Technologies
How to Talk to a Loved One Who Has Dementia: Never Say ‘No’
Holiday gatherings can mean communicating with relatives who have memory loss. An expert offers her best tips.
This story is part of Mysteries of the Brain, CNET’s deep dive into the human brain’s infinite complexities.
I’ll never forget the last real conversation I had with my wonderful late mother-in-law, Grace. She’d had Alzheimer’s disease for a number of years, and making a call on her smartphone was getting tough for her. So I was surprised to see her name pop up on my screen, calling me on a random Thursday night in the fall of 2021.
«Are you watching 60 Minutes?» she asked.
I paused. I hadn’t watched the news-magazine show in decades, but I knew it aired on Sunday nights, not Thursdays. I also knew how confused Alzheimer’s had made my mother-in-law.
Before her illness, she’d always kept up with the news and had strong opinions on politics — even campaigning for John F. Kennedy when he ran for president in the 1960s. She kept her mind active well into her 80s by doing the daily crossword puzzle in her favorite newspaper, The Los Angeles Times, and she loved to discuss new books with me.
But Alzheimer’s had robbed her of her focus, and often her words. I knew how hard that was for her, how she became frustrated to the point of tears when she couldn’t make herself understood. If she thought she was watching 60 Minutes on a night it wasn’t on, I was not about to disagree with her.
«Yes, I’m watching 60 Minutes!» I said instantly.
It was the right answer. In a happy, satisfied voice, she said, «They’re a nice couple, aren’t they?»
Couple? Who was the couple? Mike Wallace and Morley Safer? Weren’t they dead? It didn’t matter.
«Yes!» I said.
«OK, I’ll let you go now,» she said, and the call was over. Grace died about a month later, at age 85. She’d moved from her two-bedroom California condominium into a beautiful assisted-living facility just eight months earlier, barely getting a chance to enjoy its hair salon, field trips and other amenities.
Her health deteriorated quickly, and she soon needed 24-hour care. We moved her from the hospital to a board-and-care home run by a compassionate Russian doctor, and she lived there for just one week before passing away.
Every day, I’m thankful I agreed with her during that phone call. In her world, she was watching a «nice couple» on 60 Minutes on a Thursday night, and I knew enough about her dementia to try to enter the world she inhabited.
‘I’ve got your back’
Diana Waugh knows just how hard it can be to speak to someone with cognitive loss, whether it’s Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia or another condition. Waugh is a veteran nurse and a certified dementia practitioner. Her business, Waugh Consulting, focuses on giving caregivers and family members the tools to communicate with loved ones suffering from dementia.
But Waugh didn’t always know how to do this. Her own mother, Iona Kiser, suffered from dementia and died in 2008 at 95.
«I did everything wrong,» Waugh says. «I was less than successful with her.»
Since then, Waugh has published a short book, I Was Thinking: Unlocking the Door to Successful Conversations with Loved Ones With Cognitive Loss. She’s spoken to countless caregivers, and produced numerous videos explaining her approach.
Waugh says she can sum up her philosophy about conversations with them in one phrase: «I’ve got your back.» She also holds strong feelings about the word «no» — saying caregivers shouldn’t use it. And she encourages caregivers to divert potentially troubling conversations to focus on old memories their loved one can easily discuss, as opposed to trying to quiz them on new information their brains just can’t access.
Her work won’t give her that time with her mom back, but she’s helped numerous other people along the way.
Sheila Qualls’ 86-year-old mother has dementia, and Qualls has been working with Waugh on how to better communicate with her mom.
«I miss my mom, but Diana taught me how to ‘access’ her,» Qualls says. «Her techniques have made a huge difference in how we respond to my mother and have changed our lives.»
Short-term-memory drawer has no bottom
Waugh explains that your loved one’s memory has two «file drawers» — short-term and long-term memory. The items in long-term memory are generally still accessible. But the file drawer that should collect short-term memories has no bottom. The memories simply can’t stay put.
