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

iPhone Air With Dual Lens Camera Coming in Spring 2027

Interesting / helpful to see how many Air owners prefer the Telephoto as the 2nd lens, over the Ultra-Wide. I am absolutely one of those people. I never took UW photos (or macro photos), whereas I was about 90% Wide / 10% Telephoto with my photos the last 4-5 years.

Apple always wanted the Air to be a "premium" device. The design. The titanium / shiny sides. The price point. For a bunch of reasons, it didn't turn out that way... the initial reception/reviews were bad, and the Air just didn't get the momentum to get the snowball rolling down the hill. I still feel it could've gone a different way if certain circumstances didn't play out the way they did...

I think Apple still has an opportunity to "save" the Air and keep it slotted it as a Premium device (at least for the next 3-4 years, eventually it may indeed replace the Base iPhone, like the Macbook Air has)... By making the 2nd camera a Telephoto, over an Ultra-wide. It then more clearly distinguishes itself over the Base iPhone which is the other 2-lens iPhone. I secretly hope deep-down that Apple surprises us and does that.

It is the 1 thing that keeps my iPhone Air from being the perfect device for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shifts
erikkfi said:
I just hate the way this phone feels in the hand. It's slightly wider than the Pro and it could be that little difference. I think they messed up the Air's dimensions, and that's not something a second camera lens will fix.
Click to expand...
Totally agree, I had the same feeling on the store. They should have opted for a traditional 6.3 or even 6.1, that would be more "Air" and not the bulky thing it is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eddie Beeps
robertosh said:
Totally agree, I had the same feeling on the store. They should have opted for a traditional 6.3 or even 6.1, that would be more "Air" and not the bulky thing it is.
Click to expand...
It’s wide, tall, and flat just like the Razr 20 years ago for a reason - the insides and battery have to go somewhere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Luftkopf
Call me a skeptic, but I'm not buying this rumor. Where's the second camera going to go? if they want to maintain the shape of the plateau they have to be side be side, which means half as much room for the entire mother board, face time camera array, speaker, antennae, haptics etc. If it's a top bottom arrangement then that takes battery space away, and also makes the MagSafe battery obsolete with gen 2, so fewer of us will be eager to upgrade from the enthusiastic early adopter crowd. I love my iPhone Air and would happily buy a Gen 2, but I think they will upgrade the single camera and make it more versatile rather than add another one. My ¢¢
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shifts, Eddie Beeps and subjonas
There isn't going to be a telephoto camera in the Air until someone figures out how to overcome the limitations of current lens optics, which force a telephoto camera module to be thicker than will fit into the Air. Maybe we'll see a telephoto in the Air when metalens designs advance to the point where they can be used as regular/high-quality smartphone camera lenses, but that might not happen until at least the 2030-2032 timeframe. If that happens, then all smartphones will lose their camera bumps. It's being worked on, including by Apple.
 
Brettka7 said:
Everyone who wishes they don’t make an Air 2 - just don’t buy one. Close your eyes when you approach one in the Apple Store. It’s not that hard to avoid. Let us enjoy our phone.

My Air is the best iPhone I’ve ever owned. Can’t wait to see how it evolves.
Click to expand...
I have an Air, it doesn't work for me so I won't be getting an Air 2, but fail to understand the thinking of people who want *less* options. Bizarre.
 
BigDO said:
fail to understand the thinking of people who want *less* options. Bizarre.
Click to expand...
No one wants less options. But everything is a trade off so you have to choose your options. People buy the Air for the same reason people buy small sports cars instead of big muscle cars or trucks, or ultralight minimalist camping gear instead of large luxury camping gear, or an iPad Mini instead of an iPad Pro. For some people, form factor (size/weight) is as important as other features.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Luftkopf
I did not decide against the iPhone Air because it has too few camera lenses or insufficient battery life. The main reason is simply its size. iPhones have become larger year after year, and for me this has made them increasingly less practical for everyday use.

I am not looking for a foldable iPhone. What I would like is a traditional iPhone with compact dimensions that can be easily and comfortably carried in a pocket. For many users, a larger display is not the priority; instead, they value a device that is portable, convenient to handle, and practical for daily use.
Click to expand...
 
Christopher Kim said:
Apple always wanted the Air to be a "premium" device. The design. The titanium / shiny sides. The price point. For a bunch of reasons, it didn't turn out that way... the initial reception/reviews were bad, and the Air just didn't get the momentum to get the snowball rolling down the hill. I still feel it could've gone a different way if certain circumstances didn't play out the way they did...

I think Apple still has an opportunity to "save" the Air and keep it slotted it as a Premium device (at least for the next 3-4 years, eventually it may indeed replace the Base iPhone, like the Macbook Air has)... By making the 2nd camera a Telephoto, over an Ultra-wide. It then more clearly distinguishes itself over the Base iPhone which is the other 2-lens iPhone. I secretly hope deep-down that Apple surprises us and does that.
Click to expand...

