The iPhone Air is not promoting nicely thus far

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 kind issue; slightly, it is as a result of it is the primary time for the reason that X that Apple has offered 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 principle issues separating them had been cameras, efficiency, display screen measurement, and refresh charges. On the skin, you most likely would not be capable to inform the distinction between a 13 and 13 Professional besides for his or her lenses.

The phrase from Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring (by way of MacRumors), although, is that the Air gambit is probably not paying off. Whereas demand for the iPhone 17 lineup is reportedly robust, and should even see a manufacturing enhance, the Air has thus far confronted “relative weak spot,” as Woodring places it. That is a obscure declare, and gross sales may at all times flip round — however anyway you slice it, it is most likely not what Apple needed 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’ll be able to most likely guess the explanation why, however 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

Not too long ago, I received into bother in a web-based feedback part by claiming that individuals “ought to” purchase the iPhone 17 as a substitute 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 can buy, as if I had been placing a gun to somebody’s head on the Apple Retailer.

To make my place clearer, I’ll 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 gear to get it to bend or break. And as Apple was desirous to level out throughout its announcement, many of the “guts” of the telephone — akin to its processor and storage — are all stuffed into the digital camera bump (AKA plateau). A lot 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 should not that significant in 2025. Whereas the Air may be nice to carry, I can not bear in mind the final time I heard anybody, wherever significantly complain concerning the measurement 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 light-weight 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.

Greater fashions could also be more durable to stuff right into a pocket, however that is owing to display screen measurement greater than thickness — which the Air does not clear up. The product has a 6.5-inch show, larger than the 6.3-inch one on the iPhone 17. Apple does not even rely 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 shall be simply as unhealthy, if not worse.

All this is able to 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’ll be able to’t shoot macro images, not to mention tight group portraits or large vistas. Battery life, in the meantime, is satisfactory, 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 shall be more durable to reside 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 by some means proves in style in the long term, it should ship the flawed message to Apple — 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

Except the present mannequin is a catastrophic failure, I believe it is secure to count on 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. Bear 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 does 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 purpose is laying the groundwork not only for a foldable iPhone, however for thinner kind elements on the whole 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 embody triple cameras, contemplating that Apple’s rivals are already making telephotos commonplace on their base {hardware}.

For the Air 2 to be successful, Apple has two choices, as I see it. The primary is to provide it modest upgrades over the Air 1, however dramatically decrease the worth, making it not less than $100 cheaper than the iPhone 18. The opposite is to carry onto the present price ticket, however carry digital camera and battery specs as much as snuff. In truth, if Apple had been to change 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 nicely. I am holding my ear to the bottom for rumors on this one.