Between the iPhone 17 Air and Xiaomi 16 Ultra, the iPhone 17 Air comes out ahead in weight and promised os updates, while the Xiaomi 16 Ultra wins on wireless charging and wired charging. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air scores 60.3 and the Xiaomi 16 Ultra scores 74.3 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Xiaomi 16 Ultra is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 14.0 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
Pick the iPhone 17 Air if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. The biggest gaps in its favor are weight, promised os updates.
Pick the Xiaomi 16 Ultra if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. Its strongest claims are wireless charging, wired charging, front camera, among others.
Both ship with comparable refresh rate, 5g support, water resistance, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Xiaomi 16 Ultra is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Apple - iPhone 17 Air wins
- ▲Weight — 83.00 g less. 146 vs 229.
- ▲Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 5).
Why Xiaomi 16 Ultra wins
- ▲Wireless charging — 433.33% more. 80 W vs 15 W.
- ▲Wired charging — 400.00% more. 100 W vs 20 W.
- ▲Front camera — 166.67% more. 32 MP vs 12 MP.
- ▲Battery capacity — 106.90% more. 6000 mAh vs 2900 mAh.
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 16 GB vs 8 GB.
- ▲AnTuTu — 50.51% more. 2950000 vs 1960000.
- ▲Pixel density — 13.48% more. 522 ppi vs 460 ppi.
- ▲Main camera — 4.17% more. 50 MP vs 48 MP.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 16 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 146 glead | 229 g |
| Thickness | 5.6 mmlead | 9.2 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68 | IP68 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 16 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.6 " | 6.73 "lead |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppi | 522 ppilead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2200 nits | 3200 nitslead |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 16 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 32 MPlead |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 16 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 2900 mAh | 6000 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 20 W | 100 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 W | 80 Wlead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 16 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 16 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOSlead | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 6 yearslead | 5 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 17 Air or Xiaomi 16 Ultra?+
Xiaomi 16 Ultra has 106.9% more battery — 2900 mAh vs 6000 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 17 Air or Xiaomi 16 Ultra?+
iPhone 17 Air is 83g lighter — 146g vs 229g.
Is iPhone 17 Air waterproof?+
iPhone 17 Air has an IP68 rating.
Does Xiaomi 16 Ultra support 5G?+
Yes, Xiaomi 16 Ultra supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, iPhone 17 Air or Xiaomi 16 Ultra?+
Xiaomi 16 Ultra offers 16GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 17 Air or Xiaomi 16 Ultra?+
Xiaomi 16 Ultra has a 50 MP main camera vs 48 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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