Side-by-side technical data

Apple iPhone Air vs Apple iPhone 17e

Comparison between Apple iPhone Air and Apple iPhone 17e: camera, battery, fast charging, display, performance and colors, side by side. More phones from Apple.

NeoTeo's verdict

Which of the two is the better buy

Apple iPhone Air is the choice for the best display, performance, cameras, and connectivity; Apple iPhone 17e suits buyers who prioritize battery life and is the better buy only if it costs less. Air pairs LTPO OLED with 120 Hz and 3,000 nits, versus OLED, 60 Hz, and 1,200 nits on the 17e.

Apple iPhone Air also leads in performance and photography: it has the Apple A19 Pro, 12 GB of RAM, and up to 1 TB, while the 17e uses the Apple A19, 8 GB, and up to 512 GB. Its main camera has a 1/1.56″ sensor versus 1/2.55″, and its front camera reaches 18 MP versus 12 MP. Air is thinner too, at 5.6 mm versus 7.8 mm, and uses more of the front surface: 89.9% versus 86%.

Air’s tradeoff is its battery: 3,149 mAh and 40 h per cycle, versus 4,005 mAh and 45 h for iPhone 17e. Air charges at 20 W versus 15 W and adds reverse charging; both support wireless charging. For connectivity, Air brings Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0, while the 17e reaches Wi‑Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3; the 17e retains compatibility with Nano-SIM alongside eSIM.

Apple iPhone Air

Apple iPhone Air is better for buyers seeking a 120 Hz LTPO OLED display and more power with 12 GB of RAM.

Apple iPhone 17e

Apple iPhone 17e is the better buy for 45 h per cycle and 4,005 mAh, but only if it costs less.

The verdict

Your pick: Apple iPhone Air, ahead on Design & display, Performance & hardware, Camera and Connectivity.

Category
Category iPhone Air iPhone 17e
Design & display 9.2 7.8
Performance & hardware 8.9 8.4
Camera 6.7 5.4
Connectivity 9.4 8.8
Battery & charging 4.4 4.6

Which one is for you?

Apple iPhone Air, if you care about…

RAM Capacity
12 GB
against 8 GB
Wi-Fi Standards
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g
against Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g, Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Display Technology
LTPO OLED
against OLED
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth 6.0
against Bluetooth 5.3

Apple iPhone 17e, if you care about…

Battery Capacity
4,005 mAh
against 3,149 mAh
SIM Configurations
Nano-SIM + eSIM, Dual Nano-SIM + eSIM, Dual eSIM, Dual SIM Dual Standby
against Dual eSIM, eSIM
Battery Endurance
45 h
against 40 h
Launch price
709 €
against 1,219 €

Specification comparison

Performance

Specification iPhone Air iPhone 17e
Processor Model Apple A19 Pro Apple A19
Processor Process Size 3 nm 3 nm
Graphics GPU Apple GPU (5-core graphics) Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
Storage Type NVMe NVMe
Maximum CPU Clock 4.26 GHz 4.26 GHz
Maximum Storage Capacity 1 TB Best value 512 GB
AnTuTu Score 2,095,100 2,187,425
Geekbench 6 Single-Core 3,895 Best value 3,608
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core 9,746 Best value 8,810
CPU Description Hexa-core processor with two cores at 4.26 GHz and four cores at 2.60 GHz. Hexa-core CPU with 2 cores at 4.26 GHz and 4 cores at 2.60 GHz.
Processor Type Hexa-Core Hexa-Core
64-Bit Processor Yes Yes
RAM Capacity 12 GB Best value 8 GB
RAM Type DDR5 DDR5
AnTuTu version v10 v11
3DMark Wild Life Extreme — 4,226

Design

Specification iPhone Air iPhone 17e
Body Colors Black, White, Gold, Blue Black, White, Pink, Green
Body Thickness 5.6 mm Best value 7.8 mm
Body Width 74.7 mm 71.5 mm
Body Height 156.2 mm 146.7 mm
Weight 165 g Best value 169 g
Usable Surface 89.9 % Best value 86 %
Body Materials Glass, Titanium Best value Glass, Aluminium Alloy
Resistance Features IP68 IP68
Waterproof Depth 6 m 6 m
Drop Resistance Class B B
Repairability Class C C
Drop Test Count 180 180

Battery

Specification iPhone Air iPhone 17e
Battery Efficiency Rating A A
Battery Capacity 3,149 mAh 4,005 mAh Best value
Battery Type Li-Ion Li-Ion
Fast Charge Power 20 W Best value 15 W
Battery Features Non-Removable, Rechargeable, Fast Charging, Wireless Charging, Reverse Charging, Battery Level Indicator Best value Non-Removable, Rechargeable, Fast Charging, Wireless Charging, Battery Level Indicator
Battery Endurance 40 h 45 h Best value
Wireless charging power 20 W Best value 15 W
Charge cycles 1,000 1,000

Display

Specification iPhone Air iPhone 17e
Display Aspect Ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
Display Technology LTPO OLED Best value OLED
Peak Display Brightness 3,000 nits Best value 1,200 nits
Display Diagonal 6.5″ Best value 6.1″
Display Horizontal Resolution 1,260 px Best value 1,170 px
Display Vertical Resolution 2,736 px Best value 2,532 px
Display Pixel Density 460 ppi 460 ppi
Display Refresh Rate 120 Hz Best value 60 Hz
Touch Sampling Rate 120 Hz Best value 60 Hz
Display Contrast Ratio 2,000,000 :1 2,000,000 :1
Display Features Hole-Punch Notch, Ceramic Shield, Mohs Level 5, Anti-reflective coating, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Always-On Display, LTPO, DCI-P3, Capacitive Touch, Multi-Touch, Scratch Resistant, Frameless, 120Hz Ceramic Shield, Mohs Level 5, Anti-reflective coating, HDR10, Always-On Display, Capacitive Touch, Multi-Touch, Scratch Resistant, Frameless, LTPO, DCI-P3, Hole-Punch Notch

