While the tech world remains focused on the ongoing iPhone 16 release cycle, early speculation about Apple’s 2025 lineup—including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and a rumored iPhone 17 “Air”—has already begun to surface. Industry insiders suggest that 2025 could mark the most significant iPhone design overhaul since the iconic iPhone X debuted in 2017.
The star of the show may be the all-new iPhone 17 “Air”, rumored to feature a slimmed-down chassis (under 6mm thick), a revamped camera layout, and a 6.6-inch display—positioning it as a fresh addition rather than a direct successor to the discontinued iPhone 17 Plus. Apple reportedly plans to phase out the “Plus” branding due to lukewarm consumer demand, replacing it with four models: the standard iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the ultra-thin “Air” variant.
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Rumored specs
| iPhone 17 Air (rumored) | iPhone 17 Pro Max (rumored) | |
| Price | $899 | $1199 |
| Display | 6.6 inches (120Hz) | 6.9 inches (120Hz) |
| Chip | A19 | A19 Pro |
| Rear camera | 48MP wide | 48MP wide, ultrawide and telephoto |
| Front camera | 24MP | 24MP |
| RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB | 256GB |
| Modem | Apple | Qualcomm |
| Thickness | 5.5-6mm | 8.73mm |
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Battery
While concrete details about the battery size for Apple’s 2025 iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max remain scarce, early speculation hints at stark differences. The iPhone 17 Air, with its ultra-slim profile (rumored to be under 6mm thick), is expected to house a significantly smaller battery to maintain its sleek design. Conversely, the iPhone 17 Pro Max may adopt a slightly thicker chassis to accommodate a larger battery, continuing Apple’s trend of prioritizing endurance in its premium models.
For context, the current iPhone 16 Pro Max packs a 4,685 mAh battery, delivering an exceptional 17 hours and 35 minutes of average usage in battery testing—a result strong enough to rank among the best phone battery life today. However, the iPhone 17 Air’s slimmer chassis raises concerns that its battery life could dip by several hours compared to its Pro counterpart.
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Chip, RAM and storage
iPhone 17 Pro Max is reportedly set to deliver upgraded performance with Apple’s A18 Pro chip, 12GB of RAM, and a 256GB base storage configuration. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to adopt a slightly less powerful A19 processor, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of starting storage.
While both iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max models should handle graphically intensive games, the Pro Max variant is likely to achieve higher frame rates due to its advanced hardware. The additional RAM in the iPhone 17 Pro Max may also enhance tasks involving Apple Intelligence capabilities, such as image generation and AI-powered Writing Tools, offering smoother and faster processing compared to the Air model.
For detailed specs and real-world experience with Apple mobile phone batteries, we recommend you visit our website batteriesglobal.co.uk or our exclusive published tests on our blog.