TechRadar Comparison Outlines iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Air Differences
TechRadar compares the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Air, detailing their price gap, specs and design trade-offs as the Pro targets camera and battery performance while the Air focuses on a slim, light build.
The iPhone 18 Pro launched in September 2026 and is available globally. It starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,099 for 256GB of storage. The 512GB model costs $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,499, the 1TB model costs $1,799 / £1,799 / AU$3,299, and the 2TB model costs $2,399 / £2,399 / AU$4,499. The iPhone Air launched in September 2025, making it a year older, and it has no successor yet. It is also widely available, priced at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,899 for 256GB, $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,299 for 512GB, and $1,699 / £1,699 / AU$3,099 for 1TB. There is no 2TB iPhone Air. TechRadar notes that the Air was originally priced at $999 / £999 / AU$1,799 at launch, but Apple raised its price after the iPhone 18 Pro launched in September 2026, just as it raised iPad and MacBook prices in June due to "significantly higher memory costs." The Pro's starting price is therefore $100 / £100 / AU$200 higher than the Air's, and that difference remains consistent across configurations. TechRadar adds that the Air is often on sale, so buyers are unlikely to need to pay full price.
According to the specifications listed by TechRadar, the iPhone 18 Pro measures 150 x 71.9 x 8.8mm and weighs 211g, while the iPhone Air measures 156.2 x 74.7 x 5.6mm and weighs 165g. Both have Super Retina XDR OLED displays, with the Pro at 6.3 inches and the Air at 6.5 inches. Both offer a 1Hz–120Hz refresh rate and 3,000 nits of peak brightness. The Pro uses the A20 Pro chipset, while the Air uses the A19 Pro; both have 12GB of RAM. The rear camera setups differ sharply: the Pro has a 48MP main camera, a 48MP ultra-wide camera and a 48MP telephoto camera, while the Air has only a 48MP main camera. Both have an 18MP front camera. Battery capacity is 4,288mAh for the eSIM-only Pro or 4,056mAh for the physical-SIM Pro, compared with 3,149mAh for the Air. The Pro can charge to 50% in 15 minutes, while the Air takes 30 minutes to reach the same level. The Pro is available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, while the Air comes in 256GB, 512GB or 1TB.
TechRadar's pros and cons list says the iPhone 18 Pro offers versatile cameras, great battery life and top-end power, but it costs more than the Air, is heavier and thicker, and is less stylish. The iPhone Air is slim, light and very stylish, with a high-quality screen, but it has only one rear camera, a low battery capacity, and can get hot during prolonged gaming sessions.
On design, TechRadar says the two phones look similar from the front, with flat screens, minimal bezels and Dynamic Island cut-outs at the top. The Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro is slightly smaller than the Air's and can display three Live Activities at once instead of two. The back panels differ more clearly: the iPhone Air is made from a single slab of glass surrounded by a titanium frame, while the iPhone 18 Pro has a glass panel surrounded by an aluminum frame. Their camera layouts also differ, with the iPhone 18 Pro having a much larger triple-camera module.