iPhone Screen Sizes for Design: 2026 Reference

iPhone screen sizes for design should start with a 393 × 852 pt canvas for iPhone 16 and iPhone 15, then be checked at 375 × 667 pt on iPhone SE (3rd gen) and 440 × 956 pt on iPhone 16 Pro Max. Design layouts in logical points, not physical pixels; export image assets at @2x for iPhone SE and @3x for the modern Face ID models listed here. Keep interactive controls at least 44 × 44 pt, and place persistent content inside each device’s top and bottom safe areas.

Key takeaways

• •Use 393 × 852 pt as the baseline canvas for iPhone 16 and iPhone 15.
• •iPhone SE (3rd gen) is 375 × 667 pt at @2x scale.
• •iPhone 16 Pro Max is 440 × 956 pt at @3x scale.
• •Apple Human Interface Guidelines specify a 44 × 44 pt minimum tappable target.
• •The iPhone 16/15 safe area is 59 pt at the top and 34 pt at the bottom.

This guide is for mobile UI/UX designers, iOS engineers, and founders who can read point-based layouts and build or review iPhone app screens.

Time: 25 minutes · You'll need: A point-based iOS design file in Figma, Sketch, or floow.design, An iPhone simulator or physical iPhone for final interaction checks, Apple Human Interface Guidelines access

What's on this page

1. •Set a 393 × 852 pt baseline canvas
2. •Design in points and export @2x or @3x assets
3. •Reserve safe areas and 44 pt touch targets
4. •Run a manual screen resolution checker pass
5. •Reference table

• •Common mistakes
• •FAQs

Set iPhone screen sizes for design, step by step

1. Set a 393 × 852 pt baseline canvas

Create an iOS frame at 393 × 852 pt. This is the shared logical size for iPhone 16 and iPhone 15, and it is a practical default because it sits between the 375 pt-wide compact models and the 440 pt-wide iPhone 16 Pro Max. Add non-exporting guides at 59 pt from the top and 34 pt from the bottom. Treat the remaining area as the safe layout region for content that must not sit under the Dynamic Island or Home indicator.

Use this baseline for the primary screen state, component dimensions, and redlines. Do not make a 440 pt-wide layout your master file: it encourages fixed-width rows, oversized empty gutters, and bottom actions that fail on the 375 × 667 pt iPhone SE. Do not choose the SE as the master either unless your app is primarily for compact devices; its 667 pt height makes long forms and feed layouts unusually constrained.

Tip: Use a 393 pt frame for component source variants, then test width and height changes through Auto Layout or constraints rather than duplicating components.

2. Design in points and export @2x or @3x assets

Measure frames, spacing, type, corner radii, and tap targets in points (pt). Points are iOS’s logical coordinate system, so a 393 pt-wide layout retains its intended proportions regardless of display density. Physical pixels are the rendered output: a 393 × 852 pt iPhone 16/15 layout at @3x maps to 1179 × 2556 pixels. A 375 × 667 pt iPhone SE layout at @2x maps to 750 × 1334 pixels.

Export bitmap artwork through an Xcode asset catalog with scale variants. Supply a 2× file for iPhone SE (3rd gen), which uses @2x, and 3× files for iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 15, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, which use @3x in this reference. Keep vectors as PDF assets when the artwork is suitable for vector rendering; do not manually resize a 3× PNG down inside the layout.

Tip: A 24 pt icon occupies 72 × 72 physical pixels at @3x, but its layout box remains 24 × 24 pt.

3. Reserve safe areas and 44 pt touch targets

Place navigation controls, close buttons, floating actions, and persistent bottom controls within the device safe area. On iPhone 16/15, keep persistent top content below the 59 pt top inset and persistent bottom content above the 34 pt bottom inset. On iPhone 16 Pro Max, use 62 pt at the top and 34 pt at the bottom. The iPhone SE (3rd gen) has a 20 pt top safe area and 0 pt bottom safe area because it has neither a Dynamic Island, a notch, nor a Home indicator inset.

Give every tappable control a hit area of at least 44 × 44 pt, as specified by Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines. The visible glyph can be smaller: a 20 pt chevron can sit inside a 44 pt button. Increase the button’s interactive frame rather than scaling a familiar icon until it looks heavy. For adjacent controls, make their 44 pt hit areas unambiguous rather than allowing overlapping actions.

Tip: A 44 pt circular button can look too large in a dense toolbar; use a smaller visible symbol inside its 44 pt hit region.

4. Run a manual screen resolution checker pass

Duplicate the baseline screen into two verification frames before handoff. First, set one frame to 375 × 667 pt for iPhone SE (3rd gen), with safe areas of 20 pt top and 0 pt bottom. Check that the first actionable content remains visible, a software keyboard does not hide the active field, and bottom actions do not depend on a 34 pt Home indicator inset. This is the height test.