«So if you ask [a person with memory loss] to go to lunch with you tomorrow, they put that in the short-term drawer [and it’s forgotten],» Waugh says. «You show up, they’re still in pajamas. A smart person says, ‘Let’s go anyway.'»
The person with dementia can’t tell you how they feel today, Waugh explains, since that involves short-term memory. But they can tell you «how it felt when they hurt their knee at age 40.»
Tap into long-term memory
That’s exactly why Waugh encourages caregivers to tap into their loved one’s long-term memory whenever possible. Her slim book has a number of workbook pages where she encourages people to write down memories they can bring up with their loved one. What did they like to taste? To listen to? To touch?
Always have three stories at the ready, Waugh tells clients, and then use them to keep the impacted loved one in the conversation. Bring up those old memories and encourage them to talk about those things.
Qualls says this tactic works.
«My mom may not remember who I am, but when I begin talking about her childhood or my childhood experiences, she can engage right away,» she says.
It can also be helpful to show photos to your loved one, but «make sure they’re old photos,» Waugh warns. A new great-great-granddaughter may be cute, but it’s unlikely a person with cognitive loss will have any idea who that baby is.
Divert and redirect
Waugh tells a story of a woman who moved her elderly father from Nashville to Houston and worried he’d want to return to his familiar barn, which was now several states away.
In such a scenario, instead of telling him no, that his beloved barn was gone, Waugh says caregivers should calmly use the barn as a jumping-off place to get the man talking.
«Say, ‘I was thinking about that one racehorse you had,» Waugh says. «And once they start [talking], let them go.»
Qualls found this method valuable as well.
«Diana also taught me how to answer questions when my mother wonders where my father is,» Qualls said. «Divert and redirect. Works like a charm. Diana taught me to enter my mom’s world instead of trying to bring her into my reality.»
Taking away the car keys
Many people first tune in to cognitive loss when they realize their loved one can no longer drive safely. But how to get them to give up the keys? You might be tempted to lie and say their car is broken.
That doesn’t work, Waugh says. If the loved one is early on in their cognitive loss, «they’ll call AAA to get that ‘broken’ car fixed.»
Instead, she suggests telling them about a scary incident you recently experienced on the roads, or claim you recently got lost while driving. These kinds of stories might hit home with someone who’s almost certainly beginning to notice problems. You might also be able to convince them a family member needs to use their car for a while, just to have an excuse for why it’s suddenly inaccessible.
Here’s what to never say
Waugh encourages caregivers to avoid one word: no.
«‘No’ doesn’t do a darn bit of good,» she says, explaining that the word only angers the loved one. If you can divert the conversation instead, the person will likely forget the diversion in five minutes and happily move on. But if you make them mad by telling them «no,» they’ll be mad for the rest of the day, she says.
Waugh understands why frustrated caregivers might be tempted to say no. Their loved one might be insisting they need to get to work when they haven’t held a job in years.
By saying «no,» the caregiver is hoping, she says, to bring the person back to reality by denying their «erroneous thinking.» But the person they love is living in their own reality, and the caregiver will need to keep saying «no» over and over again, increasing stress on the relationship.
Avoiding «no» makes sense, but Waugh also says caregivers shouldn’t say, «Do you remember?» What may seem a gentle prompt can be seen as a demanding quiz to someone losing their memory.
«It’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull,» Waugh says. «The person likely does not remember whatever it is, and asking them to do so puts them under pressure they no longer know how to handle.»
What to say instead
Instead, Waugh encourages people to use a phrase from the title of her book, «I was thinking…» as a starter to encourage memories. If a loved one tells you they have to get to work, although they haven’t had a job in years, calmly say, «I was thinking…» and then launch into some detail about a job they once had.
If it suddenly occurs to them they’ve lost a loved one — even if that happened years ago, you might start off with «I was thinking…» and then relate a happy memory about that loved one’s pie-baking skills.
Successfully communicating with loved ones who have dementia can be wrenchingly hard. Waugh knows that only too well.
