Hands-on with the iPhone 17 lineup, including the wispy Air and the lumpy Pro

Summary

Those don't look like huge numbers on paper, but when you're holding the iPhone Air, it does make a substantial difference. While the camera plateau makes it look top-heavy in photos, in reality, it's light, and that weight is distributed evenly enough that it feels as well-balanced as any of the other iPhones. The combination of a large-ish screen and light created a strong perception of lightness, compared to the iPhone 17 or especially the 7.27-ounce iPhone 17 Pro. I also found that the shiny titanium frame, while a fingerprint magnet, did slide around in my hand less than an aluminum finish. It's a phone built to make a strong first impression, whether you're holding it in an Apple Store or just after an Apple event in a throng of YouTubers who are all throwing elbows so that they can film each individual phone in the hands-on area for 20 minutes apiece. But I do worry that living with the Air would be frustrating in the long haul, specifically because of battery life. The camera plateau might make the iPhone Air look unwieldy, but it feels well-balanced in practice. Andrew Cunningham The camera plateau might make the iPhone Air look unwieldy, but it feels well-balanced in practice. Andrew Cunningham Pushing the limits of the USB-C port. Andrew Cunningham Pushing the limits of the USB-C port. Andrew Cunningham The camera plateau might make the iPhone Air look unwieldy, but it feels well-balanced in practice. Andrew Cunningham Pushing the limits of the USB-C port. Andrew Cunningham Again, on paper, the numbers Apple is quoting aren't so far apart. The Air is rated for 27 hours of local video playback, compared to 30 hours for the iPhone 17 and 33 hours for the 17 Pro. But there's a bigger gap between the numbers for streaming video—22 hours, 27 hours, and 30 hours for the Air, 17, and 17 Pro, respectively—that suggests that any activity that's actively using the A19 Pro chip or wireless communication is going to drain the battery even faster. Extrapolate that out...