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At the September launch event, Apple officially announced the iPhone 17 series lineup, showcasing the most advanced technology in this generation of models. The new series includes four models: the standard iPhone 17, the new ultra-thin iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Compared with the iPhone 16 series, this generation has improvements in many aspects, among which the most popular one is still the newly added camera control key. The overall upgrade is more reflected in the polishing and optimization based on the previous generation.

Of course, the biggest highlight is the new ultra-thin iPhone Air, which replaces the previous large-size standard Plus version and maintains the same price point, priced at RMB 7,999. Let’s take a look now.

iPhone 17 lineup price comparison

The iPhone 17 is priced at approximately RMB 5,999, which remains the same as last year, but the starting storage is directly upgraded to 256GB. The iPhone Air is priced at approximately RMB 7,999. As a replacement for the iPhone 16 Plus, it is positioned in a higher standard model tier.

The iPhone 17 Pro is the only model to see a price increase, with a price increase of approximately 8,999 yuan, about 1,000 yuan higher than last year’s iPhone 16 Pro, but it also starts at 256GB. As for the top-of-the-line iPhone 17 Pro Max, the price remains at approximately 9,999 yuan. Although the starting storage has also been increased to 256GB, the overall price has not increased.

Despite concerns that tariffs could push up overall prices, only one model in the iPhone 17 series saw a price adjustment: the iPhone 17 Pro. The remaining models, while upgraded in storage configuration, maintained pricing close to their predecessors.

iPhone 17 series design and screen update comparison

At the September launch event, Apple officially announced the appearance and display improvements of the iPhone 17 series. The standard version of the iPhone 17 has undergone significant changes. The square camera module used in the past few generations has been cancelled and replaced by a vertically arranged oval design with a built-in main camera and ultra-wide-angle lens.

The newly added iPhone Air features a thin and lightweight body, replacing the original iPhone 16 Plus, but only has a single main camera. The iPhone 17 Pro uses a larger horizontal camera module and a new aluminum alloy frame. The top-of-the-line iPhone 17 Pro Max continues this design, with a rear camera module that runs horizontally across the entire width of the body, while also featuring significantly optimized internal structure.

The biggest highlight of this event is undoubtedly the debut of iPhone Air. It is the thinnest iPhone to date, with a body thickness of only 5.6mm, which is slimmer than the 7.9mm of iPhone 17 and 8.75mm of Pro series. It weighs only 165g, which is also lighter than the 177g of the standard version, 206g of Pro and 233g of Pro Max.

Despite its thinner body, the battery life is still impressive: official data show that the iPhone Air can support up to 27 hours of video playback, only slightly lower than the iPhone 17’s 30 hours and the Pro series’ 33 hours.

In terms of screen, the iPhone Air is equipped with a 6.5-inch OLED screen, which is slightly smaller than the 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus. The iPhone 17 and 17 Pro are upgraded to 6.3 inches, which is larger than the 6.1-inch of the previous generation, while the Pro Max remains at 6.9 inches.

The entire series uses an upgraded OLED display, and the standard version is also equipped with ProMotion adaptive refresh rate for the first time, supporting switching from 1Hz to 120Hz, replacing the fixed 60Hz limit of iPhone 16. The maximum brightness of the screen is increased to 3000 nits, a significant increase from the previous generation’s 2000 nits, and is covered with a second-generation scratch-resistant ceramic coating to improve durability and outdoor visibility.

The camera module design has also been completely updated. The iPhone 17’s dual cameras have been redesigned from a diagonal arrangement to a vertical layout, embedded in a new oval module. The Pro and Pro Max continue with a triple-camera setup, but the module has been stretched from a square to a rectangular shape that stretches across the entire back. The Air maintains a single-camera configuration.

Internally, the Pro and Pro Max feature aluminum alloy frames and a larger steam condensation chamber cooling system. Apple claims this design significantly improves heat dissipation efficiency, resulting in approximately 40% higher sustained performance than the iPhone 16 Pro. Furthermore, the Pro series’ back panel has been upgraded to ceramic glass for enhanced strength. The iPhone Air, on the other hand, retains a titanium alloy frame to ensure sufficient durability within its ultra-thin design.

