Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone Air 2 Could Still Launch Next Year

ChrisMac47 said:
The price of the iPhone Air was a big problem, in my opinion. It should have cost LESS than the regular 17, not more.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't be surprised if Apple chose that for Air 2. They basically have two options:

A) Lower price - keep features the same (2026)
B) Add camera/speakers - maintain or raise prices (redesign delay to 2027)

Option A is far more conservative while B is risky and takes away engineering resources for Fold/Fold 2.
 
Even though this has been a bit of a disaster of a product launch I do think there is merit to a spec bumped version next September, maybe with a bit of a price cut.

Remember there won't be an iPhone 18 till 2027. So if you want the latest phone next September your options (lets treat the Fold as a seperate device) will either be the Pro or the Air. And no new regular iPhone could drive a lot of users to the Air.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iPAU
sw1tcher said:
If we're to look at iPhone sales, we can see that the Pro and Pro Max almost always sell better than the regular (and Plus) iPhone.

The biggest difference between the regular / Plus iPhone and the Pro / Pro Max iPhone? The extra camera lens. That leads me to believe that people get more out of a better camera set up than having stereo speakers, especially when I see many iPhone users with AirPods which fixes the mono speaker issue.
Click to expand...

There's no doubt the lack of a second camera (UW) is a huge missing feature. Who the heck buys a $999 Air when $599 16e has the same camera? Even people who don't use cameras will feel something is missing in terms of value.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: iPAU
I have one that I use in conjunction with my iPhone 17 Pro Max, and all it really needs is a second camera, stereo speakers, and maybe mmWave 5G. It’s a nice device though, and I find myself using it more despite its current limitations. It’s great to not have a brick in your pocket all day, and these new 17 Pro models are hefty.
 
It’s interesting to read the differing opinions on whether a second camera or a second speaker is the way to go. Of course, everyone’s opinion is based on their own use case. Personally, I rarely use phone cameras so a second camera doesn’t bring much to the table for me. Also, I almost never listen to audio through a phone’s speakers. Either the phone is plugged into CarPlay (in which case I am using my car’s audio system) or is plugged into a dock with speakers at home (and I rarely listen to audio via the dock). For me, Apple should do everything it can to boost battery life, perhaps add mmWave 5G and drop the price. But, frankly, if a heavily discounted original iPhone Air popped up on Woot, I would jump on it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sos47 and Riot Nrrrd
tomtad said:
Even though this has been a bit of a disaster of a product launch I do think there is merit to a spec bumped version next September, maybe with a bit of a price cut.

Remember there won't be an iPhone 18 till 2027. So if you want the latest phone next September your options (lets treat the Fold as a seperate device) will either be the Pro or the Air. And no new regular iPhone could drive a lot of users to the Air.
Click to expand...

Regular people will want regular features, which is battery life and cameras. The extra $100 or $200 isn't worth saving. That's why even grandmas are using Pro/Max. Only this year, where the difference is $300 do you see the base model take off.

The problem is, Apple can't lower the price of Air by $100 because it will limit any price increases with iPhone 18.
 
JPack said:
Regular people will want regular features, which is battery life and cameras. The extra $100 or $200 isn't worth saving. That's why even grandmas are using Pro/Max. Only this year, where the difference is $300 do you see the base model take off.

The problem is, Apple can't lower the price of Air by $100 because it will limit any price increases with iPhone 18.
Click to expand...
The battery is better then the 16 and way better then my 14 pro max I replaced my air with. I have no idea why people hate on this phone so much. Everyone who used my phone was seriously impressed by its thinness and lightness. Apple did ZERO to market it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sos47, mlayer, super chimp and 2 others
sw1tcher said:
I wasn't aware that a large survey was conducted asking whether the next iPhone Air should have a 2nd speaker or an extra camera lens. Could you share this data you have that shows that a majority of those surveyed prefer a 2nd speaker?
Click to expand...
Always a smart alec around here who thinks they have wit when they really don't. Spend a few minutes on youtube, forums (including here), to see why people have returned it or are opting for the base or Pro.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: iPAU
JPack said:
Wouldn't be surprised if Apple chose that for Air 2. They basically have two options:

A) Lower price - keep features the same (2026)
B) Add camera/speakers - maintain or raise prices (redesign delay to 2027)

Option A is far more conservative while B is risky and takes away engineering resources for Fold/Fold 2.
Click to expand...
Option C: Prices stay the same, features stay the same, but the move to a 2nm processor gets them to say it now has longer battery life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pinachina
I love my Air, no issues whatsoever. But as someone who participates in Apple's upgrade program, I really hope it's true that the Air 2 will release next fall. Otherwise, it would be the first time I haven't upgraded after the fall event.
 
mtoddy said:
They can keep their second camera. I want a second speaker.

It pained me to return this gorgeous phone earlier this year and just go with the regular 17, but I couldn't go forward with the tinny, quiet, underpowered speaker when I spend half my day on Zoom calls around the house, on walks, etc.
Click to expand...
If you spend that much time on calls, wouldn't you want to use headphones?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pinachina
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back