iPhone Air vs 16

Name Apple iPhone Air Apple iPhone 16
Image Apple iPhone Air Apple iPhone 16
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Apple iPhone Air – frontApple iPhone Air – backApple iPhone Air – right side
Apple iPhone 16 – frontApple iPhone 16 – backApple iPhone 16 – right side
MSRP $999 $799
Released Sep 2025 Sep 2024
Availability Available Available
Check price: Apple, Amazon Apple, Amazon
Operating system
Operating system (OS) iOS 26 iOS 18
Latest OS update? - iOS 18.2.1
Display specifications
Display type LTPO OLED OLED
Display size (inch) 6.5″ 6.1″
Resolution (H×W) 2736×1260 2556×1179
Aspect ratio (H:W) 19.5:9 19.5:9
Pixel density (PPI) 460 PPI 460 PPI
HDR support (types) Dolby Vision, HDR10 Dolby Vision, HDR10
Refresh rate (max) 120 Hz 60 Hz
Hardware
Chipset Apple A19 Pro Apple A18
GPU Apple GPU, 5 cores Apple GPU, 5 cores
CPU cores 6-core 6-core
CPU clock speed (max) 4.26 GHz 4.04 GHz
RAM options (GB) 12 GB 8 GB
Memory options (GB) 256 | 512 | 1024 128 | 256 | 512
Memory card slot? (microSD) ❌ ❌
Main camera layout
Primary (wide) 48 MP 48 MP
Ultrawide ❌ 12 MP
Telephoto ❌ ❌
Optical zoom ❌ 2×
Other cameras (macro/depth) ❌ ❌
Main camera features
Photo HDR? ✔ ✔
Video HDR? ✔ ✔
8K video? ❌ ❌
4K video? 24/25/30/60 fps 24/25/30/60 fps
1080p video? 25/30/60/120/240 fps 25/30/60/120/240 fps
Other resolutions? 720p@30 fps 720p@30 fps
Selfie-camera layout
Primary 18 MP wide 12 MP wide
Secondary SL 3D SL 3D
Selfie-camera features
Face recognition? Face ID Face ID
Selfie photo HDR? ✔ ✔
4K selfie video? 24/25/30/60 fps 24/25/30/60 fps
1080p selfie video? 25/30/60/120 fps 25/30/60/120 fps
Other resolutions? ❌ ❌
Connectivity
SIM type? (physical) None Nano (USA: none)
Dual SIM? (card slots) ❌ ❌ China only
eSIM? ✔ ✔
Cellular networks 5G 5G
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 6.0 5.3
NFC? ✔ ✔
Charging & data port USB-C 2.0 USB-C 2.0
Battery, power & charging
Battery capacity (3.7V) 3149 mAh 3561 mAh
Wired charging speed? 20 W ~25 W
Wireless charging? 20 Watt 25 Watt
Reverse wireless charging? ❌ ❌
Audio
Speakers 1.0 (mono) 2.0 (stereo)
3.5 mm AUX out port? ❌ ❌
Build & materials
IP-Code IP68 IP68
Screen material Ceramic Shield 2 Ceramic Shield glass
Frame material Titanium Aluminum
Back material Ceramic Shield Glass
Layout & design
Selfie camera placement? Island Island
Fingerprint sensor? ❌ ❌
Special design features? Action button, Camera control button Action button, Camera control button
Color options: Black, Blue, White, Gold Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine
Size & weight
Size (cm H×W×D): 15.62×7.47×0.56 14.76×7.16×0.78
Size (inch H×W×D): 6.15×2.94×0.22 5.81×2.82×0.31
Weight (gram): 165 170
Weight (oz): 5.82 6.00
In the box
Cables? USB-C to C USB-C to C
Charger? ❌ ❌
Adapters? ❌ ❌
Other ❌ SIM tool (outside USA)
More info
Model numbers A3517, A3260, A3518, A3516 A3287, A3081, A3286, A3288, iPhone17,3
User guide / manual User Guide User Guide
Official site link: Apple.com Apple.com
Check price & reviews
See price and reviews: Apple, Amazon Apple, Amazon
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Key differences

The Apple iPhone Air costs $200 more ($999 vs $799), is newer (Sep 2025 vs Sep 2024), has a larger display (6.5″ vs 6.1″), has a higher refresh rate (120 Hz vs 60 Hz), has more RAM (12 GB vs 8 GB) and has more storage (up to 1024 GB vs up to 512 GB).

The Apple iPhone 16 has a larger battery (3561 mAh vs 3149 mAh) and charges faster (~25 W vs 20 W). Only on the Apple iPhone 16: ultrawide (12 MP), optical zoom (2×) and physical SIM (Nano, USA: none).

Other differences: operating system (iOS 26 vs iOS 18), display type (LTPO OLED vs OLED), chipset (Apple A19 Pro vs Apple A18), Bluetooth (6.0 vs 5.3) and frame material (Titanium vs Aluminum). Both have IP68 water and dust resistance.

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