Skip to content
vsMars
Head-to-head

Apple - iPhone 17 Air vs Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro

Last updated · How Mars Score works
iPhone 17 AirAPPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
iPhone 17 Air
60.3/ 100C
Performance65· 25%
Battery35· 20%
Display69· 18%
Cameras69· 18%
Design· 8%
Connectivity· 7%
Operating System· 4%
Phone (3a) ProNOTHINGRENDER
Probe B
Nothing
Phone (3a) Pro
63.8/ 100C
Performance55· 25%
Battery63· 20%
Display70· 18%
Cameras70· 18%
Design· 8%
Connectivity· 7%
Operating System· 4%
Quick verdict

Between the iPhone 17 Air and Phone (3a) Pro, the iPhone 17 Air comes out ahead in antutu and weight, while the Phone (3a) Pro wins on front camera and wired charging. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air scores 60.3 and the Phone (3a) Pro scores 63.8 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The Phone (3a) Pro edges ahead on the Mars Score (60.3 vs 63.8), but the 3.5-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.

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 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.

Both ship with comparable refresh rate, 5g support, optical image stabilization, 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 — 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 ".
Full readout

Spec comparison

Design

SpecApple - iPhone 17 AirNothing - Phone (3a) Pro
Weight146 glead211 g
Thickness5.6 mmlead8.4 mm
Water resistanceIP68leadIP64
Form factorbarbar

Display

SpecApple - iPhone 17 AirNothing - Phone (3a) Pro
Screen size6.6 "6.77 "lead
Pixel density460 ppilead387 ppi
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness2200 nits3000 nitslead

Performance

SpecApple - iPhone 17 AirNothing - Phone (3a) Pro
RAM8 GB12 GBlead
Storage256 GB256 GB
AnTuTu1960000lead850000
CPU total clock19.2 GHzlead11.0 GHz

Cameras

SpecApple - iPhone 17 AirNothing - Phone (3a) Pro
Main camera48 MP50 MPlead
Front camera12 MP50 MPlead
Optical image stabilizationtruetrue

Battery

SpecApple - iPhone 17 AirNothing - Phone (3a) Pro
Battery capacity2900 mAh5000 mAhlead
Wired charging20 W50 Wlead
Wireless charging15 Wlead0 W

Connectivity

SpecApple - iPhone 17 AirNothing - Phone (3a) Pro
5G supporttruetrue
Headphone jackfalsefalse
microSD slotfalsefalse

Operating System

SpecApple - iPhone 17 AirNothing - Phone (3a) Pro
OSiOSleadAndroid
Promised OS updates6 yearslead3 years
Reader questions

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.

Drill down

Spec-level deep dives

By manufacturer

More from the same brands

vsMars is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.