Screen size
Quick verdict
iPhone Air leads the measured specs 12-3.
Measured wins
iPhone 16
3
spec wins
Ties
8
equal specs
iPhone Air
12
spec wins
Overall winner
Screen size
Technology
iPhone 16
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
iPhone Air
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
2G bands
iPhone 16
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 , CDMA 800 / 1900
iPhone Air
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 , CDMA 800 / 1900
3G bands
iPhone 16
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 , CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
iPhone Air
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 , CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
4G bands
iPhone 16
Resolution
Refresh rate
Peak brightness
Pixel density
equal specsCPU speed
RAM
Storage
Main camera
equal specsFront camera
Battery
Wired charging
Weight
Thickness
IP rating
equal specsWi‑Fi
Bluetooth
USB
equal specs5G support
equal specsNFC
equal specs3.5mm jack
equal specsSD card
equal specsStereo speakers
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66 - A3287, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3081, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3286, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 - A3288
iPhone Air
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66 - A3517, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3260, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 - A3518
5G bands
iPhone 16
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3287, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - A3081, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3286, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3288
iPhone Air
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3517, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3260, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3518
Speed
iPhone 16
HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
iPhone Air
HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
Announced
iPhone 16
2024, September 09
iPhone Air
2025, September 09
Status
iPhone 16
Available. Released 2024, September 20
iPhone Air
Available. Released 2025, September 19
Dimensions
iPhone 16
147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm (5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 in)
iPhone Air
156.2 x 74.7 x 5.6 mm (6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 in)
Weight
iPhone 16
170 g (6.00 oz)
iPhone Air
165 g (5.82 oz)
Build
iPhone 16
Glass front (Ceramic Shield), glass back, aluminum frame
iPhone Air
Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), titanium frame (grade 5), glass back (Ceramic Shield)
SIM
iPhone 16
· Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)· eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China)
iPhone Air
eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time)
Other
iPhone 16
IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)
iPhone Air
IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)
Type
iPhone 16
Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM)
iPhone Air
LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 1600 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)
Size
iPhone 16
6.1 inches, 91.7 cm2 (~86.8% screen-to-body ratio)
iPhone Air
6.5 inches, 104.9 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution
iPhone 16
1179 x 2556 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)
iPhone Air
1260 x 2736 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)
Protection
iPhone 16
Ceramic Shield glass (2024 gen), Mohs level 4
iPhone Air
Ceramic Shield 2, Mohs level 5
Other
iPhone 16
-
iPhone Air
Anti-reflective coating
OS
iPhone 16
iOS 18, upgradable to iOS 26.2.1
iPhone Air
iOS 26, upgradable to iOS 26.2.1
Chipset
iPhone 16
Apple A18 (3 nm)
iPhone Air
Apple A19 Pro (3 nm)
CPU
iPhone 16
Hexa-core (2x4.04 GHz + 4x2.20 GHz)
iPhone Air
Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4xX.X GHz)
GPU
iPhone 16
Apple GPU (5-core graphics)
iPhone Air
Apple GPU (5-core graphics)
Card slot
iPhone 16
No
iPhone Air
No
Internal
iPhone 16
128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM
iPhone Air
256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM
Other
iPhone 16
NVMe
iPhone Air
NVMe
Dual
iPhone 16
48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF
iPhone Air
-
Features
iPhone 16
Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)
iPhone Air
Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)
Video
iPhone 16
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec.
iPhone Air
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec.
Single
iPhone 16
-
iPhone Air
48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS
Single
iPhone 16
12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
iPhone Air
18 MP multi-aspect, f/1.9, 20mm (ultrawide), PDAF SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
Features
iPhone 16
HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec.
iPhone Air
HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec.
Video
iPhone 16
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS
iPhone Air
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS
Loudspeaker
iPhone 16
Yes, with stereo speakers
iPhone Air
Yes
3.5mm jack
iPhone 16
No
iPhone Air
No
WLAN
iPhone 16
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, tri-band, hotspot
iPhone Air
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, hotspot
Bluetooth
iPhone 16
5.3, A2DP, LE
iPhone Air
6.0, A2DP, LE
Positioning
iPhone 16
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
iPhone Air
GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, QZSS, BDS, NavIC
NFC
iPhone 16
Yes
iPhone Air
Yes
Radio
iPhone 16
No
iPhone Air
No
USB
iPhone 16
USB Type-C 2.0, DisplayPort
iPhone Air
USB Type-C 2.0
Sensors
iPhone 16
Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
iPhone Air
Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Other
iPhone 16
Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip) Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite
iPhone Air
Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip) Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite
Type
iPhone 16
Li-Ion 3561 mAh
iPhone Air
Li-Ion 3149 mAh
Charging
iPhone 16
Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 25W wireless (MagSafe), 15W wireless (China only) 15W wireless (Qi2) 4.5W reverse wired
iPhone Air
Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 20 wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W - China) 4.5W reverse wired
Colors
iPhone 16
Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine
iPhone Air
Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue
Models
iPhone 16
A3287, A3081, A3286, A3288, iPhone17,3
iPhone Air
iPhone18,4, A3517, A3260, A3518, A3516
SAR
iPhone 16
1.08 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body)
iPhone Air
1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body)
SAR EU
iPhone 16
1.24 W/kg (head) 1.41 W/kg (body)
iPhone Air
1.49 W/kg (head) 1.49 W/kg (body)
Price
iPhone 16
$ 456.99 / C$ 908.71 / £ 519.99 / € 600.00 / ₹ 99,900
iPhone Air
$ 849.92 / C$ 1,899.00 / £ 727.00 / € 850.00