In terms of color, the iPhone 17 offers five options: lavender, light blue, dark gray, silver and green; the iPhone Air has four colors: light blue, light gold, black and white; the Pro and Pro Max offer three high-end colors: white, dark blue and bright orange.

iPhone 17 series lens comparison

In the latest generation, Apple has brought a comprehensive camera upgrade to the iPhone 17 series. The standard iPhone 17 is equipped with two lenses: a 48-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a significant improvement over the previous generation’s 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera. In addition, the front camera has also been upgraded to 18 megapixels, making selfies clearer. The main camera supports the so-called “dual fusion” mode, which allows you to choose to take sharp photos at full resolution or crop them 2x at 24 megapixels for more flexible composition.

The newly added iPhone Air is positioned as light and thin, so it is only equipped with a 48-megapixel main camera, and the overall solution is similar to the previous iPhone 16e. This also makes it different from last year’s iPhone 16 Plus, which is equipped with a dual-camera system.

The high-end iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have achieved even greater improvements in the imaging system. They not only upgrade the ultra-wide-angle lens to 48 million pixels, but also upgrade the telephoto lens to 48 million pixels (previously only 12 million pixels).

Combined with a new cropping and fusion algorithm, 4x optical zoom can achieve a 200mm equivalent shooting effect, while supporting up to 40x digital zoom, a significant increase over the previous generation’s 25x limit. This improvement brings clearer details to telephoto and distant shots.

It is worth noting that the front-facing cameras of the iPhone 17 series have all been upgraded to 18 megapixels, a significant improvement over the 12 megapixels of the previous generation, and a “people centering” function has been added. This feature, first introduced on the iPad Pro M series, automatically adjusts the framing as the user moves, ensuring that the person is always in the center of the frame. The new square sensor is twice the size of the previous generation and has a wider vertical field of view, which not only makes automatic tracking more accurate, but also supports taking horizontal selfies without turning the screen horizontally, providing a more flexible user experience.

iPhone 17 series full specification comparison

At this year’s launch event, Apple comprehensively upgraded the hardware of the iPhone 17 series. The standard version of the iPhone 17 is equipped with a new A19 chip and the starting storage capacity is increased to 256GB, a significant improvement over the previous generation’s 128GB. The new iPhone Air goes a step further, equipped with the same A19 Pro chip as the Pro series, and for the first time equipped with an upgraded version of Apple’s self-developed C1 5G modem.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max both use the A19 Pro chip, and thanks to a redesigned cooling system, they achieve approximately 40% better sustained performance than the previous generation. The iPhone 17 Pro Max not only offers a larger battery but also adds up to 2TB of storage options, with the top configuration priced at approximately RMB 14,500.

Compared with the standard version, the performance and function gap of the Pro model is still obvious. The A19 chip used in the iPhone 17 is about 20% higher than the A18 in the iPhone 16 series. It is based on a 3nm process and is equipped with a six-core CPU and an improved neural engine. It has higher bandwidth and can process AI tasks faster. At the same time, the updated display engine provides support for ProMotion adaptive refresh rate and always-on display. Storage capacity is divided into two versions: 256GB and 512GB.

The iPhone Air is even more powerful thanks to its A19 Pro chip, which boasts a GPU with three times the peak performance of the previous-generation A18 Pro and a built-in neural accelerator. It’s also the only model in the lineup to use the upgraded C1 modem and is available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max continue to solidify their high-end positioning. Both use the A19 Pro chip and utilize a next-generation vapor condensation chamber cooling system to improve sustained performance. In terms of storage, the iPhone 17 Pro offers 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max adds a top-of-the-line 2TB option.

As usual, Apple didn’t disclose battery capacity, instead highlighting differences in battery life. The iPhone Air officially boasts up to 27 hours of video playback, the iPhone 17 boasts 30 hours, the iPhone 17 Pro reaches 33 hours, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max boasts up to 39 hours, making it the battery life champion thanks to its redesigned internal layout.

The entire series is equipped with the new N1 wireless chip, supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and the Thread protocol to meet the connectivity needs of smart home devices. In terms of system, all four models are pre-installed with the latest iOS 26, which brings a redesigned “liquid glass” interface, a more transparent lock screen effect, a new and simplified camera application, and major updates to core applications such as Safari, Photos, and Music.

In addition, the iPhone 17 series also fully supports the “Apple Intelligence” function. This set of AI capabilities has debuted in the iPhone 16. Although no special tools or applications have been added this time, users can still use the smart features released last year or subsequently added.

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