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Apple iPhone Air vs Apple iPhone XS

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPhone AirAppleiPhone XS
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2025September 2018
Display
Screen size6.5″5.8″
Resolution2736 × 12602436 × 1125
Sharpness463 pixels per inch463 pixels per inch
PanelLTPO OLEDOLED
Refresh rate120 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness3,000 nits625 nits
Display typeSuper Retina XDR OLED display with Dynamic IslandSuper Retina HD display; 5.8-inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED Multi-Touch display with rounded corners; 5.85 inches measured as a standard rectangle
Pixel density460 ppi458 ppi
Brightness detail1,000 nits max (typical); 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 1 nit minimum625 cd/m² 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 coatingHDR display; True Tone; wide colour display (P3); 3D Touch; 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
Performance
ChipA19 ProA12 Bionic
Memory12 GB4 GB
Storage256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB64 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
CPU6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency coresSix-core (2x 2.5 GHz Vortex + 4x 1.6 GHz Tempest) (GSMArena); 4 GB of Micron LPDDR4X RAM (iFixit)
GPU5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracingApple-designed four-core GPU (GSMArena)
AI engine16-core Neural EngineNext-generation Neural Engine (8-core)
Cameras
Main camera48 MP12 MP
Ultra wide cameraNoneNone
Telephoto cameraNone12 MP
Optical zoomNone2×
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 wide-angle, ƒ/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilisation, six-element lens, quad-LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync
Telephoto camera–12MP telephoto, ƒ/2.4 aperture, optical image stabilisation, 2x optical zoom
Front camera18MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus Pixels7MP TrueDepth camera, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash
Zoom12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto (52 mm) from the Main camera; digital zoom up to 10x2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 10x (photos) and 6x (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, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 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; 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 30 or 60 fps; extended dynamic range at 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 ControlSmart HDR; Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control; Portrait Lighting with five effects; Animoji and Memoji; Live Photos; panorama (up to 63MP); HEIF and JPEG
Battery and charging
Battery3,149 mAh2,659 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 27 hoursUp to 14 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 cyclesLasts up to 30 minutes longer than iPhone X; talk time up to 20 hours; internet use up to 12 hours; wireless video playback up to 14 hours; wireless audio playback up to 60 hours; 3.81 V, 10.13 Wh, 2,659 mAh (iFixit)
Wired chargingUp to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)Up to 50% in 30 minutes with an 18W adapter or higher (available 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 A3517Gigabit-class LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA; model A1920: FDD-LTE (bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71), TD-LTE (bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46); 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 802.11ac 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-locationAssisted GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular; iBeacon microlocation
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight165 g177 g
Thickness5.64 mm7.7 mm
Height × width156.2 × 74.7 mm143.6 × 70.9 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68IP68
MaterialsGrade 5 titanium frame with a polished mirror finish; 3D-printed titanium USB-C portGlass front and back with a surgical-grade stainless steel band
ColoursSpace Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky BlueGold, Space Grey, Silver
ButtonsAction button; Camera Control; side button; volume up/downVolume up/down; ring/silent; side button
Water resistance detailIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529IP68 (maximum depth of 2 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
BiometricsFace IDFace ID, enabled by the TrueDepth camera
SensorsBarometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensorsFace ID; barometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker (one, not stereo)Wider stereo playback
MicrophonesBuilt-in microphones; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes–
Software
Operating systemiOSiOS
Software at launchiOS 26iOS 12
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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