Now that the iOS 27 dev beta is out, the Air debate is a little more complicated. Come next spring if the Air 2 is released, it'll be priced at what, $1199? Is a premium of $200 worth it for a second camera - ultra wide or telephoto - and the A20? I lean towards keeping the original Air. I can see why buyers thought the cameras or battery life don't warrant it, even if I disagree with that argument. As it stands, the $999 price point of Air makes it a premium device. In a few months the only phones that will support the full-fat iOS 27 (12 GB RAM) are the rumored folding phone, the 18 Pro/Max and base model (also rumored RAM bump), plus the grandfathered 17 Pro/Max and current Air. Maybe they'll keep the price the same, maybe it'll be hiked as Tim Cook suggested recently. Either way the Air is a much different value proposition now than it was nine months ago.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Christopher Kim
mlayer said:
Now that the iOS 27 dev beta is out, the Air debate is a little more complicated. Come next spring if the Air 2 is released, it'll be priced at what, $1199? Is a premium of $200 worth it for a second camera - ultra wide or telephoto - and the A20? I lean towards keeping the original Air. I can see why buyers thought the cameras or battery life don't warrant it, even if I disagree with that argument. As it stands, the $999 price point of Air makes it a premium device. In a few months the only phones that will support the full-fat iOS 27 (12 GB RAM) are the rumored folding phone, the 18 Pro/Max and base model (also rumored RAM bump), plus the grandfathered 17 Pro/Max and current Air. Maybe they'll keep the price the same, maybe it'll be hiked as Tim Cook suggested recently. Either way the Air is a much different value proposition now than it was nine months ago.
Click to expand...
The Air won’t increase that much. It’s already discounted everywhere which means $999 was overpriced for the specs to begin with (and I say that as a full Pro > Air convert). A lot of R&D is out of the way now, so it will be $999 - $1,099 if an Air 2 releases.
 
I love my Air, no longer a brick of a iphone 15 pro in my pocket that gets mega hot and drain battery like crazy.

I wish they keep the air 2 simple and as light weight as possible, just keep it as a very lightweight ultra thin device and if you need a better camera simply buy the regular/pro models.

For the average tiktok/reel brainrot addict this phone is far from enough, i`ll get that but i dont have socialmedia and dont play games on my phone.

Go get a Pro Max so you can invest your precious time on this earth watching dumb tiktoks all day long, its all good baby.
 
Nibo10 said:
The iPhone Air is my absolute favourite iPhone. While the first generation has some drawbacks like every other Apple product, it’s always a blank canvas for future models to build upon. These… shortcomings are only apparent when compared to other devices, not when you actually use the phone. However, those comparisons aren’t really relevant because the Air is unique and doesn’t quite fit into other categories. It’s also quite hilarious how many reviewers who initially criticised its “flaws” ended up having it as their daily driver.

in short, I still can’t understand the widespread dislike for this device, especially from people who haven’t used it, but at best only spent a few minutes in a store with it. Every single person on these forums who owns an Air absolutely loves it – if that’s not an indication then I don’t know what is.

Every iteration of the Air is an instant day one purchase for me.
Click to expand...
The hate is the same as for the mini.
People need much more battery life to sustain their 5 reels a second doomscroll addiction.

For real by far most people who need lots of battery life do not need it for productivity but for games and socialmedia consumption.

look around you how many are actually performing business calls, emailing for hours on end, performing several zoom meetings a day etc, thats a real small percentage.

They do not understand why there are people out there that want less, the comprehension does not exist because tiktok/instagram doomscrolling is life.
 
  • Love
Reactions: Nibo10
johnsawyercjs said:
There isn't going to be a telephoto camera in the Air until someone figures out how to overcome the limitations of current lens optics, which force a telephoto camera module to be thicker than will fit into the Air. Maybe we'll see a telephoto in the Air when metalens designs advance to the point where they can be used as regular/high-quality smartphone camera lenses, but that might not happen until at least the 2030-2032 timeframe. If that happens, then all smartphones will lose their camera bumps. It's being worked on, including by Apple.
Click to expand...
Who knows what Apple engineers can figure out in terms of design ingenuity / creativity to get a 2nd / Telephoto lens onto the "plateau" of the Air? I would be totally fine if they made the plateau thicker as a result, in order to make it work along with all the other innards they need to put in there.

I don't hold the phone at the plateau - so for all intents and purposes, the "feel" of the Air to me is completely on the body of the phone (which I use caseless).

Again, I secretly hope that Apple is going to surprise us with adding the telephoto on the Air 2. All rumors point to it being an Ultra-wide... I won't get my hopes up. But if it did, I really think it would differentiate the Air as a premium device again.
 
Christopher Kim said:
Who knows what Apple engineers can figure out in terms of design ingenuity / creativity to get a 2nd / Telephoto lens onto the "plateau" of the Air? I would be totally fine if they made the plateau thicker as a result, in order to make it work along with all the other innards they need to put in there.

I don't hold the phone at the plateau - so for all intents and purposes, the "feel" of the Air to me is completely on the body of the phone (which I use caseless).
Click to expand...
Ingenuity can go a long way, but so far nobody in the field of camera optics has figured out a way to make smartphone telephoto cameras slimmer, other than the promise of metalenses, so my guess is that's where the research is being invested.

I agree on the thickness of the Air's camera plateau, but there are plenty of Air fans who just tolerate its current thickness, and my guess is they'd be pig-biting mad if it were any thicker.
 
determined09 said:
I saw that people in Europe and the UK was getting the iPhone Air at a discount before Bestbuy started selling it at a discount in the USA. Once BestBuy but it on sell at a discount, ATT and Verizon offered an additional discount with activation of new cell phone line with them for a little awhile. I haven't seen this for short while now.
Click to expand...
i think carrier deals is what you saw, there isnt unlocked outright purchase deal
 
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