iPhone Air How often do we think the iPhone Air will be updated?

[martin2345uk]

Assuming it doesn't meet the fate of the Mini and the Plus, do we think this is likely to become a yearly update? Or more like the SE? I only wonder as they didn't call it the 17 Air, just Air.

What do people think? I release it will be nothing but conjecture but hey this is a rumour site 😂

 

[nepalisherpa]

Assuming it doesn't meet the fate of the Mini and the Plus, do we think this is likely to become a yearly update? Or more like the SE? I only wonder as they didn't call it the 17 Air, just Air.

What do people think? I release it will be nothing but conjecture but hey this is a rumour site 😂

I am guessing Apple will eventually drop the number from all models of iPhone and that iPhone Air will get a refresh every year. So something like iPhone, iPhone Air, iPhone Pro, and iPhone (Pro) Max lineup in the future.

 

[techspin]

Well this question is better than asking if people feel embarrassed about using the phone haha.

The take rate is low but Air models exist across the product line up. I have a feeling they’re going to create an air sandwich, but I’d rather have a slim phone with more features.

 

[ab2c4]

We don't know but according to this site on the Air page it is being reported that we should get another 6.5" Air next year and a bigger Air the following year. After that who knows. My personal guess: The Air is the starting point for future phones. The Air will be fazed out in name, but the Pro and Pro Max will ultimately be thin light phones that come after it.

 

[tomtad]

The Air will be fazed out in name, but the Pro and Pro Max will ultimately be thin light phones that come after it.

I will bet you’re totally wrong here

Apple is, and likely forever will be, stuck in a spec war which is ultimately leading to larger cameras, bigger batteries, heavier and more bulky devices. That’s fine and this year has been a fork in the road. Let that spec war device be the Pro, where you will get the best cameras and battery, but if you want to pay for a sleek looking device which is a phone first and may not have all the features, they’ve also got you covered. Trying to do both has become impossible.

I don’t know the future for the Air name itself. But I’m very convinced the top end of the line up will now have a feature led phone (the Pro) and a design led phone (the Air) going forward.

 

[MarkX]

Once they’ve figured out how to get 2 cameras and proper speakers on the air the bottom of the line regular iPhone is toast. Could be wrong.

 

[JPack]

Updated annually if successful. 2026 is a given. 2027 is too far to tell.

Of course iPhone Air won't replace the standard iPhone; it's a niche device with compromises. Apple is prioritizing extreme thinness by intentionally sacrificing UW lens and stereo. They could have made a 6mm phone by stacking the logic board and leaving room for UW and stereo but chose to push the limits of thinness instead. Future versions of Air will be even thinner.

 

[Gix1k]

We need an ‘Air Max’ with more cameras.

 

[MarkX]

We need an ‘Air Max’ with more cameras.

You don’t want cameras in your trainers!

 

[blairh]

Assuming it doesn't meet the fate of the Mini and the Plus, do we think this is likely to become a yearly update? Or more like the SE? I only wonder as they didn't call it the 17 Air, just Air.

What do people think? I release it will be nothing but conjecture but hey this is a rumour site 😂

Yearly. It's the foundation from which Apple wants to build for it to (eventually) become their flagship device.

 

[martin2345uk]

In which case I wonder how long it will take for it to gain a second camera.. (I don't really care about the speaker as I don't ever listen to music out loud on my phone, but I do use the wide angle lens quite a lot)!.

I wonder what advancements we will see in the 2026 Air..!

 

[Cyberguycpt]

We need an ‘Air Max’ with more cameras.

I don’t see Apple making an Air Max, unless they want to pay Nike.

 

[JPack]

In which case I wonder how long it will take for it to gain a second camera.. (I don't really care about the speaker as I don't ever listen to music out loud on my phone, but I do use the wide angle lens quite a lot)!.

I wonder what advancements we will see in the 2026 Air..!

Probably a really long time, if ever.

Apple actively chose to delete the second camera and speaker for less bulk. Don't you think Apple decision makers spent a lot of time thinking about this already? Why would they add it back?

 

[klasma]

I don’t see Apple making an Air Max, unless they want to pay Nike.

It will be the iPhone Helium, with a lanyard so that it doesn't accidentally float away.

 

[MistrSynistr]

One and done. Not selling numbers they wanted, will “fold” into the iPhone fold and be phased out.

 

[dmdcash]

Once they’ve figured out how to get 2 cameras and proper speakers on the air the bottom of the line regular iPhone is toast. Could be wrong.

