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iPhone 17 Pro Pro vs Air Decision

After checking the iPhone 17 lineup in person, which one are you buying?

  • Pro

  • Pro Max

  • Air

  • 17

  • None!

Results are only viewable after voting.
BigMcGuire said:
Really appreciate the kind words. Yes, definitely could have made the Air work. I miss the feel of the Air every single time I pick up the 17 Pro Max. Hope you guys enjoy your phones for me - you made the better choice. :D
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I have since replaced my 15PM with a 512GB 13 Mini as my backup iPhone. My priorities these days focused more on having light and compact iPhones to use. For me going this route brings back the feeling I had when I first saw the iPhone 4 or iPhone X . . . an iPhone that was a handheld device. 😊

EDIT: Since posting this comment I just pulled the trigger on my new 1TB Dark Blue 17 PRO which I will use only when I desire more camera/video options that the Pro has available. For every day "normal" usage my plan is to still use my Air as my primary iPhone and 13 mini as my backup iPhone. Having options is a very nice thing . . .
 
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Macdctr said:
I have since replaced my 15PM with a 512GB 13 Mini as my backup iPhone. My priorities these days focused more on having light and compact iPhones to use. For me going this route brings back the feeling I had when I first saw the iPhone 4 or iPhone X . . . an iPhone that was a handheld device. 😊

EDIT: Since posting this comment I just pulled the trigger on my new 1TB Dark Blue 17 PRO which I will use only when I desire more camera/video options that the Pro has available. For every day "normal" usage my plan is to still use my Air as my primary iPhone and 13 mini as my backup iPhone. Having options is a very nice thing . . .
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Dude, you’re the powerhouse that keeps AirTags working in your area haha. Options are nice. Do you have a line for each phone?
 
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After using the Air for a few months I recently took advantage of a Black Friday deal on the 17 Pro with my mobile provider, got the deep blue with 512gb.

The Air is a great device for reasons already discussed, futuristic, gorgeous premium design, lightweight and insanely comfortable to use.

For me the battery life on the Air seemed to be getting worse over time (and my usage increased also) and it required 2 top up charges in a day & on some rare hard days even 3 to avoid going into the red. The battery cycles were rocketing up.

The Air has an amazing single camera but I frequently found myself wanting more versatility with an ultra wide lens and better quality zoom.

I miss the Air but the 17 Pro is fulfilling all my needs and more.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
The #1 thing you could say that's slightly bugging me is the 1 camera thing. Albeit, I haven't taken half as many photos as I usually do (and my job situation / life isn't going to change much in the next year) - but if there is something I'm going to miss, it's the cameras.

But the more I think about it, the daily advantage of having something that isn't a brick in my pocket, and something I enjoy to hold and read long non-fiction history books on is a tradeoff I think I'm willing to make at the moment.

Absolutely loving this phone - walking around - not feeling it in my pocket, and holding something that I ACTUALLY want to hold and use.
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This is exactly the thing. You use the camera less than 1% of the time, but the feeling of the phone in your hand and pocket while browsing, texting, etc benefits more than 99% of the time. It’s sad that it needs to be a trade off as I would’ve loved this thinness with 3 cameras. I miss the ultrawide the most, the telephoto just a bit.

I just had my first holiday with 1 camera and it was not a problem at all. Previously 90% of my photos were taken with the Main Camera anyways, so didn’t miss much. For ultrawide and telephoto shots I grabbed the 17 Pro of a friend (I’m the main photographer on holidays anyways), I’ll do the same on future holidays with my wife.
 
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noobinator said:
Who is using both? Using a 17 PM and considering picking up an Air for my work phone. :)
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I’m using my Air with my 13 mini and recently added my new 17 Pro to my lineup. The Air and 13 mini being my daily driver and use my 17 Pro when I expect to go somewhere where I will have opportunities to snap quality pics.

I really love how my Air works for normal day to day duties and love just how light and thin this device is. It makes for a perfect daily phone. The 17 Pro being more a professional grade iPhone which is much more suitable for taking high quality pictures and videos in professional formats eventually won but for me more for photography use when I didn’t feel like bringing out my Nikon DSLR. Why I pulled the trigger and got my Dark Blue 17 Pro.
 
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Meedoss said:
Surprised the air votes is 15 and 20% ahead of pro and pro max.
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I'm surprised how many iPhone Airs I've seen in person. Yes, I live in Northern California - (San Jose area) - but again, shocked how many I see.

Macrumors is really enjoying this Air focus - the threads are VERY popular - lots and lots of articles over a supposed "failed" phone, months later nonetheless. You see this on YouTube too. TONS of iPhone Air videos.

Kinda interesting.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
I'm surprised how many iPhone Airs I've seen in person. Yes, I live in Northern California - (San Jose area) - but again, shocked how many I see.

