Guide · 4 min read · Updated November 5, 2026
Phone lock-screen and home-screen wallpaper sizes
By PC Wall Art Team
Phone wallpapers are tall, sit behind a big clock and a row of icons, and get cropped or zoomed in ways desktop wallpapers don't. Getting the size right is the easy part. Keeping the clock and icons readable takes a little more thought.
Sizes for current iPhones
Apple lists every model's native resolution. These are the ones you're most likely to need:
| Model | Wallpaper size |
|---|---|
| iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro | 1206 × 2622 |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Pro Max | 1320 × 2868 |
| iPhone Air | 1260 × 2736 |
| iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro | 1179 × 2556 |
| iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro Max | 1290 × 2796 |
These sizes are in the editor's size menu under "Phone." If your model isn't listed, its exact resolution is in the tech specs on Apple's support site.
iOS can zoom or shift a wallpaper slightly when you set it. When it does, use two fingers to adjust the crop before saving. A file that already matches the screen needs little or no adjustment.
Sizes for Android phones
Android phones come in hundreds of sizes, but most fall into a few shapes:
| Shape | Common size | Typical phones |
|---|---|---|
| 20:9 | 1080 × 2400 | Many mid-range phones |
| 19.5:9 | 1080 × 2340 | Many older flagships and mid-range phones |
| 19.5:9 QHD+ | 1440 × 3120 | Higher-end phones with sharper screens |
To find yours, open Settings and look under About phone or Display, or search for your model's spec sheet. Some phones ship running at a lower resolution than the panel supports to save battery. Export for the full panel resolution anyway, since the phone scales down cleanly.
Some Android launchers scroll the wallpaper sideways as you swipe between home screen pages. If yours does, a wider-than-screen image gives that motion room. Many current launchers keep the wallpaper fixed, and then the exact screen size is best.
Tablets
| Model | Wallpaper size |
|---|---|
| iPad (10th generation and later), iPad Air 11-inch | 1640 × 2360 |
| iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) | 2064 × 2752 |
| iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) | 1668 × 2420 |
| iPad mini | 1488 × 2266 |
| Typical Android tablet | 2560 × 1600 (landscape) |
Tablets rotate, so the wallpaper has to work in both directions. iPadOS handles this by cropping the center of the image. Keep the main shapes near the middle and leave the edges plain.
Lock screen: mind the clock
On iPhone, the clock sits near the top of the lock screen, with optional widgets just below it. The bottom holds the flashlight and camera buttons. On Android, the clock position depends on the maker, but the top third is the usual spot.
That means the area just below the top of the screen should be calm and fairly even in brightness, so the clock reads clearly. A busy pattern right behind the numbers makes them hard to see at a glance.
iOS can also put the clock behind part of the photo, the "depth effect," when it detects a clear subject like a person or a pet. Abstract wallpapers usually don't trigger it, so you don't need to plan for it.
Dark lock-screen wallpapers have one practical advantage. On OLED screens, which most current phones use, black pixels are switched off. A mostly dark image is easier on the battery when the always-on display is in use, and it looks cleaner in a dark room.
Home screen: mind the icons
On the home screen, a grid of icons and labels covers most of the image and the dock covers the bottom. What shows through is small patches between icons.
What works best there:
- Low contrast. Busy, high-contrast patterns make icon labels hard to read. Soft gradients, meshes and bokeh work well.
- No important detail in the middle. Icons fill the middle of the screen. Keep the interesting part high up or very low.
- A darker bottom edge. The dock and gesture bar sit there.
Both iOS and Android let you use a different wallpaper for the lock screen and the home screen. A common approach is a striking image on the lock screen and a calmer, blurred or darker version on the home screen. iOS offers to blur the lock screen image for the home screen automatically.
Material You and color themes
Android 12 and later can pull colors from your wallpaper and use them across the system, in quick settings, the keyboard and some apps. A wallpaper with one or two strong colors gives cleaner theme colors than one with many competing hues. If you like the theme your phone generates, keep the palette simple.
Making a matching set
Because each design on this site comes from a style, a palette and a seed, you can make a phone wallpaper that matches your desktop. Make the desktop version first, note the seed in the label under the preview, then switch the size to your phone and download again. The layout adapts to the tall frame, but the colors and character stay the same.
Quick checklist
- Find your exact screen size, or pick your model in the size menu.
- Keep the top third calm for the clock.
- Keep the middle simple for icons.
- Make the bottom edge darker for the dock.
- Use PNG so dark gradients don't get blocky.