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Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple - iPhone 17 Air

Last updated · How Mars Score works
iPhone 15 Pro MaxAPPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
iPhone 15 Pro Max
63.2/ 100C
Performance60· 25%
Battery56· 20%
Display70· 18%
Cameras69· 18%
Design· 8%
Connectivity· 7%
Operating System· 4%
iPhone 17 AirAPPLERENDER
Probe B
Apple
iPhone 17 Air
60.3/ 100C
Performance65· 25%
Battery35· 20%
Display69· 18%
Cameras69· 18%
Design· 8%
Connectivity· 7%
Operating System· 4%
Quick verdict

Between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes out ahead in battery capacity and wired charging, while the iPhone 17 Air wins on weight and antutu. Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max scores 63.2 and the iPhone 17 Air scores 60.3 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (63.2 vs 60.3). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.

Pick the iPhone 15 Pro Max if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. The biggest gaps in its favor are battery capacity, wired charging, screen size.

Pick the iPhone 17 Air if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are weight, antutu, promised os updates.

Both ship with comparable ram, main camera, refresh rate, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.

Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.

Why Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max wins

  • Battery capacity — 52.48% more. 4422 mAh vs 2900 mAh.
  • Wired charging — 35.00% more. 27 W vs 20 W.
  • Screen size — 1.52% more. 6.7 " vs 6.6 ".

Why Apple - iPhone 17 Air wins

  • Weight — 75.00 g less. 146 vs 221.
  • AnTuTu — 28.10% more. 1960000 vs 1530000.
  • Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 5).
Full readout

Spec comparison

Design

SpecApple - iPhone 15 Pro MaxApple - iPhone 17 Air
Weight221 g146 glead
Thickness8.25 mm5.6 mmlead
Water resistanceIP68IP68
Form factorbarbar

Display

SpecApple - iPhone 15 Pro MaxApple - iPhone 17 Air
Screen size6.7 "lead6.6 "
Pixel density460 ppi460 ppi
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness2000 nits2200 nitslead

Performance

SpecApple - iPhone 15 Pro MaxApple - iPhone 17 Air
RAM8 GB8 GB
Storage256 GB256 GB
AnTuTu15300001960000lead
CPU total clock16.5 GHz19.2 GHzlead

Cameras

SpecApple - iPhone 15 Pro MaxApple - iPhone 17 Air
Main camera48 MP48 MP
Front camera12 MP12 MP
Optical image stabilizationtruetrue

Battery

SpecApple - iPhone 15 Pro MaxApple - iPhone 17 Air
Battery capacity4422 mAhlead2900 mAh
Wired charging27 Wlead20 W
Wireless charging15 W15 W

Connectivity

SpecApple - iPhone 15 Pro MaxApple - iPhone 17 Air
5G supporttruetrue
Headphone jackfalsefalse
microSD slotfalsefalse

Operating System

SpecApple - iPhone 15 Pro MaxApple - iPhone 17 Air
OSiOSiOS
Promised OS updates5 years6 yearslead
Reader questions

Frequently asked

Which has better battery, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Air?+

iPhone 15 Pro Max has 52.5% more battery — 4422 mAh vs 2900 mAh.

Which is lighter, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Air?+

iPhone 17 Air is 75g lighter — 221g vs 146g.

Is iPhone 15 Pro Max waterproof?+

iPhone 15 Pro Max has an IP68 rating.

Does iPhone 17 Air support 5G?+

Yes, iPhone 17 Air supports 5G.

Which has a better camera, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Air?+

iPhone 17 Air has a 48 MP main camera vs 48 MP.

Drill down

Spec-level deep dives

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