Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

[neuropsychguy]

just make it $500 cheaper and it will sell like hotcakes do

Of course it would. However, assuming normal margins for Apple (which is not realistic given that it's a new design -- Apple should have lower than normal margins on the iPhone Air), a quick calculation suggests Apple would have zero profit selling the phone for about $640 ($700 is likely more realistic). Again, that would mean Apple would not profit at all. There's just no way Apple can sell the iPhone Air for $500 and make any money.

 

[acblue94]

OK. stick with the mini.

Why when I order

My wife and I are among those "few" that got an iPhone 17 Air. Coming from several years of Pro Maxes (most recently the 16 Pro Max), we were both impressed by the weight, thinness and the solid/quality feel of the device. From an esthetic perspective, the camera bump strip is beautiful compared to the huge honker on the 17 Pro Max. From a functional perspective, the phone is easier to operate one-handed, slides more easily in/out of jeans pockets, and can be held one-handed for longer periods of time than the 16 Pro Max, due to its weight.

So what do we miss? We travel frequently and really miss the optical zoom and, to a lesser extent, the ultra-wide lens. The smaller battery capacity doesn't bother us at all - and, of course, is one of the reasons the device is so light. In day-to-day life at home, we get through a whole day (although with my wife's game addition, she does occasionally have to top off on a charger or attach a power bank. We got an Anker Nano MagSafe power bank for that as well as for trips. But as our trips tend to be pretty 'civilized', we haven't needed it yet - we've simply topped off via power outlets provided on the train or plane we're on. The single speaker is a bit annoying too - not so much because it's a single speaker in a $1k phone, but because it's just not very loud! Both of us carry our phones 'naked', so it's not like a case is muffling the sound either - it's just a weak-a$$ thing and simply holding the phone the way you normally hold a phone causes muffling. Pretty pathetic. Luckily, we both use AirPod Pros (just got the 3rd generation and its noise cancellation is a huge improvement over the already pretty good AirPod Pro 2 they replace), so we rarely need the speaker.

If nothing changes in the iPhone Air in its next generation, we will probably move back to the iPhone 18 Pro Max next year - just because its camera is too big a step backwards for us. Doubly so if Apple finds a way to make the 18 Pro Max a bit lighter and thinner. Conversely, if Apple somehow manages to give me a real optical zoom (3x or better) in the next Air, we'll stick with this phone. It is soooo nice to hold and look at

The battery will get battery ithey use the ne

You did actually provide a LOT of cognitive bias with disregard of the facts.

3.) Many tests showed that it has 90% of the standard iPhone 17 battery life and more battery life than the stadnard iPhone 16. What are you on about with "Extremely Poor"

4. & 7.) lack of mmWave does not refer to "inferiority". C1X is as fast if not faster for all the tests conducted. mmWave is a great technology but extremely limited in the real world, your conclusion is a spec sheet read.

5.) ROFL

6.) Same comment as the #4. 320Mhz is an enhancement of the WiFi spec, not a requirement of the spec itself. Devices can only benefit from it with unobstructed view to the router. Also the benefit from the extra bandwidth is noticeable when a lot of devices connected to one router. For normal use in a typical household 320Mhz would not add significant value but increase power draw on the devices connected.

8.) 🤦‍♂️ What year is it?

9.) Again, what year is it that a wired connection is required to transfer large amounts of data, excluding professionals who shoot raw files?

10.) Slower = 1 less GPU core? Sure. Like having a car capable of doing 160mph but it's electronically limited to 140mph. Surely makes no difference while mostly driving 50-100mph on 99% of the roads.

well said….

 

[Qu1ckset]

Single Camera , Mono Speaker, and USB2.0 were the reasons I decided to keep my 15p , love the phone design and feel but too many compromises , maybe Air 2 will fix this!

 

[thadoggfather]

Thinness is a problem for audio. The speakers of the thin iPad Pro also aren’t great compared to its thicker predecessors, and even at that level would take up a third or so of the iPhone Air.

iPhone 6/6s/7/8 have entered the chat.

 

[thadoggfather]

Im not sure what you are saying about the camera. The main sensor on the Pros has been the same 1/1.28" 48MP sensor from the 14-17 Pro. They improved the readout speed on the 16 Pro but that's it.

just pulled from reddit because I am lazy but:

"iPhone 17 (base) comes with 1/1.56” main camera sensor whereas iPhone 15 Pro comes with 1/1.28” main camera sensor — which is about 50% bigger."

Say what you will, the camera on the Pro's is much better than that of the regular iPhones and Air.. I'm not saying the regulars and Air can't produce great results, but it's a $1k+ phone. I don't think expecting greatness is some niche thing.

 

[klasma]

iPhone 6/6s/7/8 have entered the chat.

They are thicker, similar to the iPad Pro difference I mentioned.

 

[k1121j]

Bummer for Timmy. This was prob going to boost up the bottom line. I'm willing to bet this phone had higher margins then the others.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Apple's designers are in a really sticky situation. Damned if you do make different and interesting designs and damned if you don't.