Macrumors is really enjoying this Air focus - the threads are VERY popular - lots and lots of articles over a supposed "failed" phone, months later nonetheless. You see this on YouTube too. TONS of iPhone Air videos.

Kinda interesting.
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Iv'e only seen 1 in the wild although I do work from home.
 
Those of you using both - how does that work? Do you have 2 different numbers or ... a shared number option?
 
noobinator said:
Which do you prefer? If you were forced to keep one.
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seems odd saying this but maybe air due to it's size

granted pro max has better cameras but i use my vivo for most photos anyway so camera isn't a massive issue. however i know there are more video options with pro max so maybe that would make me keep it over air.

air is so nice to hold though and you can enjoy it stress free
 
BigMcGuire said:
I'm surprised how many iPhone Airs I've seen in person. Yes, I live in Northern California - (San Jose area) - but again, shocked how many I see.

Macrumors is really enjoying this Air focus - the threads are VERY popular - lots and lots of articles over a supposed "failed" phone, months later nonetheless. You see this on YouTube too. TONS of iPhone Air videos.

Kinda interesting.
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Oddly enough I can't recall seeing a single Air in the wild outside of a couple Apple Store employees which doesn't count. I've seen three or four 17 Pro Max's (all in orange) in the wild. I primarily work from home though and live in Charlotte so I'm sure I'll see more Air's than my own next week on a DC/NYC business trip.
 
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The Game 161 said:
I don’t have a case on mine and won’t be buying one lol
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I have a super thin Pitaka but only use it when running or hiking. It truly is so very good naked that I get a little excited to take the case off and get back to it. Yes, I'm a weirdo.

PS - I don't worry about it getting damaged anymore either. I did up until Halloween when it fell out of my pocket and onto my driveway screen down. The screen was 100% fine and there were two tiny scratches (I'd have to point them out to you) on each top corner of the titanium frame.
 
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Krabba said:
I have a super thin Pitaka but only use it when running or hiking. It truly is so very good naked that I get a little excited to take the case off and get back to it. Yes, I'm a weirdo.

PS - I don't worry about it getting damaged anymore either. I did up until Halloween when it fell out of my pocket and onto my driveway screen down. The screen was 100% fine and there were two tiny scratches (I'd have to point them out to you) on each top corner of the titanium frame.
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I have 60 days to get Apple care lol will see how it goes. I have a little tech bag and have ordered some phone sleeves lol
 
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deuxani said:
This is exactly the thing. You use the camera less than 1% of the time, but the feeling of the phone in your hand and pocket while browsing, texting, etc benefits more than 99% of the time. It’s sad that it needs to be a trade off as I would’ve loved this thinness with 3 cameras. I miss the ultrawide the most, the telephoto just a bit.

I just had my first holiday with 1 camera and it was not a problem at all. Previously 90% of my photos were taken with the Main Camera anyways, so didn’t miss much. For ultrawide and telephoto shots I grabbed the 17 Pro of a friend (I’m the main photographer on holidays anyways), I’ll do the same on future holidays with my wife.
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I'm curious how you use the ultra wide. Besides an occasional macro shot, I found most ultra wide shots look like a distorted fish eye lens - not flattering to people or landscapes. I found myself using the telephoto regularly, but rarely ever using the ultra. In what situations or shots do you use the ultra wide?
 
Simmias said:
I'm curious how you use the ultra wide. Besides an occasional macro shot, I found most ultra wide shots look like a distorted fish eye lens - not flattering to people or landscapes. I found myself using the telephoto regularly, but rarely ever using the ultra. In what situations or shots do you use the ultra wide?
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So a couple of examples:

Indoor photography or videography. Most houses, restaurants, etc are too small to fit everything in frame with the Main Camera and you can’t step back to make it fit because there is no room. Also, the Ultrawide gives a more realistic feeling for the size of the room, as the Main Camera makes it feel too cramped.

Photos or videos at a table. If you have people sitting close and you want to make a video, the Main Camera basically is so in someone’s face it’s uncomfortable. The Ultrawide creates much more distance.

Photos of buildings or videos of narrow streets. Again, the Main Camera doesn’t always bring over the grandeur of a setting, while the Ultrawide does. It gives a better feeling of the realistic size.

I don’t always use 0.5, sometimes 0.8 or any of the other zoom options below 1. And even when I take a 0.5 photo I crop parts of it afterwards and if it’s distorted fix it with the skew tool. But the key thing with people in a shot is put their face dead center in the middle, there is barely any distortion there.
I rather have too much content in my photo than too little. But yeah, many situations where I use the Ultrawide and not so much for the Telephoto, as it only kicks in above 4x in many situations.
 
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deuxani said:
I rather have too much content in my photo than too little. But yeah, many situations where I use the Ultrawide and not so much for the Telephoto, as it only kicks in above 4x in many situations.
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For my business I take photos of peoples houses from in their yard, to send to my workers, .5 gets so much more or even the whole house in photos.
You can't always move back further.
 
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