Which iPhones & iPads Have LiDAR?
One rule covers every model: LiDAR ships on Pro devices only, and only from the iPhone 12 Pro onward. If your iPhone says Pro and it is a 12 Pro or later, you can scan rooms. Everything else, including the iPhone Air, the new foldable iPhone Duo and every iPhone 11, cannot. Device lists below, checked against Apple’s own published tech specs.
iPhones with LiDAR
- iPhone 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max (2020): the first
- iPhone 13 Pro / 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14 Pro / 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro / 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16 Pro / 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 17 Pro / 17 Pro Max
- iPhone 18 Pro / 18 Pro Max (2026): Apple lists “LiDAR Scanner” under Sensors on its spec sheet
- Seven generations without an exception: every Pro and Pro Max since 2020 has shipped with it
No LiDAR, the models people ask about most:
- iPhone Duo: no. Apple’s spec sheet for the foldable lists Touch ID, barometer, gyro, accelerometer and light sensors — no LiDAR Scanner (and no Face ID; it unlocks with Touch ID in the side button). Folding screen, dual-camera system, no depth sensor: it cannot scan rooms.
- iPhone Air: no. Its spec sheet lists Face ID, barometer, gyro, accelerometer and light sensors, with no LiDAR Scanner. The thin body carries a single-lens plateau, not the Pro array.
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max: no, and this one catches people out: the 11 Pro has three rear cameras and looks the part, but LiDAR did not arrive until the 12 Pro a year later.
- iPhone 17, 16, 15, 14, 13 and 12 (standard and Plus): no. Only the Pro tier gets it.
- iPhone 17e, 16e and every iPhone SE: no.
The camera bump gives it away: LiDAR is the small dark circle that is neither a lens nor the flash.
iPads with LiDAR
- iPad Pro 12.9″ (4th gen, 2020) and later
- iPad Pro 11″ (2nd gen, 2020) and later
- iPad Pro 13″ / 11″ (M4, 2024) and later
No LiDAR: the standard iPad, iPad mini and iPad Air, every generation to date. Apple’s current spec sheets for all three list no LiDAR Scanner, so an iPad Air cannot scan rooms however recent it is.
Device lists checked against Apple’s published tech specs in September 2026, after the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo launch. Apple has fitted LiDAR to every Pro release since 2020, so a new Pro model can be assumed to have it — a new non-Pro model cannot.
What LiDAR actually does
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) fires invisible laser pulses and times their reflections: direct distance measurement, thousands of points per second, independent of lighting. That's the difference that matters for room scanning: a camera alone has to infer depth and drifts out of scale, while LiDAR measures it. Apple's RoomPlan framework, which powers RoomKit, requires LiDAR for exactly this reason — walls, doors, windows and furniture are reconstructed to scale, reliably, in seconds.
On a non-LiDAR device? RoomKit runs in view-only mode: plans scanned on a LiDAR device (yours or someone else's) can still be opened, explored in 2D/3D and exported. Scanning itself needs the sensor — no honest app offers a camera-only "scan" at real accuracy.
Is a Pro worth it just for LiDAR?
If floor plans are occasional, borrow a friend's Pro for the scan day, since plans are files you can keep and share afterward. If you measure spaces regularly (agent, contractor, serial renovator), the sensor pays for itself in un-driven return trips: the plan you scanned is the plan you have, with every wall dimension in it.
Got a Pro? Put its LiDAR to work
RoomKit scans rooms into measured 2D + 3D floor plans. Free on LiDAR iPhones & iPads.
FAQ
How do I check if my iPhone has LiDAR?
Pro model, 12 Pro or newer = yes. Visually: the small dark circle on the camera bump that isn't a lens or flash.
Why does room scanning need LiDAR instead of just the camera?
LiDAR measures depth directly; cameras guess it. RoomPlan requires the real measurements.
Can I use RoomKit on a non-LiDAR iPhone?
View-only: open, view and export existing plans. New scans need the sensor.
Does the iPhone Air have LiDAR?
No. Apple’s spec sheet for the iPhone Air lists Face ID, barometer, gyro, accelerometer and light sensors, with no LiDAR Scanner. It cannot scan rooms.
Does the iPhone 11 or 11 Pro Max have LiDAR?
No. The 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max have three rear cameras and look the part, but LiDAR arrived a year later with the iPhone 12 Pro.
Does the iPhone SE have LiDAR?
No — no iPhone SE generation has it, and neither do the 16e and 17e. LiDAR is a Pro-tier sensor.
Does the iPad Air have LiDAR?
No. Every iPad Air generation to date ships without it; on iPad, LiDAR is iPad Pro only, from the 2020 models onward.
Does the iPad mini have LiDAR?
No. The iPad mini and the standard iPad have never had a LiDAR Scanner.