Between the iPhone 17 Air and OnePlus 12, the iPhone 17 Air comes out ahead in weight and water resistance, while the OnePlus 12 wins on wired charging and wireless charging. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air scores 60.3 and the OnePlus 12 scores 69.6 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The OnePlus 12 is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 9.3 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, water resistance, promised os updates.
Pick the OnePlus 12 if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. Its strongest claims are wired charging, wireless charging, front camera, 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: the OnePlus 12 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 — 74.00 g less. 146 vs 220.
- ▲Water resistance: IP68 (vs IP65).
- ▲Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 4).
Why OnePlus 12 wins
- ▲Wired charging — 400.00% more. 100 W vs 20 W.
- ▲Wireless charging — 233.33% more. 50 W vs 15 W.
- ▲Front camera — 166.67% more. 32 MP vs 12 MP.
- ▲Battery capacity — 86.21% more. 5400 mAh vs 2900 mAh.
- ▲RAM — 50.00% more. 12 GB vs 8 GB.
- ▲Pixel density — 10.87% more. 510 ppi vs 460 ppi.
- ▲AnTuTu — 5.10% more. 2060000 vs 1960000.
- ▲Main camera — 4.17% more. 50 MP vs 48 MP.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 146 glead | 220 g |
| Thickness | 5.6 mmlead | 9.15 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68lead | IP65 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.6 " | 6.82 "lead |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppi | 510 ppilead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2200 nits | 4500 nitslead |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 32 MPlead |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 2900 mAh | 5400 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 20 W | 100 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 W | 50 Wlead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOSlead | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 6 yearslead | 4 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 17 Air or OnePlus 12?+
OnePlus 12 has 86.2% more battery — 2900 mAh vs 5400 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 17 Air or OnePlus 12?+
iPhone 17 Air is 74g lighter — 146g vs 220g.
Is iPhone 17 Air waterproof?+
iPhone 17 Air has an IP68 rating.
Does OnePlus 12 support 5G?+
Yes, OnePlus 12 supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, iPhone 17 Air or OnePlus 12?+
OnePlus 12 offers 12GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 17 Air or OnePlus 12?+
OnePlus 12 has a 50 MP main camera vs 48 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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