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Head-to-head

Apple - iPhone 16 vs Apple - iPhone 17 Air

Last updated · How Mars Score works
iPhone 16APPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
iPhone 16
57.4/ 100D
Performance61· 25%
Battery44· 20%
Display53· 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 and iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 16 comes out ahead in battery capacity, while the iPhone 17 Air wins on refresh rate and weight. Overall, the iPhone 16 scores 57.4 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 (57.4 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 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.

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 refresh rate, weight, antutu, among others.

Both ship with comparable ram, main camera, 5g support, 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 wins

  • Battery capacity — 22.79% more. 3561 mAh vs 2900 mAh.

Why Apple - iPhone 17 Air wins

  • Refresh rate — 100.00% more. 120 Hz vs 60 Hz.
  • Weight — 24.00 g less. 146 vs 170.
  • AnTuTu — 20.99% more. 1960000 vs 1620000.
  • Screen size — 8.20% more. 6.6 " vs 6.1 ".
  • Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 5).
Full readout

Spec comparison

Design

SpecApple - iPhone 16Apple - iPhone 17 Air
Weight170 g146 glead
Thickness7.8 mm5.6 mmlead
Water resistanceIP68IP68
Form factorbarbar

Display

SpecApple - iPhone 16Apple - iPhone 17 Air
Screen size6.1 "6.6 "lead
Pixel density460 ppi460 ppi
Refresh rate60 Hz120 Hzlead
Peak brightness2000 nits2200 nitslead

Performance

SpecApple - iPhone 16Apple - iPhone 17 Air
RAM8 GB8 GB
Storage128 GB256 GBlead
AnTuTu16200001960000lead
CPU total clock17.0 GHz19.2 GHzlead

Cameras

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

Battery

SpecApple - iPhone 16Apple - iPhone 17 Air
Battery capacity3561 mAhlead2900 mAh
Wired charging20 W20 W
Wireless charging15 W15 W

Connectivity

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

Operating System

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

Frequently asked

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

iPhone 16 has 22.8% more battery — 3561 mAh vs 2900 mAh.

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

iPhone 17 Air is 24g lighter — 170g vs 146g.

Is iPhone 16 waterproof?+

iPhone 16 has an IP68 rating.

Does iPhone 17 Air support 5G?+

Yes, iPhone 17 Air supports 5G.

Which has a better camera, iPhone 16 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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