The iPhone Air is not promoting properly thus far

In a means, 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; reasonably, 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 primary issues separating them have been cameras, efficiency, display measurement, and refresh charges. On the skin, you most likely would not have the ability 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 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 thus far confronted “relative weak point,” as Woodring places it. That is a imprecise declare, and gross sales might all the time flip round — however anyway you slice it, it is most likely 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 most likely 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 foul deal

Sending a message to Apple

Lately, I obtained into hassle in an internet feedback part by claiming that folks “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 folks rushed to the Air’s protection, arguing that thinness and lightness might be price as a lot as any function. From there, issues shortly took a flip. A couple of folks insisted that I had no proper to say what different folks ought to worth; one individual even argued I used to be “dictating” what folks should purchase, as if I have 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 bit of engineering. Regardless of it being so skinny, it is remarkably powerful, 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, a lot of the “guts” of the cellphone — resembling its processor and storage — are all stuffed into the digicam 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 am unable to bear in mind the final time I heard anybody, wherever critically 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 until they have higher issues at work.

Greater fashions could also be more durable to stuff right into a pocket, however that is owing to display measurement greater than thickness — which the Air would not resolve. The product has a 6.5-inch show, greater than the 6.3-inch one on the iPhone 17. Apple would not even rely the Air’s digicam bump when it measures thickness, both. At that a part of the gadget, it is about 11.32mm — slightly below the 11.4mm of the iPhone 17’s bump. If you cannot get a 17 in your pocket, chances are high the Air will probably be simply as unhealthy, if not worse.

All this may be irrelevant if it weren’t for the Air’s digicam tech, battery life, and pricing. In contrast to the 17, there is no secondary ultra-wide digicam. You possibly can’t shoot macro pictures, not to mention tight group portraits or large vistas. Battery life, in the meantime, is enough, 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 probably be more durable to dwell 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 foul deal. And if it someway proves fashionable in the long term, it is going to ship the mistaken message to Apple — you can cost folks 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 feel it is protected to anticipate an iPhone Air 2 in 2026. Apple has clearly invested loads 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 obtained two generations of iPhone mini regardless of weak gross sales.

The true 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 might 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 basically as soon as fewer compromises are crucial. I am betting that the iPhone 19 (or no matter it is referred to as) will look much like the Air, however embody 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 offer it modest upgrades over the Air 1, however dramatically decrease the value, making it at the least $100 cheaper than the iPhone 18. The opposite is to carry onto the present price ticket, however carry digicam and battery specs as much as snuff. In truth, if Apple have been to modify to silicon-carbon (Si-C) battery tech, the Air 2’s runtime might probably crush that of the 18 with none enhance in thickness. In fact, the 18 would nonetheless reign supreme if it switched to Si-C as properly. I am protecting my ear to the bottom for rumors on this one.