The iPhone aspect ratio is really three ratios. Every all-screen iPhone from the iPhone X onward has a 19.5:9-class screen, while the Camera app shoots 4:3 photos by default and records 16:9 video, so no all-screen iPhone matches the media it captures. This Playcut spec library sheet lists Apple's published pixel resolution for every panel from the iPhone 8 to the iPhone 17 family, computes the reduced fraction, then covers photo, video and wallpaper shapes.
iPhone aspect ratio at a glance: 19.5:9 screen, 4:3 photos, 16:9 video
Every notch or Dynamic Island iPhone, from the 2017 iPhone X through the iPhone 17 family and iPhone Air, has a screen close to 19.5:9, roughly 2.16 to 2.17 times taller than wide. The Camera app's default photo is 4:3 and Video mode records 16:9 at 720p, 1080p or 4K. Among the models in this table, only the iPhone 6 to 8 generation and the SE 2 and SE 3 kept 16:9-class screens.
Three different ratios, one phone
The screen ratio decides how much of a Reel fills the glass, the photo ratio how much you can crop, and the video ratio what your editor imports. Drawn below at equal width: a 4:3 photo held upright is 3:4, a 9:16 video is a rotated 16:9 file, and the panel behind both is roughly 9:19.5.
iPhone screen aspect ratio by model (Apple-cited pixel table)
The table lists every iPhone display panel from the iPhone 8 to the iPhone 17 family with the pixel resolution Apple publishes on each model's tech-specs page (read 2026-09-05), plus the reduced fraction, decimal, X:9 shape and the share of the height a 9:16 video fills. The Apple spec page column is the number in each page's support.apple.com URL.
| Model(s) | Screen | Pixels (W × H) | Reduced | Decimal (tall) | As X:9 | 9:16 fill | Apple spec page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 6, 6s, 7, 8, SE 2, SE 3 | 4.7 in | 750 × 1334 | 375:667 | 1.7787 | 16.01:9 | ~100% | 111976 |
| iPhone 6 Plus, 7 Plus, 8 Plus | 5.5 in | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | 1.7778 | 16.00:9 | 100% | 111950 |
| iPhone X, XS, 11 Pro | 5.8 in | 1125 × 2436 | 375:812 | 2.1653 | 19.49:9 | 82.1% | 111864 |
| iPhone XR, 11 | 6.1 in | 828 × 1792 | 207:448 | 2.1643 | 19.48:9 | 82.1% | 111868 |
| iPhone XS Max, 11 Pro Max | 6.5 in | 1242 × 2688 | 207:448 | 2.1643 | 19.48:9 | 82.1% | 111880 |
| iPhone 12 mini, 13 mini | 5.4 in | 1080 × 2340 | 6:13 | 2.1667 | 19.50:9 | 82.1% | 111877 |
| iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 13, 13 Pro, 14, 16e, 17e | 6.1 in | 1170 × 2532 | 195:422 | 2.1641 | 19.48:9 | 82.1% | 111876 / 126470 |
| iPhone 12 Pro Max, 13 Pro Max, 14 Plus | 6.7 in | 1284 × 2778 | 214:463 | 2.1636 | 19.47:9 | 82.2% | 111874 |
| iPhone 14 Pro, 15, 15 Pro, 16 | 6.1 in | 1179 × 2556 | 131:284 | 2.1679 | 19.51:9 | 82.0% | 111831 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max, 15 Plus, 15 Pro Max, 16 Plus | 6.7 in | 1290 × 2796 | 215:466 | 2.1674 | 19.51:9 | 82.0% | 111830 |
| iPhone 16 Pro, 17, 17 Pro | 6.3 in | 1206 × 2622 | 201:437 | 2.1741 | 19.57:9 | 81.8% | 125089 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max, 17 Pro Max | 6.9 in | 1320 × 2868 | 110:239 | 2.1727 | 19.55:9 | 81.8% | 125091 |
| iPhone Air | 6.5 in | 1260 × 2736 | 35:76 | 2.1714 | 19.54:9 | 81.9% | 125092 |
The 16:9 era: iPhone 6 through iPhone 8, SE 2 and SE 3
Apple's iPhone 8 page lists a 1334-by-750-pixel resolution at 326 ppi, the same panel the SE 2 and SE 3 reuse. That reduces to 375:667, or 1.7787, 0.05% off a true 16:9, so it is widescreen without being exact. Only the Plus models' 1080 × 1920 panel is an exact 16:9, which is why a 1080 × 1920 Reel fills an 8 Plus edge to edge.
The 19.5:9 era: iPhone X through iPhone 17, and why the fractions look ugly
The iPhone X introduced the 1125 × 2436 panel, and every model since has stayed within a narrow band, from 2.1636 to 2.1741 tall. Fractions like 131:284 appear because Apple picks pixel counts to hit a target density (460 ppi on current models), not a round ratio. Among the thirteen panels in this table, only the 12 mini and 13 mini at 1080 × 2340 reduce to 6:13, an exact 19.5:9; the rest run from 19.47:9 to 19.57:9.
