Apple is not ready to ship a second-generation iPhone Air this year. Instead, the company plans to keep its focus on the iPhone 18 family while it works on a redesigned Air model behind the scenes. That shift places the iPhone Air’s next major update in 2027, not 2026, which reshapes how Apple’s thin phone fits into the wider iPhone roadmap.
Nikkei Asia reported this update based on people familiar with Apple’s supply chain. The publication said Apple is preparing several new iPhone models, but the revamped iPhone Air will not enter mass production this year.
As the report put it, “Apple has at least five new iPhone models in the pipeline: a revamped iPhone Air, its thinnest ever model; the standard new iPhone; and three premium models. It is not yet clear when shipments of the Air will start, but they are not expected this year.”
Apple plans to release the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a foldable iPhone later this year. After that, the base model iPhone 18 will arrive in the first half of next year. While the iPhone Air remains part of Apple’s long-term plans, this lineup shows that Apple is giving priority to its main and premium models first.
At the same time, a leaker on the Chinese social media platform Weibo has claimed the iPhone Air will get a spec bump this year. Even so, most reports from Bloomberg and The Information continue to point to an early 2027 launch instead.
iPhone Air 2 is Expectations
The Information said Apple aims to add a second rear camera to the next iPhone Air. It also reported the phone could weigh less, have a larger battery, and use a vapor chamber cooling system similar to what the iPhone 17 Pro models use. Bloomberg also expects the device to run on a 2nm chip.
Even though some reports suggested the current iPhone Air saw lower demand, Apple still set a new iPhone revenue record last quarter. Strong sales of the iPhone 17 base and Pro models drove that result, which gives Apple room to wait before it relaunches the Air in a bigger way.