«We need to stop looking at [our loved ones] as we always have,» Waugh writes in her book. «When we change our expectations, we can find them as they are. We can have meaningful conversations. Our relationship, though different, will be so much more fulfilling. It will provide us with happy memories of the latter part of their lives.»
Technologies
Avengers Assemble as Marvel Cosmic Invasion Arrives Day 1 on Xbox Game Pass This December
Xbox Game Pass is adding Marvel Cosmic Invasion in December, with more titles coming in November and December.
To end the year, Microsoft assembled Earth’s mightiest heroes in a fight against Annihilus in Marvel Comic Invasion. The comic-book style beat ’em up game is a Day 1 release when it launches on Dec. 1.
Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, added monthly.
Here are all the games subscribers can play on Game Pass soon. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in November, including The Outer Worlds 2.
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Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault (game preview)
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 19.
The Moonlighter series returns, letting players go on an adventure while also tending to their own stores. Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is a roguelike action RPG, and players step into the role of Will, an adventurer who splits his time exploring different dimensions to find rare loot that he can sell in his shop.
Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 19.
Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo casts you as Kulebra, a dead but kindhearted snake who wakes up in a dreamy, Latin-flavored afterlife where souls are trapped in a never-ending day. You’ll sleuth and sneak your way through Limbo, talking to each quirky spirit, scouring for clues and using a trusty notebook to piece together their stories.
Revenge of the Savage Planet
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 19.
In Revenge of the Savage Planet, you’re dumped on the fringes of space after being one of the first to get laid off by your ridiculous, profit-obsessed employer. The mission is to explore alien worlds, poke at every weird rock and grab every upgrade you can to survive. Do all that right, and you can get your revenge on the former employer who abandoned you and head back to Earth.
Monsters are Coming! Rock and Road
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 20.
Monsters Are Coming! Rock and Road puts you in charge of a mobile city that travels across dangerous terrain while monsters close in. You collect materials, set up defenses and upgrade your skills to keep the convoy moving in this tower-survivor rogue-lite on wheels. Constant movement and steady enemy waves collide, forcing careful upgrades and defense planning to keep the convoy moving toward the Ark.
The Crew Motorfest
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 20.
The Crew Motorfest is a massive car culture festival spanning the Hawaiian islands, featuring races, stunts and open-world driving challenges. The game features more than 700 vehicles, including cars, bikes, boats and planes, letting you pick how you want to explore the islands. Now in its third year of free updates, Motorfest adds new locations, customization options, a race creator tool and NASCAR content.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 25.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is an action RPG that pulls players into a dark, immersive world where life and death collide. Players navigate intense combat, explore mysterious environments and uncover a story filled with love, loss, and difficult choices. Every decision shapes the journey, forcing you to weigh sacrifices against survival as you uncover the truth behind the ghostly threats.
Kill It With Fire 2
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 25.
Kill It With Fire 2 expands the bug-busting chaos with a full co-op campaign where players track spiders through different eras and strange worlds. The game adds new tools, new settings and plenty of destruction as you hunt down every last arachnid in the multiverse. It also introduces a Spider Hunt mode that lets players switch sides and play as the creature they once chased.
Marvel Comic Invasion
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Dec. 1.
The Annihilation Wave threatens the galaxy, and the world’s great heroes need to work together to stop Annihilation. The arcade-style brawler features 15 Marvel Comics heroes, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America and Venom. Play solo or play with friends online or locally with couch co-op.
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Dec. 2
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage follows a group of friends during the summer of 1995 as they film their adventures and build a bond that seems unbreakable. Those memories resurface nearly three decades later when they reunite to face the secret that ended their friendship. The story blends nostalgia with mystery as the group works through what happened and why it changed everything.
Games leaving Game Pass on Nov. 30
While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass, it’s also removing three others from the service on Nov. 30. So you still have some time to finish your campaign and any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.
For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to the Game Pass service.
