iPhone Air Performance Tested: Is It Good Enough for Pro Tasks?

This week, Apple launched its long-awaited iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. All models except the vanilla feature the Apple A19 Pro chip. However, the iPhone Air has a particular ultra-thin design. If you’re interested in this, you might be curious about potential raw power differences with the Pro variants due to their thinness. Well, it seems the performance gap between Apple‘s iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro isn’t that big, according to their Geekbench results.

While they share the same family name, these two chips have one key difference. The A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro comes with a 6-core GPU, while the iPhone Air’s version sports a 5-core GPU. The big question is, does that single missing core really make a noticeable difference in your daily use? The answer, as it turns out, is a bit surprising.

iPhone Air shows 8-10% performance gap with iPhone 17 Pro on benchmarks

When it comes to everyday tasks—like browsing social media, chatting with friends, or simply navigating your phone—the iPhone Air and the iPhone 17 Pro are essentially equals. Benchmark tests show that their single-core CPU performance is nearly identical. This means you’ll get the same snappy, smooth experience no matter which phone you pick up. For the vast majority of users, this is where the story ends.

However, if you’re a power user who constantly pushes their device to the limit, a slight gap begins to appear. For heavy-duty, multi-core tasks—such as editing high-resolution videos, running complex AI applications, or serious multitasking—the iPhone 17 Pro has a small edge. Its extra GPU core gives it a performance lead of about 8-10% in these demanding scenarios.

The iPhone Air also passed the AnTuTu benchmark tests. It’s noteworthy that iPhones’ AnTuTu scores aren’t directly comparable to Android devices. However, you can use the results of previous iPhones as a reference for comparison. In this case, the iPhone Air crossed the 2 million mark, while the iPhone 16 Pro earned around 1.8 million. This is consistent with the gap reflected by Geekbench.

iPhone 17 Pro is cooler than ever

The real difference isn’t just about the chips themselves, but how they handle the heat. The iPhone 17 Pro now has a vapor chamber cooling system. This allows the device to sustain its peak performance for longer periods without getting too hot. This can be quite useful for extended, demanding tasks.

In contrast, the iPhone Air’s claim to fame is its incredibly thin and light design, measuring just 5.6mm. While this makes it incredibly sleek, it comes with a trade-off: a dedicated internal cooling solution. While it’s still a performance beast, its ultra-thin body means it’s more susceptible to “throttling.” The latter is a process where the phone reduces its performance to prevent overheating.