Second, set the other frame to 440 × 956 pt for iPhone 16 Pro Max, with 62 pt top and 34 pt bottom safe areas. Check that full-width cards, tab labels, segmented controls, and modal widths expand without looking stretched. This is the width test. Use constraints, flexible stacks, and content-driven heights; do not solve either frame with device-specific offsets. For a manual mobile screen size reference, compare each frame against the figures in the Device Size Reference before engineering handoff.

Tip: Test an error state and the longest localized label on both extremes; empty-state layouts often hide the constraint failures.

Reference table

Current iPhone design dimensions and safe areas

Do it with the free Device Size Reference

Screen dimensions, density and safe areas for current handsets — searchable, and exportable as code.

Open the Device Size Reference → — free, no sign-up.

Common mistakes

Using screenshot pixel dimensions as the design canvas.

Build the layout in points. Pixel dimensions change with the @2x or @3x scale factor, while the iOS layout coordinate system uses points.

Applying a 34 pt bottom inset to every iPhone.

Use the device’s actual safe area. iPhone SE (3rd gen) has a 0 pt bottom safe area, while the listed Face ID models have a 34 pt bottom inset.

Making a 24 pt icon a 24 × 24 pt button.

Keep the icon at its appropriate visual size, but place it in an interactive area of at least 44 × 44 pt.

Testing only the 393 × 852 pt source frame.

Test the same layout at 375 × 667 pt and 440 × 956 pt. The smaller height reveals vertical overflow; the wider frame reveals brittle fixed widths.

Frequently asked questions

What iPhone size should I design on in 2026?

Design on a 393 × 852 pt canvas for iPhone 16 and iPhone 15, then verify the layout on iPhone SE and iPhone 16 Pro Max. It is a central current reference size with a 59 pt top safe area and 34 pt bottom safe area. It avoids designing around either the compact SE height or the Pro Max width.

How do I check iPhone screen resolution for a design?

Check an iPhone design in logical points first, then apply the device’s @2x or @3x scale factor only when exporting raster assets. For example, 393 × 852 pt at @3x becomes 1179 × 2556 physical pixels. A screen resolution checker should show logical size, scale, and safe-area insets, not pixels alone.

Are iPhone design dimensions measured in pixels or points?

iPhone app design dimensions are measured in points because iOS lays out interface elements in logical coordinates. Pixels are needed for bitmap output: iPhone SE (3rd gen) uses @2x, while the listed modern Face ID iPhones use @3x. Keep a button specified as 44 × 44 pt regardless of the physical-pixel scale.

What is the minimum button size on iPhone?

The Apple Human Interface Guidelines specify a minimum tappable target of 44 × 44 pt. That requirement applies to the interactive target, not necessarily the visible artwork. A 16 pt or 20 pt icon can meet the rule when its enclosing button frame is 44 × 44 pt.

Where this leaves you

A single 393 × 852 pt source frame gives the team a stable place to make layout and component decisions, but it does not prove an iOS screen is responsive. The iPhone SE (3rd gen) exposes vertical overflow at 375 × 667 pt, while iPhone 16 Pro Max exposes fixed-width assumptions at 440 × 956 pt. Safe-area differences matter as much as the outer frame: the SE has no bottom inset, while the modern Dynamic Island models reserve 34 pt at the bottom. Pick the 393 pt baseline now, then duplicate one representative screen into the two extreme frames before engineering handoff.

---

Design the screens first

Describe the screen you need in plain English and floow.design generates production-ready iOS and Android layouts you can iterate on by chat, then export to Figma or code. Design your mobile app screens in floow.design first, then build.

Start designing free →

---

Related

• •Aspect Ratio Calculator — Work out the missing width or height for any ratio, with the common phone and store ratios one click away.
• •px to rem Converter — Convert pixels to rem, em, pt, dp and sp, with every density export size and a full token scale.
• •App Development Cost Calculator: Estimate Build Cost — Use an app development cost calculator method to turn screens, rates, design systems and r
• •Safe Area Inset: Notches and Dynamic Island — Set safe area inset rules for iOS and Android full-bleed screens, including Dynamic Island
• •Gemini 3.1 for Mobile App UI Design: 4 Real Prompts Tested Hands-On (2026) — I tested Gemini 3.1 Pro with 4 real mobile app UI prompts — fitness tracker, food delivery

Sources

• •Apple Human Interface Guidelines — Layout
• •Apple Human Interface Guidelines — Accessibility
• •Apple Developer Documentation — Asset Catalog Format Reference