Technologies
iPhone 17 vs. iPhone Air, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max: Apple’s Newest Phones, Compared
How do Apple’s high-performance phones differ, and which should you pick? Here’s how to decide which iPhone is perfect for you.
Maybe your current iPhone is showing its age — slowing down, unable to update to iOS 26 or lacking cool features and cameras. With the coming holiday season’s deals and discounts, now is the perfect time to upgrade. The current lineup of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and the slim iPhone Air give you plenty of options to choose from, but they do serve different needs. Which of those would suit you best? Here’s how they compare side by side.
Looking to order the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max or iPhone Air? Check out our iPhone 17 deals guide for ways to get it for free and other great deals.
There are a host of improvements over the iPhone 16 series, which added a handful of upgrades over its predecessors, most notably the Camera Control key. The upgrades coming to the iPhone 17 lineup are myriad, but more noticeable than the more incremental updates in previous generations. Along with the redesigned camera blocks, all of Apple’s phones get better specs, more storage and brighter displays. But the big change is the new super-thin iPhone Air, which takes the place (and price) of the larger standard Plus model.
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iPhone 17 lineup price comparison
- iPhone 17: $799. The iPhone 17’s price remains the same as last year despite a bump to 256GB of starting storage.
- iPhone Air: $999. The iPhone Air is slotted into the lineup where the iPhone 16 Plus was priced (as the more expensive standard model).
- iPhone 17 Pro: $1,099. The smaller Pro model is the only one in the lineup to get a small price hike to start at $100 above last year’s iPhone 16 Pro, though it does start at a higher 256GB of storage.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1,199. The higher-spec iPhone 17 Pro Max didn’t get a price hike despite starting at a higher 256GB of storage.
Despite concerns about tariffs potentially passing more costs on to consumers, only one model in the iPhone 17 lineup got a price hike: the iPhone 17 Pro, which now starts at $1,099, though it does have double the starting storage at 256GB as its predecessor. The other models also got their storage bumped up without suffering higher prices.
At its September event, Apple also announced new Apple Watch models, including the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, as well as the AirPods Pro 3.
iPhone 17 lineup’s design and display changes, compared
- iPhone 17: Camera bump redesign. The square-shaped camera bump from prior years has been replaced with a vertical pill-shaped ovoid with the usual two cameras (main and ultrawide).
- iPhone Air: Thinner, single-camera. The new, thin model takes the place of the iPhone 16 Plus as the larger non-Pro model, but it offers only a single main rear camera.
- iPhone 17 Pro: Larger horizontal camera bump. The smaller Pro model’s big changes include a new rear camera bump as well as an internal redesign with an aluminum frame.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Same larger horizontal camera bump. Likewise, the iPhone 17 Pro Max gets a redesigned camera bump that extends horizontally across the entire rear width of the phone, along with internal changes.
The biggest change in the iPhone 17’s design is in a single model added to the lineup: the iPhone Air. It is indeed a thinner model of the iPhone line, akin to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which focuses on a slimmer, lighter body that seems to have reduced battery life as a consequence — but not by much. According to Apple’s specs (which don’t include exact capacity), the Air manages up to 27 hours of video playback, just slightly under the 30 hours for the iPhone 17, 33 for the iPhone 17 Pro and 39 for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The iPhone Air is 5.6mm thick, compared with 7.9mm on the iPhone 17 and 8.75mm on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The thinner model is also lighter at 165 grams, compared with the iPhone 17’s 177 grams, the iPhone 17 Pro’s 206 grams and the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 233 grams.
Despite that, the iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch OLED display (slightly smaller than the 6.7-inch display on last year’s iPhone 16 Plus). Compare that to the 6.3-inch screen on the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro (both up from 6.1 inches on their respective predecessors) and 6.9 inches for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
All models got upgrades to their screens. The standard iPhone 17 now has a ProMotion display with a refresh rate adjusting from 120Hz down to 1Hz (from a static 60Hz on last year’s iPhone 16) and a scratch-resistant Ceramic Shield 2 coating on the top — all features that also arrive in the iPhone Air. Every new iPhone’s display also has a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits, up from 2,000 in last year’s iPhone 16 lineup, making it easier to see their screens in bright sunlight.
