Between the iPhone 17 Air and Nord CE 4, the iPhone 17 Air comes out ahead in antutu and weight, while the Nord CE 4 wins on wired charging and battery capacity. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air scores 60.3 and the Nord CE 4 scores 63.2 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (60.3 vs 63.2). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
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. The biggest gaps in its favor are antutu, weight, pixel density, among others.
Pick the Nord CE 4 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are wired charging, battery capacity, front camera, among others.
Both ship with comparable ram, refresh rate, 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 17 Air wins
- ▲AnTuTu — 172.22% more. 1960000 vs 720000.
- ▲Weight — 40.00 g less. 146 vs 186.
- ▲Pixel density — 16.75% more. 460 ppi vs 394 ppi.
- ▲Water resistance: IP68 (vs IP54).
- ▲Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 3).
- ▲Wireless charging: 15 W vs 0 W.
Why OnePlus - Nord CE 4 wins
- ▲Wired charging — 400.00% more. 100 W vs 20 W.
- ▲Battery capacity — 89.66% more. 5500 mAh vs 2900 mAh.
- ▲Front camera — 33.33% more. 16 MP vs 12 MP.
- ▲Main camera — 4.17% more. 50 MP vs 48 MP.
- ▲Screen size — 1.52% more. 6.7 " vs 6.6 ".
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 146 glead | 186 g |
| Thickness | 5.6 mmlead | 8.2 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68lead | IP54 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.6 " | 6.7 "lead |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppilead | 394 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2200 nitslead | 1100 nits |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 16 MPlead |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 2900 mAh | 5500 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 20 W | 100 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 Wlead | 0 W |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | truelead |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOSlead | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 6 yearslead | 3 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 17 Air or Nord CE 4?+
Nord CE 4 has 89.7% more battery — 2900 mAh vs 5500 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 17 Air or Nord CE 4?+
iPhone 17 Air is 40g lighter — 146g vs 186g.
Is iPhone 17 Air waterproof?+
iPhone 17 Air has an IP68 rating.
Does Nord CE 4 support 5G?+
Yes, Nord CE 4 supports 5G.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 17 Air or Nord CE 4?+
Nord CE 4 has a 50 MP main camera vs 48 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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