Despite the iPhone Air's notoriously poor sales, Apple will still launch a next generation model, according to a leaker.
In a recent post on Weibo, the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said that Apple still plans to release a second-generation iPhone Air model:
The Air 2 will proceed with its standard product iteration cycle; no matter how abysmal the sales turn out to be, Apple will grit its teeth and push through with at least two generations...
Sales of the iPhone Air have struggled badly since its launch in September 2025. A KeyBanc Capital Markets survey for investors found "virtually no demand" for the device. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that suppliers were expected to reduce capacity by more than 80% between launch and the first quarter of 2026. Luxshare stopped making the iPhone Air in October, and Foxconn was expected to end production by the end of December, leaving the device believed to be entirely out of production. The iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 16 Plus performed similarly poorly and saw only two and three generations each.
According to The Information, Apple is now considering a redesign of the iPhone Air to add a second rear camera to address one of the main criticisms of the current model. One report suggested the second camera could be a 48-megapixel Fusion Ultra Wide lens. Previous reports have also said Apple's work on the second-generation model is aimed at reducing the weight, adding vapor chamber cooling, and improving the battery capacity, along with a thinner Face ID module, and adding the A20 and C2 chips.
Apple is widely believed to be planning a break from its long-established annual September release cycle with the iPhone 18 lineup, splitting the lineup across two windows: The iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone are expected in fall 2026, while the standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2 will likely follow in spring 2027. A Nikkei Asia report corroborating the strategy noted it aims to both optimize resources and maximize revenue from premium models.