The three returning iPhone 17, Pro and Pro Max models have had redesigns of their rear camera bumps. In place of the diagonal arrangement in last year’s model, the standard iPhone 17’s two cameras have been vertically aligned in a raised oval bump. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max keep their triangular triple-camera alignment, but the camera bump has been extended from a square to a rectangle that takes up the width of the phones. The iPhone Air just has a single camera.
There are bigger changes to the inside of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, all in the name of heat management. Apple swapped their titanium frames for aluminum ones that the company says is 20 times better at conducting heat, the better to disperse it across the phone’s body. The frame is stamped in a single sheet, and layered on top is a new vapor chamber filled with deionized water running along its length to carry heat away from the phone’s chips. Apple says this redesign leads to 40% better sustained performance than the iPhone 16 Pro. Instead of just glass, the Pro models have a more durable glass-ceramic shield on the back.
In contrast, the iPhone Air has a titanium frame, the only model in the lineup to still have one — possibly to ensure maximum durability in its thinner body.
The iPhone 17 comes in five colors: lavender, light blue, dark gray, silver-white and green. The iPhone Air comes in four hues: an ethereally light blue, light gold, black and white. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max come in a trio of colors: white, dark blue and bright orange.
Comparing iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max cameras
- iPhone 17: Better ultrawide and selfie cameras. The iPhone 17 got an upgraded 48-megapixel ultrawide camera and 18-megapixel selfie shooter.
- iPhone Air: Single camera. As was rumored, the iPhone Air has a single 48-megapixel main camera.
- iPhone 17 Pro: Sharper zoom and selfie cameras. The rear 4x telephoto camera has been upgraded to 48 megapixels, while the front-facing camera is now 18 megapixels.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Sharper zoom and selfie cameras. Likewise, the rear 4x telephoto camera has been upgraded to 48 megapixels, while the front-facing camera is now 18 megapixels.
The standard iPhone 17 has two cameras (48-megapixel main and 48-megapixel ultrawide), an improvement from its predecessor’s 12-megapixel ultrawide. Apple calls the 48-megapixel main camera «Dual Fusion» as it can take sharp photos at full resolution or take 2x crop-zoomed images at 24 megapixels — in fact, every camera in the iPhone 17 lineup has this fusion functionality.
The iPhone Air has only one camera, a 48-megapixel main, that seems similar to the one on the iPhone 16E. That sets the new thin phone apart from last year’s iPhone 16 Plus, which had the same two cameras as the standard iPhone 16.
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models also bump the ultrawide to 48 megapixels (up from 12 megapixels in their predecessors) and also improve the third telephoto camera to 48 megapixels as well (up from the 12-megapixel with 5x optical zoom of last year’s iPhones). The latter has gotten a big upgrade, and thanks to the crop focus on the fusion, the 4x optical zoom can double up to 8x at 12 megapixel resolution with an equivalent focal length of 200mm. The new maximum digital zoom goes up to 40x, up from 25x on earlier Pro models.
All four iPhones’ front-facing shooters have been upgraded to 18-megapixel cameras, up from 12 megapixels on last year’s Apple phones. They also get the Center Stage feature, which first debuted on the iPad Pro M-series models. This feature automatically keeps the focus centered on whoever’s holding the phone, even as they move around.
This is aided by a new square-shaped sensor in the front-facing camera that’s twice the size as those in the iPhone 16 lineup from last year. Essentially, this size format has a lot more vertical room than the 4:3 ratio sensors typically found in selfie cameras, allowing not only more area for Center Stage to focus on, but also for iPhone 17 series owners to take horizontal selfies without rotating their phones. Neat!
All iPhone 17 model specs compared
- iPhone 17: Better specs. The iPhone 17 packs the new A19 chip as its predecessor and more base storage.