Points vs pixels: 393 × 852 and 1179 × 2556 are the same screen
Developer tools describe the iPhone 15 screen as 393 × 852 points, while Apple's tech specs say 1179 × 2556 pixels. Both are right: the phone renders at a 3× scale factor, and the aspect ratio of iPhone screens is identical either way. Use the pixel figure for wallpapers; the how to know your aspect ratio guide shows how to reduce any file's dimensions.
iPhone 15, iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 aspect ratio
The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro share a 1179 × 2556 screen (19.51:9), the 16 keeps it, the 16 Pro, 17 and 17 Pro move to 1206 × 2622 (19.57:9), and both Pro Max models reach 1320 × 2868 (19.55:9), per Apple's tech specs.
iPhone 15 aspect ratio: 1179 × 2556 (19.51:9), and what changed after it
Apple's iPhone 15 tech specs list a 2556-by-1179-pixel resolution at 460 ppi, which reduces to 131:284 (2.168); the 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max use 1290 × 2796, or 215:466 (2.167). iPhone 16 and 16 Plus inherit them. The 16 Pro, 17 and 17 Pro use 1206 × 2622 (201:437), the Pro Max models 1320 × 2868 (110:239), the iPhone Air 1260 × 2736 (35:76), and the 16e and 17e reuse the 1170 × 2532 panel.
iPhone photo aspect ratio: 4:3 default, 1:1 and 16:9
iPhone photos are 4:3 by default. Apple's camera setup guide lists 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 as the only Aspect options in the Camera app, and a 16:9 photo keeps the full width but only 75% of the height of the 4:3 frame, losing 25% total (12.5% per edge). Held upright, the same 4:3 frame is a 3:4 portrait.
A Live Photo adds a short video to the still. To share one as an animation, convert a Live Photo to GIF in Safari or a desktop browser.
Where the Aspect control is and what it offers
In Photo mode, tap the arrow at the top of the viewfinder, then Aspect, and tap again to cycle through 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9. Each is a crop applied at capture: 1:1 trims 25% of the width and 16:9 trims 25% of the height (12.5% per edge either way). Generic pixel sizes for those shapes are on the 4:3 aspect ratio sheet and the 3:4 aspect ratio sheet.
Pixel dimensions at 12 MP, 24 MP and 48 MP
Apple publishes megapixels, not pixel dimensions. Its advanced camera settings guide says supported models default to 24 MP, can drop to 12 MP and need Resolution Control for 48 MP. Each tier works out to the sizes below; confirm yours in Photos with the info button.
| Width × height | Ratio | Megapixels | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4032 × 3024 | 4:3 | 12.19 | 12 MP photo, full sensor frame |
| 4032 × 2268 | 16:9 | 9.14 | 12 MP photo with 16:9 Aspect |
| 3024 × 3024 | 1:1 | 9.14 | 12 MP photo with 1:1 Aspect |
| 5712 × 4284 | 4:3 | 24.47 | 24 MP default on supported models |
| 5712 × 3213 | 16:9 | 18.35 | 24 MP photo with 16:9 Aspect |
| 4284 × 4284 | 1:1 | 18.35 | 24 MP photo with 1:1 Aspect |
| 8064 × 6048 | 4:3 | 48.77 | 48 MP with Resolution Control, main camera at 1x |
| 8064 × 4536 | 16:9 | 36.58 | 48 MP photo with 16:9 Aspect |
| 6048 × 6048 | 1:1 | 36.58 | 48 MP photo with 1:1 Aspect |
| 1920 × 1080 | 16:9 | 2.07 | 1080p video frame (stored landscape) |
| 3840 × 2160 | 16:9 | 8.29 | 4K video frame (stored landscape) |
| 1179 × 2556 | 131:284 | 3.01 | Wallpaper for iPhone 14 Pro, 15, 15 Pro, 16 |
| 1206 × 2622 | 201:437 | 3.16 | Wallpaper for iPhone 16 Pro, 17, 17 Pro |
| 1320 × 2868 | 110:239 | 3.79 | Wallpaper for iPhone 16 Pro Max, 17 Pro Max |
Photos app crop presets: Square, Wallpaper, 9:16, 5:7
After capture, the Photos editor offers preset crops that Apple's crop and straighten guide names as Square, Wallpaper, 9:16 and 5:7; Wallpaper matches your device's screen shape without stating a number. The safe zone checker shows a crop boundary before it happens.