Sensor

Specification iPhone Air iPhone 17e
Sensor Features Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor, Compass, Barometer, Cooling System, 3D face recognition, LiDAR Scanner Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity Sensor, Compass, Barometer, Light Sensor, Cooling System, 3D face recognition

Software

Specification iPhone Air iPhone 17e
Operating System iOS 26 iOS 26
OS Family iOS iOS
OS Version 26 26
OS Update Support 7 years 7 years
Direct OS Updates Yes Yes

Connectivity

Specification iPhone Air iPhone 17e
SIM Configurations Dual eSIM, eSIM Nano-SIM + eSIM, Dual Nano-SIM + eSIM, Dual eSIM, Dual SIM Dual Standby Best value
Cellular Bands 2G GSM 850, 2G GSM 900, 2G GSM 1800, 2G GSM 1900, 3G UMTS B850, 3G UMTS B900, 3G UMTS 1700 AWS, 3G UMTS 1900, 3G UMTS 2100, 4G LTE B1, 4G LTE B2, 4G LTE B3, 4G LTE B4, 4G LTE B5, 4G LTE B7, 4G LTE B8, 4G LTE B12, 4G LTE B13, 4G LTE B17, 4G LTE B18, 4G LTE B19, 4G LTE B20, 4G LTE B25, 4G LTE B26, 4G LTE B28A, 4G LTE B30, 4G LTE B32, 4G LTE B34, 4G LTE B38, 4G LTE B39, 4G LTE B40, 4G LTE B41, 4G LTE B42, 4G LTE B48, 4G LTE B53, 4G LTE B66, 5G NR n1, 5G NR n2, 5G NR n3, 5G NR n5, 5G NR n7, 5G NR n8, 5G NR n12, 5G NR n20, 5G NR n25, 5G NR n26, 5G NR n28a, 5G NR n30, 5G NR n38, 5G NR n40, 5G NR n41, 5G NR n48, 5G NR n53, 5G NR n66, 5G NR n70, 5G NR n75, 5G NR n77, 5G NR n78, 5G NR n79 2G GSM 850, 2G GSM 900, 2G GSM 1800, 2G GSM 1900, 3G UMTS 1700 AWS, 3G UMTS B1, 3G UMTS B2, 3G UMTS B3, 3G UMTS B4, 3G UMTS B5, 3G UMTS B8, 4G LTE B1, 4G LTE B2, 4G LTE B3, 4G LTE B4, 4G LTE B5, 4G LTE B7, 4G LTE B8, 4G LTE B12, 4G LTE B13, 4G LTE B14, 4G LTE B17, 4G LTE B18, 4G LTE B19, 4G LTE B20, 4G LTE B25, 4G LTE B26, 4G LTE B28A, 4G LTE B28B, 4G LTE B29, 4G LTE B30, 4G LTE B32, 4G LTE B34, 4G LTE B38, 4G LTE B39, 4G LTE B40, 4G LTE B41, 4G LTE B42, 4G LTE B48, 4G LTE B53, 4G LTE B66, 4G LTE B71, 5G NR n1, 5G NR n2, 5G NR n3, 5G NR n5, 5G NR n7, 5G NR n8, 5G NR n12, 5G NR n14, 5G NR n20, 5G NR n25, 5G NR n26, 5G NR n28a, 5G NR n28b, 5G NR n29, 5G NR n30, 5G NR n38, 5G NR n40, 5G NR n41, 5G NR n48, 5G NR n53, 5G NR n66, 5G NR n70, 5G NR n71, 5G NR n75, 5G NR n77, 5G NR n78, 5G NR n79
Cellular Technologies GSM, CDMA, HSPA, LTE, 5G GSM, HSPA, LTE, 5G
Wi-Fi Standards Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g Best value Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g, Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi Features Tri-Band, Dual Band, Wi-Fi Hotspot, MIMO, Wi-Fi Password Sharing Best value Dual Band, Wi-Fi Hotspot, MIMO, Wi-Fi Password Sharing
Bluetooth Version Bluetooth 6.0 Best value Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth Profiles A2DP, LE A2DP, LE
Navigation Systems GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC
Connectivity Features USB Charging, USB Mass Storage, USB Host 2.0, USB Type-C, NFC, eSIM, UWB, VoLTE, VoWiFi, Tethering, Computer Sync, OTA Sync, Satellite Connectivity, UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) USB Charging, USB Mass Storage, USB Host 2.0, USB Type-C, NFC, eSIM, Computer Sync, OTA Sync, Tethering, VoLTE, VoWiFi, UWB, Satellite Connectivity, USB 2.0, UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access)
USB Version USB 2.0 USB 2.0
SAR American Head 1.19 W/kg Best value 1.2 W/kg
SAR American Body 1.19 W/kg Best value 1.2 W/kg
SAR (EU) head 1.49 W/kg 1.49 W/kg
SAR (EU) body 1.49 W/kg 1.49 W/kg
Max. download speed 10,000 Mbps 10,000 Mbps
Max. upload speed 3,500 Mbps 3,500 Mbps

Audio

Specification iPhone Air iPhone 17e
Microphone Count 3 Best value 2
Audio Features Dolby Atmos, Noise-Cancellation Microphone Stereo Speakers, Dolby Atmos, Noise-Cancellation Microphone

Technical

Specification iPhone Air iPhone 17e
Launch price 1,219 € 709 € Best value
Model numbers iPhone18,4, A3517, A3260, A3518, A3516 A3634, A3575, A3635, iPhone18,5
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