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Apple - iPhone 16 Pro vs Apple - iPhone 17 Air

Last updated · How Mars Score works
iPhone 16 ProAPPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
iPhone 16 Pro
60.6/ 100C
Performance62· 25%
Battery45· 20%
Display66· 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 16 Pro and iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 16 Pro comes out ahead in wireless charging and wired charging, while the iPhone 17 Air wins on weight and antutu. Overall, the iPhone 16 Pro scores 60.6 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 (60.6 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 16 Pro 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 wireless charging, wired charging, battery capacity.

Pick the iPhone 17 Air if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. Its strongest claims are weight, antutu, screen size, among others.

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 16 Pro wins

  • Wireless charging — 66.67% more. 25 W vs 15 W.
  • Wired charging — 35.00% more. 27 W vs 20 W.
  • Battery capacity — 23.52% more. 3582 mAh vs 2900 mAh.

Why Apple - iPhone 17 Air wins

  • Weight — 53.00 g less. 146 vs 199.
  • AnTuTu — 12.00% more. 1960000 vs 1750000.
  • Screen size — 4.76% more. 6.6 " vs 6.3 ".
  • Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 5).
Full readout

Spec comparison

Design

SpecApple - iPhone 16 ProApple - iPhone 17 Air
Weight199 g146 glead
Thickness8.25 mm5.6 mmlead
Water resistanceIP68IP68
Form factorbarbar

Display

SpecApple - iPhone 16 ProApple - iPhone 17 Air
Screen size6.3 "6.6 "lead
Pixel density460 ppi460 ppi
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness2000 nits2200 nitslead

Performance

SpecApple - iPhone 16 ProApple - iPhone 17 Air
RAM8 GB8 GB
Storage256 GB256 GB
AnTuTu17500001960000lead
CPU total clock17.8 GHz19.2 GHzlead

Cameras

SpecApple - iPhone 16 ProApple - iPhone 17 Air
Main camera48 MP48 MP
Front camera12 MP12 MP
Optical image stabilizationtruetrue

Battery

SpecApple - iPhone 16 ProApple - iPhone 17 Air
Battery capacity3582 mAhlead2900 mAh
Wired charging27 Wlead20 W
Wireless charging25 Wlead15 W

Connectivity

SpecApple - iPhone 16 ProApple - iPhone 17 Air
5G supporttruetrue
Headphone jackfalsefalse
microSD slotfalsefalse

Operating System

SpecApple - iPhone 16 ProApple - iPhone 17 Air
OSiOSiOS
Promised OS updates5 years6 yearslead
Reader questions

Frequently asked

Which has better battery, iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 17 Air?+

iPhone 16 Pro has 23.5% more battery — 3582 mAh vs 2900 mAh.

Which is lighter, iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 17 Air?+

iPhone 17 Air is 53g lighter — 199g vs 146g.

Is iPhone 16 Pro waterproof?+

iPhone 16 Pro has an IP68 rating.

Does iPhone 17 Air support 5G?+

Yes, iPhone 17 Air supports 5G.

Which has a better camera, iPhone 16 Pro 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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