Apple introduced four new iPhones at its September 9 event: the iPhone 17, the brand-new iPhone Air, and the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Pre-orders open Friday, September 12, and the phones go on sale Friday, September 19.
iPhone Air: the thinnest iPhone ever
The headline act is the iPhone Air, which replaces the Plus model.
- 5.6mm thin with a polished titanium frame
- 6.5-inch ProMotion display (up to 120Hz)
- A19 Pro chip, plus Apple's own N1 wireless chip and C1X modem
- One 48MP rear camera with a 2x telephoto crop
- eSIM only, no physical SIM tray
- Starts at $999
Colors: space black, cloud white, light gold, and sky blue.
iPhone 17: the base model gets a big upgrade
- 6.3-inch display with ProMotion for the first time on a base iPhone
- A19 chip
- All 48MP rear cameras (main and ultrawide)
- 256GB base storage, double last year
- New 18MP Center Stage front camera that can shoot landscape selfies while you hold the phone upright
- Starts at $799
Colors: black, lavender, mist blue, sage, and white.
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max: aluminum and an 8x zoom
Apple switched the Pro models from titanium to an aluminum unibody with a built-in vapor chamber for cooling.
- A19 Pro chip with up to 40% better sustained performance
- Three 48MP cameras, including a telephoto with 8x optical-quality zoom, the longest ever on an iPhone
- Pro video features including ProRes RAW and Apple Log 2
- 50% charge in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter
- Colors: deep blue, cosmic orange, and silver
Pricing
| Model | Starting price |
|---|---|
| iPhone 17 | $799 |
| iPhone Air | $999 |
| iPhone 17 Pro | $1,099 |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | $1,199 |
All four ship with iOS 26 and the new Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says is three times more scratch resistant.
The takeaway
The base iPhone 17 may be the best value Apple has offered in years, thanks to ProMotion and 256GB of storage at $799. The iPhone Air is the design statement, but its single camera and smaller battery mean it is aimed at people who care most about thin and light.
Sources: Apple Newsroom: iPhone Air, Apple Newsroom: iPhone 17, Apple Newsroom: iPhone 17 Pro
