LAA) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 with LE |
| NFC | Yes (Apple Pay & reader mode with background tag reading) |
| UWB | Yes (2nd-generation Ultra Wideband chip) |
| N1 Chip | Yes (Apple-designed wireless chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread) |
| Thread Networking | Yes |
| FM Radio | No |
USB & DISPLAY OUTPUT
| Connector | USB Type-C |
| USB Speed | USB 2.0 (up to 480 Mbps) |
| Display Output | Native DisplayPort support over USB-C (4K HDR video output supported) |
| External Display | Supported via direct USB-C connection |
SIM & NETWORK
| SIM | eSIM only — No physical SIM slot worldwide |
| eSIM | Yes (Supports multiple eSIMs) |
| Network | GSM/CDMA, 3G HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G, Emergency SOS via Satellite, Roadside Assistance via Satellite |
NAVIGATION & LOCATION
| GPS | Yes, Precision dual-frequency GPS (L1 + L5), GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC |
| Compass | Yes, digital compass |
SENSORS
| Face ID | Yes (TrueDepth camera system) |
| Crash Detection | Yes (High dynamic range gyro & High-g accelerometer) |
| Action Button | Yes (customizable for Silent mode, Camera, Flashlight, Focus, Voice Memo, Shortcut) |
| Camera Control | Yes (capacitive touch-sensitive switch for camera functions) |
| Motion | High-g Accelerometer, High dynamic range Gyroscope, Barometer |
| Other Sensors | Dual Ambient Light Sensors, Proximity Sensor, Digital Compass |
AUDIO & MULTIMEDIA
| Speakers | Spatial audio playback, Stereo speakers |
| Spatial Audio | Yes (spatial audio rendering supported) |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes (Dolby Atmos playback supported) |
| 3.5mm Headphone Jack | No |
| Audio Formats | AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos |
SOFTWARE FEATURES
| Apple Intelligence | Supported (System-wide AI features, Writing Tools, Clean Up, Siri enhancements) |
| Siri | Yes, hands-free "Siri" or "Hey Siri" |
| Apple Pay | Yes (via Face ID) |
BUILD & PROTECTION
| Frame | Grade 5 Polished Titanium frame |
| Front Protection | Ceramic Shield 2 (front and back) |
| Back Protection | Ceramic Shield 2 |
| Water Resistance | IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes under IEC standard 60529) |
| Thickness | 5.6 mm — Apple's thinnest iPhone ever |
| Weight | 165 grams |
COLORS
| Available Colors | Space Black, Cloud White, Sky Blue, Light Gold |
STORAGE & PRICE
| Card Slot | No (fixed internal NVMe storage only) |
| 256GB |
$999
|
| 512GB |
$1,199
|
| 1TB |
$1,399
|
MISC
| Model Number | A3517 / A3260 / A3518 / A3516 |
Overall: The iPhone 17 Air represents Apple's boldest design statement in years — an ultra-thin 5.6mm titanium frame with a 6.5-inch 120Hz OLED display and 12GB RAM. Powered by the A19 Pro chip (binned), it delivers solid performance (AnTuTu ~2,033,552), though thermal constraints in the slim chassis mean CPU performance is slightly lower than the A18 Pro. The single 48MP camera lacks ultra-wide and telephoto versatility, but the 18MP Center Stage front camera with square sensor and Dual Capture video mode are innovative. The 3,149 mAh battery offers up to 27 hours of video playback (40 hours with optional MagSafe battery pack). Priced at $999 for 256GB, it's positioned between the iPhone 17 and Pro models.
IPHONE 17 AIR IN 2026: IS IT STILL WORTH BUYING?
| Performance | A19 Pro (5-core GPU) with 12GB RAM handles daily tasks smoothly. AnTuTu ~2,033,552, Geekbench 6 ~3,500 single-core. Thermal throttling occurs faster due to ultra-thin 5.6mm chassis. |
| Display & Build | 6.5-inch 120Hz ProMotion OLED with Dynamic Island and Always-On. Ceramic Shield 2 front and back. 5.6mm thin — Apple's thinnest iPhone ever. Weight 165g. |
| Camera | Single 48MP Fusion camera with 2x optical-quality zoom. No ultra-wide, no telephoto. 18MP Center Stage front camera with square sensor. Lacks versatility of Pro models. |
| Battery | 3,149 mAh battery with up to 27 hours video playback. Optional MagSafe Battery Pack ($99) extends to 40 hours. MagSafe up to 20W (slower than Pro's 25W). |
| 5G | Apple C1X modem — 2x faster and 30% more power efficient. Sub-6GHz and mmWave support. |
| Apple Intelligence | Fully supported with 12GB RAM. |
| Connectivity | USB-C (USB 2.0 speeds), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, N1 chip, UWB. eSIM only — no physical SIM slot. |
| iOS Support | Fully supported on latest iOS releases with years of updates ahead. |
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Core specifications are based primarily on Apple's official technical specifications; benchmark figures and other third-party measurements (battery mAh, AnTuTu scores, Geekbench scores, etc.) are compiled separately from tested units. This is a current device; retail availability may vary by region.
Core specifications are based primarily on Apple's official technical specifications; benchmark figures and other third-party measurements (battery mAh, AnTuTu scores, Geekbench scores, etc.) are compiled separately from tested units. This is a current device; retail availability may vary by region.