Apple Has Reportedly Delayed iPhone Air 2 Following Weak Demand

Apple has reportedly delayed the release of its next-gen iPhone Air after sales of the original model were weaker than expected. A report from The Information citing multiple people with knowledge of the matter revealed that the next iPhone Air won’t be released in fall 2026, as the company initially planned, but it may come in Spring 2027 with some design changes.

“Apple is delaying the release of next year’s version of the iPhone Air, its thinnest smartphone, after the first model sold below expectations, according to three people involved in the project. Although the length of the delay remains uncertain, the product won’t be released in fall 2026 as previously planned, they said.  Apple has already sharply scaled back production of the first version, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the matter,” the report reads.

The iPhone Air currently starts at $999 in the US, which is $200 more than the base iPhone 17, which has a bigger battery and two cameras. The iPhone Air is also just $100 cheaper than the iPhone 17 Pro, which offers a bigger battery than the iPhone 17, and a far more advanced triple camera system. This makes the iPhone Air a tough sell for most users, and Apple’s previous attempts to diversify the lineup with “Plus” and “Mini” models didn’t work that well, either.

The Information reported that Foxconn and Luxshare, the two companies manufacturing the iPhone Air for Apple, are in the process of stopping all production to prioritize top-selling models like the iPhone 17 Pro. As for the next iPhone Air, the publication mentioned in a follow-up report that it could add a second camera to address concerns from power users.

Lastly, the first report emphasized that Apple delaying the “iPhone Air 2” to spring 2027 would allow the company to tweak its annual iPhone release schedule: Starting next year, we may well see Apple only release the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in the fall, with the regular iPhone 18, a cheaper iPhone 18E, and the iPhone Air 2 coming in spring 2027.