- iPhone Air: Pro chip, Apple’s modem. The thinner iPhone Air got the A19 Pro chip that’s also in the Pro models out this year, as well as a presumably improved version of the Apple-made C1, a 5G modem that debuted on the iPhone 16E.
- iPhone 17 Pro: Better specs. The iPhone 17 Pro has a new A19 Pro chip as well as more base storage.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Better specs, bigger battery. The iPhone 17 Pro Max packs the new A19 Pro chip, more base storage and a larger battery.
As is typical with the feature gap between standard and pro models, the iPhone 17 has improved specs but not to the level of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max — or the iPhone Air.
The standard iPhone 17 packs the new A19 chip, which is 20% faster than the iPhone 16 with its A18 chip. The A19’s six-core CPU is made on a 3-nanometer process, has an improved Neural Engine with increased bandwidth to help make AI services faster, and has an updated Display Engine that helps power ProMotion and Always-On features of the display. The iPhone 17 comes in either 256GB or 512GB, an increase on the baseline 128GB storage of the iPhone 16.
The iPhone Air has slightly better specs with an A19 Pro chip, with better performance and efficiency. The chip’s graphics processing unit cores now have neural accelerators that deliver three times the peak output of the GPU on the A18 Pro found in last year’s iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. The iPhone Air is also the only one of the lineup to get another tech advancement — an upgraded version of Apple’s C1 chip, the internally developed 5G modem that debuted in the iPhone 16E released earlier this year. The iPhone Air comes in 256GB, 512GB or 1TB storage configurations.
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max both feature the A19 Pro chip, and combined with its redesigned thermal dissipation, reaches the aforementioned 40% better sustained performance over the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 17 Pro comes in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage configurations, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max has those options as well as a 2TB selection, though that raises the price to $2,000.
While Apple never explicitly says how much RAM its iPhones pack, most phones require 8GB of RAM to use AI features — Given that Apple Intelligence debuted on the iPhone 16 lineup, it’s heavily suspected that those devices were given 8GB of RAM. Presumably, the iPhone 17 series has the same amount.
Apple is similarly coy about listing battery capacity, preferring instead to suggest how long they can last playing video content. As mentioned above, the iPhone Air has the lowest at 27 hours of video playback, but not by much. The iPhone 17 has up to 30 hours, the iPhone 17 Pro reaches 33 hours, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max tops out at 39 hours of video playback — made possible thanks to internal redesigns.
All three phones pack Apple’s new N1 wireless networking chip, which connects to Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread networking for smart home appliances.
All iPhone 17 models launch with iOS 26, the next version of Apple’s iPhone software, renamed to align with the year following its release. Among the new features are the Liquid Glass interface redesign, iMessage updates, a more transparent lock screen and a streamlined Camera app. These are just a few of the overhauls also coming to Safari, Photos and Music apps, among others.
The iPhone 17 series also packs Apple Intelligence, the company’s signature blend of generative AI features. But with no new tools or applications introduced during the event, it seems the phones will simply inherit the AI tools that debuted with last year’s iPhone 16 or those that were added in the year since.
