iPhone 17 line lands: pro power, smarter cameras, and a super thin iPhone Air | ADR Tech Guide
- Abu Dhabi Review
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- Sep 10
- 3 min read
Apple’s 2025 iPhone family is three clear choices. iPhone 17 Pro (and Pro Max) for creators and gamers, the all-new iPhone Air for those who want pro speed in the thinnest, lightest body yet, and iPhone 17 for brilliant everyday upgrades. UAE pre-orders open Friday 12 September; on sale Friday 19 September.
What’s new at a glance:
iPhone Air: the thinnest iPhone ever (5.6mm) with a titanium frame, 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR with ProMotion 120Hz, and A19 Pro + N1 + C1X inside for pro-level speed with excellent battery life. Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and Ceramic Shield on the back.
iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max: new brushed aluminium unibody with a laser-welded vapour chamber for cooler, sustained performance; A19 Pro; tougher Ceramic Shield 2 front and, for the first time, on the back.
iPhone 17: bigger, brighter 6.3-inch ProMotion display, A19, and a straightforward dual-camera upgrade you’ll feel daily.
Displays: up to 3,000 nits peak outdoor brightness and improved anti-glare across the range.
Connectivity: new N1 wireless chip on all models (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread) for faster, steadier connections.
eSIM in the UAE: Air is eSIM-only; Pro and iPhone 17 also ship in eSIM configurations for the region.
Cameras:
iPhone Air: 48MP Fusion Main with popular 28mm/35mm framing options and optical-quality 2×, plus the new 18MP Center Stage front camera that auto-widens for group selfies and shoots stabilised 4K HDR.
iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max: three 48MP Fusion cameras (Main, Ultra-Wide, new Telephoto) with 4× at 100mmand 8× at 200mm — the longest optical-quality zoom on iPhone — plus cleaner colour and detail via the updated Photonic Engine. Pro video adds ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and genlock for multi-cam shoots.
iPhone 17: 48MP Main with optical-quality 2×, and a new 48MP Ultra-Wide for expansive scenes and macro.
All models: the new Center Stage front camera (up to 18MP) works in portrait or landscape without rotating the phone, supports Dual Capture (front + rear at once), and keeps you framed on video calls.
Performance & battery
A19 Pro (Air, Pro) and A19 (17) deliver faster CPU/GPU and on-device Apple Intelligence features.
Pro models stay fast under load thanks to the vapour chamber; Apple quotes up to 40% better sustained performance vs last gen.
All-day batteries across the line, with Adaptive Power Mode in iOS 26 to stretch life when you’re running low.
Fast charging: up to 50% in ~20 minutes with a high-wattage USB-C adapter (supports Apple’s new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter).
iOS 26 & Apple Intelligence
Refreshed look, Live Translation for text and calls, on-device visual intelligence from screenshots, improved call/message screening, plus a new Apple Games hub. Many features run privately on device, even offline.
Sizes, colours, storage, UAE pricing:
iPhone Air (6.5") — from AED 4,299 (256GB; also 512GB, 1TB).
Finishes: space black, cloud white, light gold, sky blue.
iPhone 17 Pro (6.3") — from AED 4,699 (256GB; 512GB, 1TB).
iPhone 17 Pro Max (6.9") — from AED 5,099 (256GB; 512GB, 1TB, 2TB).
Finishes: deep blue, cosmic orange, silver.
iPhone 17 (6.3") — from AED 3,399 (256GB; 512GB).
Colours: black, lavender, mist blue, sage, white.
Accessories worth noting:
Air: ultra-thin iPhone Air Case, Air Bumper, MagSafe Battery (up to 40 hours combined video playback), plus Crossbody Strap.
All models: new TechWoven, Clear and Silicone MagSafe cases, Qi2 MagSafe Charger, and 40W Dynamic Power Adapter.
Which one should you get?
iPhone Air → You want the thinnest, lightest iPhone with pro-grade speed and a great main camera, without the chunky zoom hardware.
iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max → You shoot a lot (photo/video), game hard, or need long-reach 8× zoom and pro codecs.
iPhone 17 → You want the sweet spot: 120Hz display, tougher glass, better selfies, longer battery — for less.
