iPhone 17/Pro/Air Unboxing: 1 Hot Take!
Watch on YouTube ↗ Summary based on the YouTube transcript and episode description.
MKBHD unboxes the full iPhone 17 lineup and argues the base iPhone 17 is the best smartphone deal in years.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max battery exceeds 5,000 mAh for the first time; smaller Pro sees ~20% larger battery year-over-year.
- iPhone Air has a 3,149 mAh battery — same size as the iPhone 13 Pro — despite Apple rating it at 27 hours vs. 16’s 22 hours.
- A19 Pro chips get 12 GB RAM in Pros (up from 8 GB across the board in 2024); meaningful multi-core and GPU gains.
- iPhone Air drops one GPU core vs. A19 Pro, has no bottom speaker, no ultrawide, and no vapor chamber.
- Samsung S25 Edge comparison: Edge has a full flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite, ultrawide, stereo speakers, and 3,900 mAh vs. Air’s 3,149 mAh — but Air is thinner.
- Base iPhone 17 now starts at 256 GB, runs 120 Hz, and costs $100 less than equivalent Pixel 9 with a reportedly better primary camera.
- Apple dropped all neutral/black Pro colors this year; only orange and blue offered, which MKBHD calls divisive.
- iPhone Air is branded simply ‘iPhone Air,’ not ‘iPhone 17 Air,’ fueling speculation it may not refresh annually.
2025-09-17 · Watch on YouTube
