Apple Massively Discounts iPhone Air on Amazon in UK

[MacRumors]

Apple is selling the iPhone Air with up to a 30% discount on its official Amazon storefront in the United Kingdom, marking a steep and highly unusual direct price reduction.

The sale price brings the 256GB iPhone Air down to as low as £699 across two colorways (Sky Blue and Space Black), both reduced from their original £999 price. The Light Gold 256GB model is currently listed at £749, while the White 256GB configuration sits at £799. All four colors are available with free next-day delivery.

512GB models are also discounted: The Cloud White configuration is listed at £1,049, down from £1,199, while other colors are available from £899. The 1TB model is similarly reduced, with pricing starting from £1,099 for the Space Black option, down from £1,399. The iPhone Air is also listed as a highly returned item.

The reduction of up to 30% represents the lowest price at which the iPhone Air has ever been available directly from Apple in any market. It is also unprecedented for Apple to heavily discount a current-generation iPhone. Apple never normally discounts its current lineup and the company typically holds firm on pricing until a model is superseded. This appears to support the narrative that the iPhone Air has not been the commercial success Apple had hoped for.

The device is widely believed to have struggled since its launch in September last year. A KeyBanc Capital Markets survey revealed "virtually no demand" for the iPhone Air, and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that suppliers had been asked to reduce capacity by more than 80% between launch and the first quarter of 2026, with some components discontinued by the end of 2025.

Apple reportedly cut production orders to nearly "end of production" levels, and supplier Foxconn reportedly dismantled all of its production lines for the device, while Luxshare stopped production at the end of October. The device is now believed to be out of production and Apple may simply be selling through its existing stockpile of the device.

Mizuho Securities found the iPhone Air was the only outlier in an otherwise strong iPhone 17 cycle, with Apple cutting Air production by one million units while increasing orders for all other models by two million. The iPhone Air is believed to have captured just 6.8% of iPhone 17 generation sales in the U.S. in its launch quarter, compared to 30.6% for the iPhone 17 Pro and 55.5% for the Pro Max.

Analysts have pointed to price as the central issue: The iPhone Air launched at $999, just $100 less than the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro, which offers a triple-lens rear camera and substantially better speakers and battery life. Rival smartphone manufacturers including Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have either cancelled or adjusted development plans for their own ultra-thin models in response to the iPhone Air's poor reception, with Samsung similarly reportedly cancelling the Galaxy S26 Edge after the Galaxy S25 Edge sold poorly.

The Information reported in November that Apple has delayed the second-generation iPhone Air, which had been scheduled to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro in fall 2026. The next version of the device could feature a second rear camera in response to customer feedback and launch in spring 2027.

Article Link: Apple Massively Discounts iPhone Air on Amazon in UK

 

[Beeneeord]

What I don‘t get is that Apple didn‘t seem to promote the iPhone Air at all, did they?

 

[super chimp]

Also on Amazon UK it’s marked as a highly returned product. None of the other iPhone models are marked in such a way.

 

[blairh]

A clear sign it isn’t selling well.

 

[code-m]

Hold on, wasn’t there a recent article that the iPhone Air sold much better than the iPhone Plus. Am I missing something.

 

[NicosAccount]

Dang thats a pretty big discount. Perfect phone for me though. I know im not the majority, but I would have paid as much as the pro for it. I dont need anything the pro offers and I love the weight and size of the air.

 

[Dadcelo]

Less than the iPhone 17, damn.

 

[hieranonymous]

Ultimately, simply being beautiful and sleek wasn’t enough of a selling point. If they want to turn the Air into a high-end trade-off phone, they need to put a silicon carbide battery in it and add an ultrawide camera. Then it would be an attractive alternative to the Pro for a meaningful subset of users.

 

[bluecoast]

We hardly ever get discounts on Apple products in the uk.

So the air version 1 is a dud.

I know I wouldn’t even buy it at this steep discount.

