It seems like Apple might be rethinking its iPhone Air strategy, which will require the company to push back the release of the next Air.
A new article from The Information claims that Apple has already scaled back production of the iPhone Air, as it’s not proving to be as big a hit as initially hoped. This phone was reportedly going to be followed up by a new iPhone Air next fall, which would have been lighter but with better battery life and a vapour chamber, similar to the iPhone 17 Pro models.
In response to the weak sales out of the gate, the report claims that Apple may be considering pushing the release of the new Air to the spring of 2027 alongside the iPhone 18 and 18e. That means in the fall of 2026, we’ll only see the iPhone 18 Pro models and the rumoured foldable iPhone.
While the report doesn’t mention what changes Apple is making to the Air, my top guesses would be either another rear camera lens or finding ways to reduce the price to bring it closer to the base iPhone. While I love the first-gen Air and think most people who buy one will too, there seems to be a growing wave online of people who don’t like the idea of paying more for fewer cameras, especially when Samsung managed to fit two into the Galaxy Edge.
On the other hand, in real life, when I discuss it with people who aren’t familiar with the tech circuit, they’re mostly concerned about durability and battery life. Those are both things that I don’t think anyone needs ot be worried about with the current Air since it lasts long and is extremely tough. However, Apple could stand to make that even more prevalent in its marketing next time.
At the end of the day, I think the iPhone Air line is just going to be a slow burn rather than a smash hit, at least for a handful of years, maybe even five. From what I’ve noticed is that when people actually use an Air they fall in love with its form factor. The problem is getting it into more hands, and that’s going to take time and word of mouth, but I do think it will catch on if Apple gives it enough time.
Source: The Information
