iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air: more powerful, better cameras and the thinnest iPhone ever

TL;DR:

• New A19 chip is the brains behind the operation, bringing more speed and efficiency to the entire lineup. The Pro models and iPhone Air get an even beefier A19 Pro
• The star of the show: the new iPhone Air. It’s super thin, has a titanium frame, and is packed with the A19 Pro chip and a great single camera
• New 18MP Center Stage front camera with square sensor. The Pro models get a crazy triple 48MP setup with 8x optical zoom, and the iPhone 17 gets a new dual 48MP camera system
• Prices are maintained with last-gen offerings, with prices starting from RM3,999 for the iPhone 17 with double the storage

Well, the dust has settled on another Apple event, and we’ve got a whole new lineup of iPhones to drool over. This year, Apple dropped the iPhone 17, the powerhouse iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, and a brand new, ridiculously thin model called the iPhone Air. Let’s break down what’s new and what’s got us excited.

iPhone 17: significant upgrades

Potentially the most interesting out of the bunch, the regular iPhone 17 gets some nice upgrades across the deck. It’s getting a bigger (6.3-inch) and brighter (3000 nits) screen with ProMotion complete with 1Hz AOD, which is a much awaited upgrade from the previous generations of non-Pro iPhones. The new A19 chip is under the hood, so expect a nice speed boost. Apple is claiming 50% faster CPU performance and over 200% faster GPU performance than the iPhone 13’s A15 Bionic. Of course, there are also NPU performance improvements to power Apple Intelligence.

Aside from that, we get a new 18MP Center Stage front camera that’s shared with the Pro models and a new 48MP ultra-wide camera to go with the 48MP main camera on the back. Another welcome change is that the base model now starts with 256GB of storage. You can pick one up in black, lavender, mist blue, sage, or white. While the base iPhone 17 starts at 256GB, Apple Malaysia has not raised the starting price, and the iPhone 17 starts at RM3,999, just like its predecessor with half the storage. The 512GB variant is also more affordable now, at RM4,999 versus the RM5,499 of the iPhone 16.

iPhone Air: thinner and lighter without any compromise?

Now, for what might be the most exciting announcement: the iPhone Air. This thing takes over from the iPhone 16 Plus as the larger non-Pro offering, but gets a few upgrades that push it well into the “Pro” segment. For starters, in case the name isn’t obvious enough, it is the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever made. Yet, it packs a massive 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion. But it’s not just a pretty face. It’s packing a ton of power with the new flagship A19 Pro, N1, and C1X chips, making it the most power-efficient iPhone yet.

The Air isn’t skimping on the camera either. It’s got the same new 18MP front camera a seriously impressive 48MP Fusion main camera on the back. For those who are worried about the durability, the iPhone Air comes with Ceramic Shield 2 on its front and Ceramic Shield on the back, along with a titanium frame. For those still hung up on titanium, yes, the iPhone Air is the only 2026 iPhone to feature the metal in its construction.

Pricing in Malaysia is surprisingly good, with the iPhone Air starting at RM4,999 for the 256GB variant, just like the iPhone 16 Plus. 512GB storage brings that up to RM5,999, while 1TB is going to set you back an eye-watering RM6,999.

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max: cooler and more Pro

If you’re all about having the best of the best, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are calling your name. Apple is calling them their “most powerful and advanced pro models ever,” and from the looks of it, they’re not kidding. They’ve got a fresh new design and are also rocking the new A19 Pro chip like the iPhone Air, but with a vapor chamber. Apple’s also talking a big game about a new vapor chamber that’s supposed to give a huge boost to sustained performance, together with its new aluminum frame that’s supposed to help manage the heat during extended shooting sessions.

The camera setup on these things is just wild. We’re talking three 48MP cameras on the back (Main, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto) and a new 18MP camera on the front. The big news here is the 8x optical zoom (4x optically, 8x via sensor crop). For the serious video nerds, they’ve added ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and genlock to make it easier to use the iPhone in a pro workflow. Oh, and they’re tougher too, with a new Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and, for the first time, on the back as well.

For the first time, you can get the iPhone 17 Pro series in cosmic orange, as well as the more pro deep blue and silver. Pricing wise, the 256GB iPhone 17 Pro starts at RM5,499, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at RM5,999, both like its predecessors. For the hoarders, there’s a 2TB iPhone 17 Pro Max option as well, priced at RM9,999.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air starts 12 September, with in-store availability starting 19 September.