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Apple iPhone Air vs Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPhone AirAppleiPhone SE (3rd generation)
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2025March 2022
Display
Screen size6.5″4.7″
Resolution2736 × 12601334 × 750
Sharpness463 pixels per inch326 pixels per inch
PanelLTPO OLEDLCD
Refresh rate120 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness3,000 nits625 nits
Display typeSuper Retina XDR OLED display with Dynamic IslandRetina HD display; 4.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
Pixel density460 ppi326 ppi
Brightness detail1,000 nits max (typical); 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 1 nit minimum625 nits max brightness (typical)
Always-on displayYes–
Screen protectionCeramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield backFingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Display featuresProMotion adaptive refresh; HDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical); anti-reflective coatingTrue Tone; wide colour display (P3); Haptic Touch; 1400:1 contrast ratio (typical); Display Zoom; Reachability
Performance
ChipA19 ProA15 Bionic
Memory12 GB3 GB
Storage256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB
CPU6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores; 4 GB of RAM (GSMArena)
GPU5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing4-core GPU
AI engine16-core Neural Engine16-core Neural Engine
Cameras
Main camera48 MP12 MP
Ultra wide cameraNoneNone
Telephoto cameraNoneNone
Optical zoomNoneNone
Front camera18 MP7 MP
Main camera48MP Fusion Main, 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos12MP Main, ƒ/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilisation, True Tone flash with slow sync, sapphire crystal lens cover
Front camera18MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus Pixels7MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash
Zoom12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto (52 mm) from the Main camera; digital zoom up to 10xDigital zoom up to 5x (photos) and 3x (video)
Video recording4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p Dolby Vision at 25, 30 or 60 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; Dual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; HEVC and H.2644K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; extended dynamic range up to 30 fps; optical image stabilisation for video; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; Night mode Time-lapse; QuickTake; stereo recording
Front video4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps; ultra-stabilised video; Centre Stage for video calls1080p HD at 25 or 30 fps
Camera featuresPhotonic Engine; Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 5; next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control; Night mode; Photographic Styles; customisable default lens; Camera ControlDeep Fusion; Smart HDR 4; Photographic Styles; Portrait mode with Depth Control and six Portrait Lighting effects on both cameras; Live Photos; panorama (up to 63MP)
Battery and charging
Battery3,149 mAh2,018 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 27 hoursUp to 15 hours
Wireless chargingUp to 20 WYes (wattage not published)
Battery life detailUp to 22 hours streamed video playback; up to 40 hours video playback with the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery (sold separately); EU energy label class A, 40 hours per charge, at least 1,000 charge cyclesVideo playback up to 15 hours (10 hours streamed); audio playback up to 50 hours; 2,018 mAh, 6.96 Wh (GSMArena)
Wired chargingUp to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)Up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)
Wireless chargingMagSafe and Qi2 up to 20W with a 30W adapter or higher; up to 50% in 30 minutesWorks with Qi chargers
Connectivity
Satellite messagingYes–
Mobile networkApple C1X modem; 5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; UK model A35175G (sub-6 GHz) with 2x2 MIMO; 4G LTE Advanced with 2x2 MIMO and LAA; VoLTE; Wi-Fi calling
SIMDual eSIM (two active, stores eight or more); no physical SIM cardDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO; Apple N1 wireless networking chipWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO
BluetoothBluetooth 6; ThreadBluetooth 5.0
Ultra WidebandApple second-generation Ultra Wideband chip–
NFCNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with Power ReserveNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserve
Satellite featuresEmergency SOS via satellite; Roadside Assistance via satellite–
USBUSB-C with charging and USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s)Lightning connector; video mirroring and video out up to 1080p through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
PositioningPrecision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC); digital compass; iBeacon micro-locationGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular; iBeacon microlocation
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight165 g144 g
Thickness5.64 mm7.3 mm
Height × width156.2 × 74.7 mm138.4 × 67.3 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68IP67
MaterialsGrade 5 titanium frame with a polished mirror finish; 3D-printed titanium USB-C portAerospace-grade aluminium with the toughest glass in a smartphone on the front and back, the same as the back of iPhone 13
ColoursSpace Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky BlueStarlight, Midnight, (PRODUCT)RED
ButtonsAction button; Camera Control; side button; volume up/downHome/Touch ID sensor; volume up/down; ring/silent; side button
Water resistance detailIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529IP67 (maximum depth of 1 metre up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
BiometricsFace IDTouch ID fingerprint sensor built into the Home button
SensorsBarometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensorsTouch ID fingerprint sensor; barometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker (one, not stereo)Stereo playback
MicrophonesBuilt-in microphones; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes–
Software
Operating systemiOSiOS
Software at launchiOS 26iOS 15
Software updatesSecurity, corrective and functionality updates for at least 5 years after it stops being sold (EU product information sheet)–
AI featuresApple Intelligence; Visual Intelligence–
Safety featuresCrash Detection–
In the boxiPhone Air, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), documentation; no power adapter–

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