A tipster active on Weibo recently said that against the backdrop of poor market performance of Apple’s first-generation iPhone Air, iPhone Air 2 is likely to become the only ultra-thin flagship phone among the next generation of mainstream brands. It is said that the sales of iPhone Air have continued to be sluggish after its launch, causing many Android manufacturers that planned to follow up to shelve their plans for subsequent ultra-thin models.
The whistleblower "Digital Chat Station" posted on Weibo that despite Apple's multiple price reductions and promotions, the actual number of iPhone Air activations still barely exceeded 700,000 units. He also mentioned that an unnamed domestic ultra-thin model has a cumulative activation volume of only about 50,000 units. Its second-generation product development currently has "worrying prospects" and is very likely to be directly axed. In this context, he judged that iPhone Air 2 may eventually become the only ultra-thin flagship model on the next-generation market.
Since its launch in September 2025, iPhone Air has not performed satisfactorily at the commercial level. KeyBanc Capital Markets' research shows that there is "almost no demand" for this model; supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously revealed that Apple has asked the supply chain to cut iPhone Air production capacity by more than 80% from its launch to early 2026. The industry generally believes that the aircraft has basically been discontinued.
The iPhone Air's frustration has had ripple effects across the industry. According to reports, Xiaomi originally planned to launch a "True Air" ultra-thin flagship to compete with Apple, and vivo also planned to continue to focus on the thin and light route in its mid-range S series, but both related projects were revealed to have been halted. Samsung has also cooled down on its ultra-thin attempts. It has canceled the follow-up Galaxy S26 Edge model after the poor sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge.
Despite the poor performance of the first-generation model, another whistleblower pointed out last month that Apple has internally decided to promote at least two generations of the iPhone Air product line and will not give up due to short-term sales. Multiple reports have now converged on the same time window: the new machine will be released as soon as spring 2027. The delay in this pace is believed to be related to the lower-than-expected sales of the first generation. It is also in line with Apple’s new iPhone “staged release” strategy—that is, the standard version of iPhone 18, iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2 will be moved to the spring release, while the fall 2026 release will be reserved for high-end products such as iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and folding screen iPhone. Multiple reports from Nikkei Asia, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, and The Information point to early 2027.
In order to reverse word-of-mouth and sales, Apple is said to have made more significant adjustments to the iPhone Air 2. The Information report pointed out that Apple is considering adding a second rear camera to the phone, which is expected to be an ultra-wide-angle lens, to form a combination with the existing 48-megapixel Fusion main camera, and to cooperate with the overall price reduction. Focusing on the balance of thinness and experience, rumored changes also include further weight reduction, upgrades to liquid-cooling vapor chambers for heat dissipation, and increased battery capacity. In order to free up internal space to accommodate the new camera, Apple is believed to have asked suppliers to develop an "ultra-thin Face ID module."
On the other hand, display technology is also a highlight of iPhone Air 2. According to Korean media The Elec, Apple plans to use Samsung’s CoE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) ultra-thin and high-brightness OLED technology on iPhone Air 2. This solution will first be launched on the folding screen iPhone and then be extended to the Air series. Compared with traditional solutions, CoE technology is expected to achieve a thinner screen while bringing higher brightness performance, freeing up more internal stacking space for the ultra-thin body.
In the foreseeable product cycle, the iPhone Air series may be in a rather embarrassing position: on the one hand, it is still regarded as Apple's "extreme thin and light experimental field" in industrial design; on the other hand, consumers' real needs for battery life, heat dissipation and image configuration have forced Apple to make significant compromises and adjustments on the second-generation products. With the Android camp temporarily withdrawing from the market, the future market performance of iPhone Air 2 will determine to a considerable extent whether the entire industry will once again bet on the ultra-thin flagship segment.