Which iPhones & iPads Have LiDAR?

Q: How do I check if my iPhone has LiDAR?

Look at the camera bump: LiDAR is the small dark circle that isn't a lens or the flash. If your model name includes 'Pro' and it's an iPhone 12 Pro or newer, it has LiDAR. Standard, Plus, mini, e and SE models don't. Apps like RoomKit also tell you — scanning is offered only when the sensor is present.

Q: Why does room scanning need LiDAR instead of just the camera?

A camera sees color but must guess depth; LiDAR measures it directly by timing laser pulses, thousands of times per second, in any lighting. Apple's RoomPlan framework — which RoomKit is built on — requires that direct depth data to reconstruct walls and furniture reliably to scale.

Q: Can I use RoomKit on a non-LiDAR iPhone?

In view-only mode: you can open, view and export plans that were scanned on a LiDAR device. Creating new scans requires the sensor — there's no camera-only fallback, because accuracy would collapse.

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 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: Apple lists “LiDAR Scanner” under Sensors on its spec sheet
Every Pro / Pro Max released since: the rule has held for six generations

No LiDAR, the models people ask about most:

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 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 August 2026. 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.

Download on the App Store

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.