The air needs to be match the features of the regular iPhone.

Then the price premium is a preview of next gen components in a svelte form factor.

 

[ctklein]

If they do end up releasing a second version with improved camera(s) and speakers, I'll go for it. Those two caveats were the only things holding me back

 

[vanishing]

eSIM only

It goes against everything we hold sacred in this country

I hope it fails miserably for this reason

 

[erikkfi]

As a disclaimer, I don't like big phones, but I found this noticeably less comfortable and pleasant to hold in my hand then either the 17 or 17 Pro when I checked it out at the Apple Store last fall. The dimensions combined with the thinness seem just wrong somehow. Not an object of desire at all when you pick it up.

 

[kyjaotkb]

Less than the iPhone 17, damn.

less battery... less photo capability... less pocketable (larger footprint)...

 

[kiranmk2]

Ultimately, simply being beautiful and sleek wasn’t enough of a selling point. If they want to turn the Air into a high-end trade-off phone, they need to put a silicon carbide battery in it and add an ultrawide camera. Then it would be an attractive alternative to the Pro for a meaningful subset of users.

Agreed - I understand that Silicon Carbide batteries are not yet proven enough for the big players, but I think that the "early adopter" attitude of the Air would have allowed Apple to understand how such a battery system performed in a product in the real world. If the iPhone Air got a useable battery life on par with the iPhone Pro (which was marketed), I think it may have sold a lot better. Not including a 2nd camera when Samsung managed to get one into their ultrathin phone was a puzzling decision too.

 

[Hots]

Ultimately, simply being beautiful and sleek wasn’t enough of a selling point. If they want to turn the Air into a high-end trade-off phone, they need to put a silicon carbide battery in it and add an ultrawide camera. Then it would be an attractive alternative to the Pro for a meaningful subset of users.

It's not the battery or the camera.

The people who buy this were looking for it; like the mini, they knew it was coming, they anticipated it, they embraced its differences, in fact they wanted something different. Early adopters, techies, yearly upgraders, pioneers, you can call them whatever -- they're not the majority.

The normal iPhone consumer -- the one that upgrades every 2,3,4 years -- is happy with what she has, enough so that trying something new is too much of a risk at this price tag, if she's upgrading only every few years. Would you spend that once-in-a-leap-year iPhone on the Air when you've been happy with your 13, 14, 15, or 16? If you're happy with the basic iPhone that does everything you need, you get the basic. If you want budget phones or phones for your kids, you get the 16e, 17e models. People who want the best camera and have been upgrading from Pro model to Pro model continue to get the Pro. Why would you spend the one year out of 4 risking something new? I think normal consumers are too conditioned and happy with the line they have to be looking for this kind of novelty.

I fear the foldable may meet a similar fate.

 

[awshucks]

Too bad iPhones are not sold on Amazon in the US.

I did get my Air for $800 from Consumer Cellular, though. That deal isn’t available anymore.

 

[MilaM]

Never quite understood Apple's obsession with thinness.

I've seen refurbished Airs for 699 in Europe.

 

[roblognick]

Well I absolutley love my Air. But the price they've dropped it to is not far off what it should have been to begin with. I had second thoughts about buying one because when it was revealed it had no second camera. But I've not missed it that much. I'd be happy to keep this phone for another year probably.

 

[Biro]

I would have expected a similar price for the iPhone Air with Amazon’s Big Spring Sale in the U.S. But nothing so far.

 

[ikramerica]

Apple is selling the iPhone Air with up to a 30% discount on its official Amazon storefront in the United Kingdom, marking a steep and highly unusual direct price reduction.

The sale price brings the 256GB iPhone Air down to as low as £699 across two colorways (Sky Blue and Space Black), both reduced from their original £999 price. The Light Gold 256GB model is currently listed at £749, while the White 256GB configuration sits at £799. All four colors are available with free next-day delivery.

