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Head to head · 2 phones

iPhone 16 Plus vs iPhone Air

Verified specs side by side. The green tick marks the better value on each measurable row.

Comparing 2 phones
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Plus8.3Very good· Top score
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iPhone Air
iPhone Air7.6Good
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The short verdict

iPhone 16 Plus edges it on score

The iPhone 16 Plus leads overall; pick the iPhone Air if its strengths below matter more to you.

iPhone 16 Plus
8.3
iPhone Air
7.6
Choose the iPhone 16 Plus if
  • iPhone users who want a big screen and long battery life at a used-market price
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Choose the iPhone Air if
  • Buyers who prioritize a thin, light iPhone silhouette over max cameras.
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At a glance

Key differences

Measured differences only. Ties and tiny gaps are left out.
Why pick theiPhone 16 Plus3 wins
+48%Bigger battery4,674 vs 3,149 mAh
1.3×Faster wired charging25 vs 20 W
−$120Cheaper today$539 vs $659
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Why pick theiPhone Air2 wins
+50%More RAM for multitasking12 vs 8 GB
−34 gLighter in the hand165 vs 199 g
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Display8 differences
Screen size
6.7"
6.5"
Display type
Super Retina XDR display · HDR · True Tone
Super Retina XDR display · ProMotion up to 120Hz · Always-On
Resolution
1290 x 2796
1260 x 2736
Refresh rate
—
120 Hz
Peak brightness
1000 nits max brightness (typical) · 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR) · 2000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)
1000 nits max brightness (typical) · 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR) · 3000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)
Protection
Ceramic Shield front
Ceramic Shield 2 front
Panel
Super Retina XDR OLED
LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED
Screen Protection
Ceramic Shield front
Ceramic Shield 2, Mohs level 5 | Anti-reflective coating
Performance3 differences
Chipset
A18
A19 Pro
CPU
Hexa-core (2x4.04 GHz + 4x2.20 GHz)
Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4xX.X GHz)
Gpu cores
5-core GPU
5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators
Memory2 differences
RAM
8 GB
12 GB
Internal storage
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
256 GB
Main camera2 differences
Modules
48MP Fusion Main: 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (
48MP Fusion camera system -
Optical zoom
2x optical zoom in · 2x optical zoom out · 4x optical zoom range
Digital zoom up to 10x
Battery & Charging3 differences
Capacity
4,674 mAh
3,149 mAh
Wired charging
Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes
Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
Wireless charging
25W wireless (MagSafe)
Wireless
Network1 difference
SIM
Dual eSIM (two active eSIMs; stores eight or more eSIMs)
eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time) | IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)
Connectivity2 differences
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 6.0
Positioning
GPS · GLONASS · Galileo
GPS · GALILEO · GLONASS
Sensors & Security1 difference
Other sensors
Face ID · Barometer · High dynamic range gyro
Face ID
Body4 differences
Dimensions
height: 6.33 inches (160.9 mm) · width: 3.06 inches (77.8 mm) · depth: 0.31 inch (7.80 mm)
height: 6.15 inches (156.2 mm) · width: 2.94 inches (74.7 mm) · depth: 0.22 inch (5.64 mm)
Weight
199 g
165 g
Build
Aluminum design
Titanium design · Ceramic Shield 2 front · Ceramic Shield back
Colors
Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine
Space Black · Cloud White · Light Gold
Launch & Software3 differences
Released
2024-09-20
September 9, 2025
Operating system
iOS 18
iOS 26
In the box
iPhone 16 Plus · USB-C Charge Cable (1 m) · Documentation
iPhone Air · USB-C Charge Cable (1 m) · Documentation
Battery & charging2 differences
Battery claims
Up to 27 hours · Up to 24 hours · Up to 100 hours
Up to 27 hours · Up to 40 hours · Up to 22 hours
Charging Watt
Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes
Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
Design2 differences
Rear Material
Aluminum design
Titanium design · Ceramic Shield 2 front · Ceramic Shield back
Weights
7.03 ounces (199 grams)
5.82 ounces (165 grams)
Where to buy
eBayCheck price
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Specs verified against manufacturer data. Prices in USD before tax; we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

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