Sep 28, 2025 19:40:00

Simultaneous benchmark test of 'iPhone 17', 'iPhone 17 Pro', and 'iPhone Air', exploring the performance differences between the original, Pro, and Air

GIGAZINE obtained three models of the iPhone series, which was released on September 19, 2025: the

iPhone 17 , iPhone 17 Pro , and iPhone Air . Since all three models have slightly different processors, we ran various benchmark apps to compare the results to see the performance differences between them.

iPhone - Apple (Japan)
https://www.apple.com/jp/iphone/

◆ Processors installed in the three models
Below is a comparison table of the specifications of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air. The iPhone 17 uses the A19 chip, while the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air use the A19 Pro chip. Additionally, the number of GPU cores on the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air is five, while the iPhone 17 Pro has six. The key point to note is how much the differences in the chips and number of GPU cores affect benchmark scores.

Geekbench 6
Below are the results of measuring CPU performance using the popular benchmark app '

Geekbench 6. ' The single-core scores were 3609 for the iPhone 17, 3808 for the iPhone 17 Pro, and 3697 for the iPhone Air. The multi-core scores were 9232 for the iPhone 17, 9822 for the iPhone 17 Pro, and 9555 for the iPhone Air.

The GPU test scores were 37,215 for the iPhone 17, 45,962 for the iPhone 17 Pro, and 38,142 for the iPhone Air.

◆Geekbench AI
We also conducted tests using

Geekbench AI , which measures AI processing performance. For CPU-based processing, the iPhone 17 achieved a single-precision score of 4673, the iPhone 17 Pro achieved a single-precision score of 5133, and the iPhone Air achieved a single-precision score of 5044.

The single-precision scores for GPU processing were 8031 for the iPhone 17, 9109 for the iPhone 17 Pro, and 7416 for the iPhone Air. The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro use the same chip, the A19 Pro, but the iPhone Air has fewer GPU cores, resulting in a lower score in the GPU-based test.

When using the AI processing core 'Neural Engine,' the single-precision score was 4608 for the iPhone 17, 5113 for the iPhone 17 Pro, and 4902 for the iPhone Air.

◆AnTuTu benchmark
The test results from the benchmark app '

AnTuTu benchmark ' are as follows: The overall score was 2,049,999 for the iPhone 17, 2,314,329 for the iPhone 17 Pro, and 1,964,618 for the iPhone Air. Looking at the scores by category, the iPhone Air performed lower than the iPhone 17 in the CPU and GPU tests.

Summary
The iPhone 17 Pro showed the best performance in every test. The iPhone 17 and iPhone Air showed some variability in tests, with the iPhone 17 sometimes scoring higher in tests related to the GPU.

GIGAZINE has also reviewed the camera performance of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air in detail. Overall, the iPhone 17 Pro's camera performance seems to be the best, followed by the iPhone 17, which features a main camera and an ultra-wide-angle camera. The iPhone Air has a single rear camera, so it has to be said that its performance is lower than other models. For this reason, the iPhone Air is a model for people who are aware that the camera performance is low and that it may lose to the iPhone 17 in benchmarks, but are strongly attracted to its thin body.

A thorough review of the iPhone 17's camera performance: How the ultra-wide-angle camera upgraded to 48 megapixels performs - GIGAZINE