The iPhone Air is not promoting effectively up to now

In a approach, the iPhone Air is essentially the most radical departure for Apple since 2017’s iPhone X. Not a lot as a result of it has a novel type issue; relatively, it is as a result of it is the primary time because the X that Apple has bought a non-budget iPhone that is not only a minor variation of one other one. The iPhone XR I owned was a scaled-back model of the iPhone XS — likewise, the iPhone 13 might have shipped in Mini, Professional, and Professional Max variations, however the primary issues separating them had been cameras, efficiency, display screen dimension, and refresh charges. On the skin, you in all probability would not be capable of inform the distinction between a 13 and 13 Professional besides for his or her lenses.

The phrase from Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring (through MacRumors), although, is that the Air gambit might not be paying off. Whereas demand for the iPhone 17 lineup is reportedly robust, and will even see a manufacturing enhance, the Air has up to now confronted “relative weak spot,” as Woodring places it. That is a imprecise declare, and gross sales may at all times flip round — however anyway you slice it, it is in all probability not what Apple wished to listen to, not when it spent a lot of its September 9 occasion singing the Air’s praises.

Frankly, I hope Air gross sales proceed on a downward trajectory. You possibly can in all probability guess the the reason why, nevertheless it’s price elaborating on them, and whether or not we’ll see a follow-up Air in 2026.

The iPhone Air is a nasty deal

Sending a message to Apple

Lately, I received into hassle in a web-based feedback part by claiming that folks “ought to” purchase the iPhone 17 as an alternative of an Air, as a result of the Air is an inherently worse product. As anticipated, some individuals rushed to the Air’s protection, arguing that thinness and lightness will be price as a lot as any characteristic. From there, issues shortly took a flip. A number of individuals insisted that I had no proper to say what different individuals ought to worth; one particular person even argued I used to be “dictating” what individuals should purchase, as if I had been placing a gun to somebody’s head on the Apple Retailer.

To make my place clearer, I will say upfront that I am impressed by the Air as a chunk of engineering. Regardless of it being so skinny, it is remarkably robust, to the purpose that testers have wanted industrial tools to get it to bend or break. And as Apple was desperate to level out throughout its announcement, many of the “guts” of the cellphone — corresponding to its processor and storage — are all stuffed into the digital camera bump (AKA plateau). Many of the body is devoted to its lithium-ion battery, and that is no imply feat.

Let’s get this straight although: excessive thinness and lightness aren’t that significant in 2025. Whereas the Air is likely to be nice to carry, I can not bear in mind the final time I heard anybody, wherever critically complain concerning the dimension or weight of a smartphone that wasn’t deliberately outsized, just like the iPhone 17 Professional Max or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely. That is as a result of smartphones have been each skinny and lightweight for a really very long time. Even the heaviest iPhones ever, the 13 Professional Max and 14 Professional Max, weighed simply 8.47 ounces (240 grams) every. The Air could also be noticeably lighter at 5.82 ounces (165 grams), however nobody is struggling to carry up a Professional Max except they have larger issues at work.

Larger fashions could also be more durable to stuff right into a pocket, however that is owing to display screen dimension greater than thickness — which the Air would not remedy. The product has a 6.5-inch show, greater than the 6.3-inch one on the iPhone 17. Apple would not even depend the Air’s digital camera bump when it measures thickness, both. At that a part of the gadget, it is about 11.32mm — just under the 11.4mm of the iPhone 17’s bump. If you cannot get a 17 in your pocket, chances are high the Air will likely be simply as dangerous, if not worse.

All this may be irrelevant if it weren’t for the Air’s digital camera tech, battery life, and pricing. In contrast to the 17, there is not any secondary ultra-wide digital camera. You possibly can’t shoot macro pictures, not to mention tight group portraits or large vistas. Battery life, in the meantime, is ample, however nonetheless decrease than that of each different iPhone within the fall 2025 catalog. So actually, you are paying $200 greater than a 17 for one thing that will likely be more durable to stay with. You do get a sooner A19 Professional processor, however even that has one much less GPU core than the identical chip within the iPhone 17 Professional.

Sure, then, the iPhone Air is a nasty deal. And if it one way or the other proves fashionable in the long term, it will ship the unsuitable message to Apple — which you can cost individuals extra for much less and get away with it.

Is there a future for the iPhone Air?

Reply hazy, attempt once more

Until the present mannequin is a catastrophic failure, I believe it is protected to anticipate an iPhone Air 2 in 2026. Apple has clearly invested lots of money and time into the underlying expertise, and it is uncommon for the corporate to place that kind of effort right into a one-off product. Keep in mind, we received two generations of iPhone mini regardless of weak gross sales.

The actual query mark is 2027. If the Air 1 continues to get a lukewarm response, and/or the Air 2 would not blow anybody out of the water, I may simply see Apple pulling the plug on an Air 3. Certainly, that may not be within the playing cards anyway — it is apparent that Apple’s final aim is laying the groundwork not only for a foldable iPhone, however for thinner type components typically as soon as fewer compromises are essential. I am betting that the iPhone 19 (or no matter it is known as) will look just like the Air, however embrace triple cameras, contemplating that Apple’s rivals are already making telephotos customary on their base {hardware}.

For the Air 2 to be a success, Apple has two choices, as I see it. The primary is to present it modest upgrades over the Air 1, however dramatically decrease the worth, making it a minimum of $100 cheaper than the iPhone 18. The opposite is to carry onto the present price ticket, however deliver digital camera and battery specs as much as snuff. Actually, if Apple had been to modify to silicon-carbon (Si-C) battery tech, the Air 2’s runtime may probably crush that of the 18 with none enhance in thickness. After all, the 18 would nonetheless reign supreme if it switched to Si-C as effectively. I am maintaining my ear to the bottom for rumors on this one.