We might get another iPhone Air this year after all
Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Macworld reports conflicting information on the future of the iPhone Air 2, with some experts predicting delays or cancellation, while leaker Fixed Focus Digital suggests a fall 2026 release.
- The disappointing sales performance of the original iPhone Air significantly disrupted Apple’s plans to develop a second-generation model.
- If released, the iPhone Air 2 is expected to simply be an iterative upgrade with minor improvements rather than major innovations.
The iPhone Air came out late last year and didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Most experts believe the phone’s apparently weak sales have disrupted Apple’s plans to release a 2nd generation Air, either by pushing it back to 2027 so it can focus more on the iPhone Fold or canceling it altogether. But a source still holds out hope for an Air 2 launch in 2026.
A leaker on Chinese social media known as Fixed Focus Digital claims that the iPhone Air 2 will launch in fall 2026, a year after its predecessor. They base this prediction on information from Apple’s manufacturing supply chain and specifically acknowledge that most other sources disagree.
“The subject [consensus?] will it be fall 2027? » writes the leaker on Weibo, via Google Translate. “No, feedback from the production line indicates that the iPhone Air 2 will be released this fall.”
But don’t get too excited. FFD goes on to warn that the Air 2 will only be an iterative upgrade. “Minor changes, a routine upgrade and no significant reduction in specifications as mentioned in the topic,” they write. The Air, with its single rear camera lens and smaller battery capacity than the rest of its generation, could hardly stand to trim its spec list, so I’d be inclined to assume that means upgrades. Or maybe a price coupe, although this was never very likely so soon after the first model.
Regardless, it’s worth recognizing, like FFD, that most experts believe 2026 will be a year without iPhone Air. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims that not only is an Air in late 2026 unlikely, but Apple never intended to release it that early anyway. The Information, meanwhile, reports that production was significantly reduced a few months after the Air’s release and that Apple decided not to launch a new model in 2026.
However, look on the bright side of things. If the Air 2 is delayed until 2027, this could be a more interesting update. And if anything needs a major overhaul, it’s the iPhone Air.
