Between the iPhone 17 Air and Xiaomi 15, the iPhone 17 Air comes out ahead in weight and screen size, while the Xiaomi 15 wins on wired charging and wireless charging. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air scores 60.3 and the Xiaomi 15 scores 70 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Xiaomi 15 is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 9.7 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 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 weight, screen size, promised os updates.
Pick the Xiaomi 15 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, water resistance, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Xiaomi 15 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 — 46.00 g less. 146 vs 192.
- ▲Screen size — 3.77% more. 6.6 " vs 6.36 ".
- ▲Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 4).
Why Xiaomi 15 wins
- ▲Wired charging — 350.00% more. 90 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.
- ▲AnTuTu — 36.73% more. 2680000 vs 1960000.
- ▲Main camera — 4.17% more. 50 MP vs 48 MP.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 146 glead | 192 g |
| Thickness | 5.6 mmlead | 8.1 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68 | IP68 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.6 "lead | 6.36 " |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2200 nits | 3200 nitslead |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 32 MPlead |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 2900 mAh | 5400 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 20 W | 90 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 W | 50 Wlead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 15 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 Air | Xiaomi 15 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOSlead | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 6 yearslead | 4 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 17 Air or Xiaomi 15?+
Xiaomi 15 has 86.2% more battery — 2900 mAh vs 5400 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 17 Air or Xiaomi 15?+
iPhone 17 Air is 46g lighter — 146g vs 192g.
Is iPhone 17 Air waterproof?+
iPhone 17 Air has an IP68 rating.
Does Xiaomi 15 support 5G?+
Yes, Xiaomi 15 supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, iPhone 17 Air or Xiaomi 15?+
Xiaomi 15 offers 12GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 17 Air or Xiaomi 15?+
Xiaomi 15 has a 50 MP main camera vs 48 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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