By most accounts, the original iPhone Air did not sell as well as Apple had hoped. The report points to weak demand, significant production cutbacks and suppliers closing assembly lines. So it’s a bit of a surprise to hear that the sequel has apparently been shelved without much thought.
This week, Chinese Liquor Fixed Focus Digital posted on Weibo With a bold claim. Apple plans to release the iPhone Air 2 regardless of sales. macrumors shared a translation The post reads: “The Air 2 will proceed with its standard product iteration cycle; no matter how low sales are, Apple will grit its teeth and move forward with at least two generations.”
Why is it more complicated than it seems?
The leaker’s timeline directly contradicts other reliable sources. The information states that Apple removed the iPhone Air 2 from its schedule in November. No new release date was given. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also pointed to spring 2027. He doubted that a second rear camera would also be available. This is not the first time that Fixed Focus Digital has said this. The leaker has claimed the same fall 2026 date twice before, so this latest post is a continuation of that position.
The first reports on the performance of the iPhone Air paint a bleak picture. A KeyBanc Capital Markets survey found that there is almost no demand for the device. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that suppliers are planning to cut capacity by more than 80% by 2026. Luxshare reportedly stopped making it in October. Foxconn was said to follow suit by the end of December.
The iPhone 12 mini, 13 mini, 14 Plus, and 15 Plus all struggled similarly and only got two generations each. The announcement of the iPhone Air 2 delay in November made it look like Apple was seriously rethinking the entire lineup. Fixed Focus Digital’s track record is mixed. The leaker got the name of iPhone 16e correct but could not get information about the display specs of iPhone 17. It is worth keeping this in mind when weighing it.
