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The iPhone "Pro" label has always represented the bleeding edge of Apple's industrial design. This year, I'm second-guessing if that philosophy still holds true in Cupertino.
Going into Apple's Awe-dropping event earlier this month, my attention was reserved for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, both of which were expected to feature a new vapor chamber cooling system -- resolving a longstanding issue of overheating on Pro models -- as well as a redesigned camera plateau. Those rumors turned out to be true, but I still left the September keynote feeling underwhelmed.
Also: I compared the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max: Here's who should upgrade
Instead, the glitz and glamor came with the iPhone Air, introduced with a theatrical flair, balanced on a single finger at the Steve Jobs Theater to a chorus of "oohs and ahhs." Notably, Apple is branding the iPhone Air as a first-generation product; it's not the iPhone 17 Air or iPhone 17S. Even then, the device offers the "power of Pro," a phrase that we're not talking about enough.
A Pro phone without the branding
Jason Hiner/ZDNET
There's a bit of weight that's lifted when an iPhone doesn't have the Pro moniker; you expect it to have shortcomings, fewer features, and just a serviceable experience. That sets the iPhone Air up for room to impress, with it being powered by the same A19 Pro chip that revs up the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models, as well as the same 18MP Center Stage front camera that can adaptively capture subjects as they appear on screen.
It also makes the lack of a dedicated ultrawide and telephoto lens more forgiving. When you're building against physics, a singular sensor with an optical zoom may be the best, and only, option right now. Fortunately for Apple, its image tuning and computational tweaks have mostly been well accepted by its users. I didn't have much of an issue testing that on the iPhone 16 last year.
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