Not if the Air stays $200 or more over the base. The air WILL increase in price with the increase of features, that's for sure. As I've changed from the brick PRO to the base, I got tired of paying so much for differences I realized I didn't need/

 

[bill-p]

In which case I wonder how long it will take for it to gain a second camera.. (I don't really care about the speaker as I don't ever listen to music out loud on my phone, but I do use the wide angle lens quite a lot)!.

I wonder what advancements we will see in the 2026 Air..!

To the naysayers, I feel like Air is gearing up for the upcoming Sony 200MP sensor. With that sensor, Apple just needs one really sharp ultrawide lens on Air that covers up to 96% of the sensor, and we will be able to get the following with just 1 lens:

13mm: 192MP - 48MP
26mm: 48MP
52mm: 12MP

And of course macro...

All with just one lens. The sensor isn't ready this year, but it's heavily hinted to be a direct competitor to the 200MP sensor Samsung developed.

If we get that with iPhone Air 2, it will be more than enough for most users.

 

[JPack]

To the naysayers, I feel like Air is gearing up for the upcoming Sony 200MP sensor. With that sensor, Apple just needs one really sharp ultrawide lens on Air that covers up to 96% of the sensor, and we will be able to get the following with just 1 lens:

13mm: 192MP - 48MP
26mm: 48MP
52mm: 12MP

And of course macro...

All with just one lens. The sensor isn't ready this year, but it's heavily hinted to be a direct competitor to the 200MP sensor Samsung developed.

If we get that with iPhone Air 2, it will be more than enough for most users.

Larger sensors are not just wider and taller, they’re also deeper to accommodate the lens. Zero chance it’s going in the Air. Think about it. Apple didn’t even put in the Pro sensor. You’re expecting them to jam in a 1/1.12” sensor?

 

[bill-p]

Larger sensors are not just wider and taller, they’re also deeper to accommodate the lens. Zero chance it’s going in the Air. Think about it. Apple didn’t even put in the Pro sensor. You’re expecting them to jam in a 1/1.12” sensor?

A larger sensor at the same focal length does indeed have that requirement as you are mentioning.

But we're talking about a larger sensor + shorter focal length. A shorter focal length can sit closer to the sensor since its focal point does not have to sit that far away. Look at Leica cameras and wider lenses designed for that system, versus say... Fuji X with lenses in the 35mm or 50mm range.

Basically, where the sensor sits is up to the optics and desired focal length. It doesn't have much to do with the size of the sensor itself.

 

[JPack]

A larger sensor at the same focal length does indeed have that requirement as you are mentioning.

But we're talking about a larger sensor + shorter focal length. A shorter focal length can sit closer to the sensor since its focal point does not have to sit that far away. Look at Leica cameras and wider lenses designed for that system, versus say... Fuji X with lenses in the 35mm or 50mm range.

Basically, where the sensor sits is up to the optics and desired focal length. It doesn't have much to do with the size of the sensor itself.

An ultra short focal length results in a 1x image that looks like an ultrawide fisheye.

If software were used crop this ultrawide image down to a standard field of view, you then lose all the light gathering benefits of the large sensor.

 

[bill-p]

An ultra short focal length results in a 1x image that looks like an ultrawide fisheye.

If software were used crop this ultrawide image down to a standard field of view, you then lose all the light gathering benefits of the large sensor.

No, not really. Look up rectilinear lens design.

 

[JPack]

No, not really. Look up rectilinear lens design.

That has nothing to do with the focal length. All modern smartphone cameras are already rectilinear. Having a lens that captures a perfectly rectangle image doesn't change the focal length.

Using a large sensor and making the module thin requires a short focal length.

To get a standard non-fisheye view at 1x requires longer focal length.

There is no magic to escape those facts. That's why camera bumps are increasing. If you want to use a large sensor, the camera module will be thick. The Air trademark is being thin, so there's no chance of it using a large sensor.

 

[Homme]

Updated annually if successful. 2026 is a given. 2027 is too far to tell.

I agree. The same thing will go for the 16e as well and it’s very successful enough not just for the 17e but also for the future of Apples C Modem technology as well

Probably a really long time, if ever.

Apple actively chose to delete the second camera and speaker for less bulk. Don't you think Apple decision makers spent a lot of time thinking about this already? Why would they add it back?

Funnily enough for the 16e they chose to use one camera despite its closeness to the 13/14 chassis yet they added in more room for the battery just like on the Air

 

[Ctrlos]

With no '17' in the product name it remains likely that the Air line will in 2026 transition to becoming the flip phone line with users given an option of whether they want it to bend or not. I'd imagine the next model may have a wider camera plateau to accommodate an ultrawide lens (unless they put a 100mpx sensor into the single camera to give a 0.5x base a 1x and 2x crop?)