512GB models are also discounted: The Cloud White configuration is listed at £1,049, down from £1,199, while other colors are available from £899. The 1TB model is similarly reduced, with pricing starting from £1,099 for the Space Black option, down from £1,399.

The reduction of up to 30% represents the lowest price at which the iPhone Air has ever been available directly from Apple in any market. It is also unprecedented for Apple to heavily discount a current-generation iPhone. Apple never normally discounts its current lineup and the company typically holds firm on pricing until a model is superseded. This appears to support the narrative that the iPhone Air has not been the commercial success Apple had hoped for.

The device is widely believed to have struggled since its launch in September last year. A KeyBanc Capital Markets survey revealed "virtually no demand" for the iPhone Air, and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that suppliers had been asked to reduce capacity by more than 80% between launch and the first quarter of 2026, with some components discontinued by the end of 2025.

Apple reportedly cut production orders to nearly "end of production" levels, and supplier Foxconn reportedly dismantled all of its production lines for the device, while Luxshare stopped production at the end of October. The device is now believed to be out of production and Apple may simply be selling through its existing stockpile of the device.

Mizuho Securities found the iPhone Air was the only outlier in an otherwise strong iPhone 17 cycle, with Apple cutting Air production by one million units while increasing orders for all other models by two million. The iPhone Air is believed to have captured just 6.8% of iPhone 17 generation sales in the U.S. in its launch quarter, compared to 30.6% for the iPhone 17 Pro and 55.5% for the Pro Max.

Analysts have pointed to price as the central issue: The iPhone Air launched at $999, just $100 less than the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro, which offers a triple-lens rear camera and substantially better speakers and battery life. Rival smartphone manufacturers including Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have either cancelled or adjusted development plans for their own ultra-thin models in response to the iPhone Air's poor reception, with Samsung similarly reportedly cancelling the Galaxy S26 Edge after the Galaxy S25 Edge sold poorly.

The Information reported in November that Apple has delayed the second-generation iPhone Air, which had been scheduled to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro in fall 2026. The next version of the device could feature a second rear camera in response to customer feedback and launch in spring 2027.

Article Link: Apple Massively Discounts iPhone Air on Amazon in UK

Imagine wanting a color so badly that you would pay £250 more to own it?

 

[snipr125]

We hardly ever get discounts on Apple products in the uk.

So the air version 1 is a dud.

I know I wouldn’t even buy it at this steep discount.

The air needs to be match the features of the regular iPhone.

Then the price premium is a preview of next gen components in a svelte form factor.

£699 though for the Black. Might grab one just to add to my iphone collection before the Air is gone forever. Played with it again in the Apple store few days ago, its beautiful but flawed but at that price its a good deal for sure.

 

[sw1tcher]

Apple is selling the iPhone Air with up to a 30% discount on its official Amazon storefront in the United Kingdom, marking a steep and highly unusual direct price reduction.

Finally something for all the UK MR members who complain about the US Amazon deals that MR constantly posts about, but that they cannot take advantage of.

Too bad it's for one of Apple's less desirable products. 😝

 

[cruy]

Although I am a day 1 customer, and this discount negatively impacts my future trade-in value,

I am, on the other hand, happy for future customers who are going to find out what they missed out on. This is by far the best iPhone I have owned since the iPhone X.

I highly recommend it for this price; it beats everything on the market.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Bargain! Only slightly more expensive than your monthly electricity bill in the UK

 

[Fallforward]

The price in the UK was very expensive compared to the USA and the 20% VAT (sales tax) was only part of the reason.

In nominal exchange rates the £999 price is $1,338 and at purchasing power parity exchange rates $1,513.

Take away the VAT and the price is £832 or at nominal exchange rates is $1,115 and purchasing power parity exchange rates $1,261.

Basically, the deeply disounted £699 retail price aligns to the US $999 price in states with no sales tax, though to Apple the pretax price is only $780.