Apple iPhone 17 vs. iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max
| Apple iPhone 17 | Apple iPhone Air | Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | 6.3-inch OLED; 2,622 x 1,206 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate | 6.5-inch OLED; 2,736 x 1,260 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate | 6.3-inch OLED; 2,622 x 1,206 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate | 6.9-inch OLED; 2,868 x 1,320 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate |
| Pixel density | 460ppi | 460ppi | 460ppi | 460ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.89 x 2.81 x 0.31 in | 6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 in | 5.91 x 2.83 x 0.34 in | 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.34 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 149.6 x 71.5 x 7.95 mm | 156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64 mm | 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm | 163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 177 g (6.24 oz) | 165 g (5.82 oz) | 206 g (7.27 oz) | 233 g (8.22 oz) |
| Mobile software | iOS 26 | iOS 26 | iOS 26 | iOS 26 |
| Camera | 48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide) | 48-megapixel (wide) | 48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide) 48-megapixel (4x, 8x telephoto) | 48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide) 48-megapixel (4x, 8x telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 18-megapixel | 18-megapixel | 18-megapixel | 18-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | Apple A19 | Apple A19 Pro | Apple A19 Pro | Apple A19 Pro |
| RAM + storage | RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB | RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Expandable storage | None | None | None | None |
| Battery | Up to 30 hours video playback; up to 27 hours video playback (streamed).Fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger. | Up to 27 hours video playback; up to 22 hours video playback (streamed).Up to 40 hours video playback, up to 35 hours video playback (streamed) with iPhone Air MagSafe Battery Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 20W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger. | Up to 33 hours video playback; up to 30 hours video playback (streamed).Fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger. | Up to 39 hours video playback; up to 35 hours video playback (streamed).Fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger. |
| Fingerprint sensor | None (Face ID) | None (Face ID) | None (Face ID) | None (Face ID) |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None | None |
| Special features | Apple N1 wireless networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. 1 to 3000 nits brightness display range.IP68 resistance. Colors: black, white, mist blue, sage, lavender. | Apple N1 wireless networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Apple C1X cellular modem. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. 1 to 3000 nits brightness display range.IP68 resistance. Colors: space black, cloud white, light gold, sky blue. | Apple N1 wireless networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. ProRes Raw video recording. Genlock video support. 1 to 3000 nits brightness display range.IP68 resistance. Colors: silver, cosmic orange, deep blue. | Apple N1 wireless networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. ProRes Raw video recording. Genlock video support. 1 to 3000 nits brightness display range.IP68 resistance. Colors: silver, cosmic orange, deep blue. |
| US price starts at | $799 (256GB) | $999 (256GB) | $1,099 (256GB) | $1,199 (256GB) |
| UK price starts at | £799 (256GB) | £999 (256GB) | £1,099 (256GB) | £1,199 (256GB) |
| Australia price starts at | AU$1,399 (256GB) | AU$1,799 (256GB) | AU$1,999 (256GB) | AU$2,199 (256GB) |
Technologies
Score the Apple Watch Series 10 for a Whopping Half Off This Black Friday
Walmart is selling the 42mm GPS and cellular configuration for just $250, perfect for the gift-giving season.
We’re almost in the throes of Black Friday, and plenty of early deals are available now, including at Walmart. The retailer is lowering prices on coveted Apple gear and we’ve spotted the 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 cellular model at a massive 50% off.
This brings the Apple Watch Series 10 down to just $249, which is both cheaper than its original price and the newer Apple Watch Series 11. Considering this major discount, we don’t expect this deal to last for long.
Walmart currently has the 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS and cellular configurations for this price with a jet black aluminum case and black sport band or a silver aluminum case and denim sport band.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is a great fit for fitness enthusiasts who want to keep better track of their metrics. Some of the health and wellness measures you can monitor include oxygen, heart rate, sleep patters, menstrual cycle patterns and physical activity.
Along with this, you can sync this smartwatch to your phone and receive calls or texts. With a battery life of up to 18 hours with a single charge, you won’t have to worry about looking for an outlet through the day. Apple designed the Apple Watch Series 10 to be IPX6 certified, which means you won’t have to stress over rain, splashes or light swimming up to 50 meters deep.
Looking for a new smartwatch but not sure if this deal is for you? Check out our list of the best smartwatches so you can look through more options.
SMARTWATCH DEALS OF THE WEEK
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$359 (save $70)
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$330 (save $20)
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$140 (save $60)
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$202 (save $49)
Why this deal matters
Now that the Series 11 is widely available, savvy shoppers can save $250 on the slightly older Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm) at Walmart. This discount can score you the Apple Watch Series 10 for a massive 50% off. Though colors and sizes are limited, now is an excellent to stock up on this smartwatch.
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