Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Front camera | 12 MP | 50 MP |
| Wired charging | 20 W | 50 W |
| AnTuTu | 1960000 | 850000 |
| Battery capacity | 2900 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Weight | 146 g | 211 g |
| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB |
Between the iPhone 17 Air and Phone (3a) Pro, the iPhone 17 Air comes out ahead in antutu / weight, while the Phone (3a) Pro wins on front camera / wired charging. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air scores 64.1 and the Phone (3a) Pro scores 63.1 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (64.1 vs 63.1). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is 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. The single most decisive one: AnTuTu — 130.59% more. 1960000 vs 850000.
Pick the Phone (3a) Pro 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 front camera, wired charging, battery capacity, among others. The single most decisive one: Front camera — 316.67% more. 50 MP vs 12 MP.
Both ship with comparable refresh rate, 5g support, optical image stabilization, so those specs do not 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 says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Apple - iPhone 17 Air or Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro?
Apple - iPhone 17 Air leads the current Mars Score by 1.0 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare screen size, ram, pixel density, battery capacity against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Apple - iPhone 17 Air if…
Apple - iPhone 17 Air has the measurable edge on antutu score, weight g, pixel density ppi.
Choose Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro if…
Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro has the measurable edge on front cam mp, wired charging w, battery capacity mah.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Apple - iPhone 17 Air wins
- ▲AnTuTu — 130.59% more. 1960000 vs 850000.
- ▲Weight — 65.00 g less. 146 vs 211.
- ▲Pixel density — 18.86% more. 460 ppi vs 387 ppi.
- ▲Water resistance: IP68 (vs IP64).
- ▲Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 3).
- ▲Wireless charging: 15 W vs 0 W.
Why Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro wins
- ▲Front camera — 316.67% more. 50 MP vs 12 MP.
- ▲Wired charging — 150.00% more. 50 W vs 20 W.
- ▲Battery capacity — 72.41% more. 5000 mAh vs 2900 mAh.
- ▲RAM — 50.00% more. 12 GB vs 8 GB.
- ▲Main camera — 4.17% more. 50 MP vs 48 MP.
- ▲Screen size — 2.58% more. 6.77 " vs 6.6 ".
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 146 glead | 211 g |
| Thickness | 5.6 mmlead | 8.4 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68lead | IP64 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.6 " | 6.77 "lead |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppilead | 387 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2200 nits | 3000 nitslead |
Performance
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| RAMⓘ | 8 GB | 12 GBlead |
| Storageⓘ | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| AnTuTuⓘ | 1960000lead | 850000 |
| CPU total clockⓘ | 19.2 GHzlead | 11.0 GHz |
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacityⓘ | 2900 mAh | 5000 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 20 W | 50 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 Wlead | 0 W |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOSlead | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 6 yearslead | 3 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 17 Air or Phone (3a) Pro?+
Phone (3a) Pro has 72.4% more battery — 2900 mAh vs 5000 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 17 Air or Phone (3a) Pro?+
iPhone 17 Air is 65g lighter — 146g vs 211g.
Is iPhone 17 Air waterproof?+
iPhone 17 Air has an IP68 rating.
Does Phone (3a) Pro support 5G?+
Yes, Phone (3a) Pro supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, iPhone 17 Air or Phone (3a) Pro?+
Phone (3a) Pro offers 12GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 17 Air or Phone (3a) Pro?+
Phone (3a) Pro has a 50 MP main camera vs 48 MP.