The Square preset produces the 1:1 frame; the 1:1 square format sheet lists the exact square pixel sizes and where the square still works on social feeds.
iPhone video aspect ratio: 16:9, and why vertical video is rotated 16:9
iPhone video is 16:9 at 720p, 1080p or 4K on every model in the table from the iPhone 8 onward. When you hold the phone upright the file is still stored as a 16:9 frame, for example 3840 × 2160, with a 90-degree rotation flag that players read as 9:16. The Camera app's Video mode exposes no aspect control, so 4:3 or 1:1 video needs a crop afterwards.
Recording formats Apple lists per model
Apple's spec lines are resolution plus frame rate, never a ratio: the iPhone 8 page reads "4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps" and the iPhone 17 page adds Dolby Vision and 25 fps. The frame itself is 3840 × 2160 or 1920 × 1080 stored landscape.
Portrait recording: the file is still 16:9 with a rotation flag
A vertical clip from an iPhone is a landscape 1920 × 1080 or 3840 × 2160 stream plus a display-matrix tag telling the player to turn it 90 degrees. Metadata tools may report 1920 wide with a rotate value of 90 until an editor re-encodes with the rotation baked in, after which the tag is gone and that check no longer works. The 9:16 resolution chart lists every export size for that shape.
For where an iPhone clip lands after export, the social video spec sheet lists each platform's accepted ratios, size limits and safe zones in one table.
Screen vs camera vs delivery: letterbox math per model
A 9:16 clip fills 81.8% to 82.2% of a 19.5:9-class iPhone screen depending on the model, leaving 17.8% to 18.2% total (about 9% per edge) for app chrome or black bars, while it fills 100% of a 16:9 iPhone 8 Plus screen.
9:16 video on a 19.5:9 screen: about 18% unfilled
Scale a 1080 × 1920 clip to the 1179-pixel width of an iPhone 15 and it becomes 1179 × 2096, covering 2096 of 2556 rows: 82.0% filled, 18.0% total unfilled (9.0% per edge). On the 1206 × 2622 iPhone 17 it covers 2144 rows, 81.8% filled, 18.2% total (9.1% per edge).
4:3 photos on a 19.5:9 screen: about 38% unfilled in portrait
A 3:4 portrait photo scaled to the full width of a 1179 × 2556 screen is 1179 × 1572, filling 61.5% of the height and leaving 38.5% total (about 19% per edge); on 1206 × 2622 it is 38.7% total. Check any pair of sizes in the aspect ratio calculator.
Which Playcut models output iPhone-friendly ratios, and wallpaper sizes
Every video model in Playcut offers 9:16, and only Grok Imagine (Image) offers the 19.5:9, 9:19.5, 20:9 and 9:20 screen shapes, per Playcut's capability matrix. Seedance 2.0, Grok Imagine Video (classic), HappyHorse 1.1 and Wan 2.7 also list 4:3 and 3:4 on text-to-video and reference-to-video. Imagine Video 1.5 is image-to-video only and its 3:4 is unverified; HappyHorse and Wan 2.7 image-to-video take no ratio.
Exact wallpaper pixel sizes per model
An iPhone wallpaper should match the panel exactly: 1206 × 2622 for the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro, 1320 × 2868 for the 17 Pro Max, 1260 × 2736 for the iPhone Air, 1179 × 2556 for the iPhone 15 and 16. That is a 9:19.5-class shape, not 9:16; a 9:16 image set as wallpaper is cropped or scaled up by about 22%.
9:16 and 4:3 / 3:4 by model
For Reels, Shorts and TikTok, pick 9:16 in Playcut's video generator on Veo 3.1, Seedance 2.0, Grok Imagine Video, HappyHorse 1.1, Wan 2.7 or Omni Flash. Seedance 2.0, Grok Imagine Video (classic), HappyHorse 1.1 and Wan 2.7 also list 4:3 and 3:4 for photo-shaped clips on text-to-video and reference-to-video. HappyHorse and Wan 2.7 image-to-video take no ratio; Imagine Video 1.5 is image-to-video only, with 4:3 probed and 3:4 unverified.
For wallpapers, Grok Imagine (Image) in the image generator offers 9:19.5 and 9:20 at 1k or 2k (no 4K).
Per-ratio pixel output: what is and is not published
Only the Nano Banana image models have a per-ratio size table, and it is Playcut's own rather than Google's, for example 768 × 1376 at 1K for 9:16. Veo 3.1 offers 16:9 and 9:16, but its per-ratio output pixels are not published in Playcut's model docs; the 720 × 1280 and 1080 × 1920 figures there are Playcut's own image-to-video pre-resize targets.
Seedance 2.0 documents pixel sizes for 16:9 only (1920 × 1088 at 1080p); Grok Imagine, HappyHorse 1.1, Wan 2.7 and Omni Flash publish no per-ratio pixels, so 9:16, 4:3 and 3:4 output sizes are not published for any of them. Finish exact wallpaper sizes in the image resizer.