Apple is expected to release the second generation of the iPhone Air this year, despite reports claiming its release has been postponed until 2027, according to a leaker on Weibo known as Fixed Focus Digital.
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Sticking with a similar claim he made late last year, the leaker says that information from the production line still suggests that the iPhone Air 2 will be released in the fall — likely alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models and the rumored iPhone Fold. The second-generation device will have “very minor changes,” making it “basically a routine upgrade,” the leaker said.
The rumor contradicts a November report from The Information that said Apple had decided to delay the release of the next-generation iPhone Air until 2027 due to low sales. A second report from the same outlet claimed that Apple would use the delay to work on a redesign of the device that could include a second rear camera, as well as lighter weight, vapor chamber cooling, and a larger battery capacity.
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Mark Gurman responded to these reports shortly after they were published, claiming that his sources told him that the iPhone Air 2 had not been delayed because it was never scheduled for 2026 in the first place. “The fact that Apple called the device the iPhone Air (instead of the iPhone 17 Air) signaled that it did not want to commit the product to a yearly release schedule,” Gurman said at the time.
Gurman believes that a refreshed Air could potentially launch in spring 2027 alongside the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e, as part of Apple's new dual-launch strategy. Furthermore, Gurman's sources said that the main focus of the second Air will be the move to a 2-nanometer chip that will improve the device's battery life, rather than introducing major structural changes.
See also: iPhone Air failure leads away from ultra-thin phones
It's still possible that a new iPhone Air could be released this fall, but previous reports cast doubt on the Chinese leaker's claim. Fixed Focus Digital previously revealed the name of the iPhone 16e ahead of the launch.
