Between the iPhone 17 Air and Pixel 9, the iPhone 17 Air comes out ahead in antutu and weight, while the Pixel 9 wins on battery capacity and ram. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air scores 60.3 and the Pixel 9 scores 63.5 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Pixel 9 edges ahead on the Mars Score (60.3 vs 63.5), but the 3.2-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the iPhone 17 Air if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. The biggest gaps in its favor are antutu, weight, front camera, among others.
Pick the Pixel 9 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 battery capacity, ram, wired charging, 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: 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 — 58.06% more. 1960000 vs 1240000.
- ▲Weight — 52.00 g less. 146 vs 198.
- ▲Front camera — 14.29% more. 12 MP vs 10.5 MP.
- ▲Pixel density — 9.00% more. 460 ppi vs 422 ppi.
- ▲Screen size — 4.76% more. 6.6 " vs 6.3 ".
Why Google - Pixel 9 wins
- ▲Battery capacity — 62.07% more. 4700 mAh vs 2900 mAh.
- ▲RAM — 50.00% more. 12 GB vs 8 GB.
- ▲Wired charging — 35.00% more. 27 W vs 20 W.
- ▲Main camera — 4.17% more. 50 MP vs 48 MP.
- ▲Promised OS updates: 7 (vs 6).
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Google - Pixel 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 146 glead | 198 g |
| Thickness | 5.6 mmlead | 8.5 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68 | IP68 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Google - Pixel 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.6 "lead | 6.3 " |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppilead | 422 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2200 nits | 2700 nitslead |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Google - Pixel 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Front camera | 12 MPlead | 10.5 MP |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Google - Pixel 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 2900 mAh | 4700 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 20 W | 27 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 W | 15 W |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Google - Pixel 9 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Google - Pixel 9 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOSlead | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 6 years | 7 yearslead |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 17 Air or Pixel 9?+
Pixel 9 has 62.1% more battery — 2900 mAh vs 4700 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 17 Air or Pixel 9?+
iPhone 17 Air is 52g lighter — 146g vs 198g.
Is iPhone 17 Air waterproof?+
iPhone 17 Air has an IP68 rating.
Does Pixel 9 support 5G?+
Yes, Pixel 9 supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, iPhone 17 Air or Pixel 9?+
Pixel 9 offers 12GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 17 Air or Pixel 9?+
Pixel 9 has a 50 MP main camera vs 48 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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.