 

[Neil J. Squillante]

I have an iPhone Air. It’s Apple’s best hardware engineering in years. If this report is correct, it looks like I might be orphaned again like with the iPhone mini. Apple has not marketed the iPhone Air for unknown reasons (e.g., the carriers are not pushing it on their websites). Below I address each of these overblown arguments versus reality.

Compromises:
1. Single speaker

It’s a nonissue for speaker calls and voicemail. When do people otherwise use an iPhone speaker versus headphones such as AirPods? To listen to Beethoven’s Eroica? I’m now playing it as I write the rest of my response and it’s fine for a tiny speaker. (As an aside, you have headphones to thank for why apartment and office buildings are quieter today than in the past.)

2. Single camera

It has 48 megapixels so it’s more versatile than the single cameras of the past.

3. Extremely poor battery life (due to thinness)

Objective testing has proven otherwise. It barely drains in my daily usage. If your job requires you to be away from a charger all day like working at a construction site or in a restaurant then perhaps the iPhone Pro Max is a better fit. On the other hand, if you’re at a desk or in your car it’s a nonissue.

Apple, please include the MagSafe charging puck with each iPhone so that we can have thinner iPhones. My guess is that most iPhone 12 and later users have never used MagSafe. This is the cause of battery anxiety resulting in fat iPhones.

4. Inferior C1X 5G modem compared to SD X80 in Pro series

There’s no reporting on this modem being inferior. The same goes for the C1 in the iPhone 16e.

5. Too thin to hold.

Okay now I think you’re joking.

6. Busted Wifi 7 that is incapable of 320 Mhz channel width on 6Ghz.

Using Ookla, I just got 937/240 on my iPhone Air and 937/278 on my M4 iPad Pro. I have a Wi-Fi 6e router and a 1/1 GBPs connection.

7. No mmWave which is in Pro models.

Unfortunately, I can only get LTE on both my M4 iPad Pro and iPhone Air in my current location so someone else will need to step in here.

8. No display output via USB-C to an external monitor or TV.

I feel pretty confident in saying this is irrelevant for 99% of iPhone users.

9. Still USB 2.0 speeds for a premium device in 2025.

iTunes called and it wants its data transfer activity back from iCloud, Dropbox, etc.

10. Slower binned SOC (again due to thinness and heat concerns)

The binned A19 Pro blows away the A19 in the iPhone 17. My iPhone Air feels dramatically faster than my iPhone 13 mini whereas my M4 Pro MacBook Pro does not feel faster than my 2017 Core i7 iMac when opening apps and for other single core tasks (I’m still glad I upgraded).

Did I miss anything?

Yes. Apple has starved the iPhone Air on marketing spend.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Apple's designers are in a really sticky situation. Damned if you do make different and interesting designs and damned if you don't.

If they'd try a smaller one, I can promise I'll buy it!

 

[thadoggfather]

They are thicker, similar to the iPad Pro difference I mentioned.

They are, but they also don't have the plateau:

Look as I've stated, I am not a hater and not trying to make any one regret their purchase (who cares what demand is if you like it? I am a huge fan of the mini, and we know how that ended up market wise.. and 16 Plus was the move for me last year, I found 16 pro battery life not good and I did not like the weight of Pro Maxes and still continue to not, after 2 years with 14 PM), but I am just trying to spit facts here. It's not as thin as made out to be, IMO, it's just iPhones have gotten the Covid/freshman 20 in past few years.

I would argue 2nd gen Air may even be awesome that was the trend with later mini and plus models at least:
12 mini had bad battery life, 13 mini had good enough battery life and not a comically large notch for a small device
14 plus and 15 plus had yesteryears SoC's (but light and great battery life for its size for casuals), but 16 plus had latest A18

 

[Adelphos33]

Honestly they should have just kept the iPhone plus model

iPhone 17 Plus would have been one of the best iPhones of all time

 

[QuietGamer]

My Bride whom definitely not the techie loves her Air with bumper and sling. She just wants things to "work" and be convenient. She had been using my hand me down 15PM for the last year and a 13 mini prior. She liked the Mini for the light weight but the small screen was, well small. The 15 PM larger screen was great but she didn't care for the weight and bulkiness especially taking it in and out of her phone slot of her backpack/purse.

Now she "wears" her phone now with the bumper and sling. Always with her and easy to use. No chasing it down for a phone call or message and appreciates the larger screen. She takes the bumper off when not needed and it slides easily into her backpack slot. She says the camera bump makes a nice finger grip when removing.

While the Air may not be for the geeks like us, some people find it to be a great phone for them.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I have an iPhone Air. It’s Apple’s best hardware engineering in years. If this report is correct, it looks like I might be orphaned again like with the iPhone mini. Apple has not marketed the iPhone Air for unknown reasons (e.g., the carriers are not pushing it on their websites). Below I address each of these overblown arguments versus reality.

So why aren't more people buying them when they compare them in store?

Put your shoe on the other foot and be devils advocate and strong man the argument against the Air.

That's best way to analyze these situations.

(marketing spend not an issue to a buyer already in a store and comparing the options side by side)

 

[thebarrkbyte]

Proof yet again that foldables are niche, and so is AI. Both seem to be the propensity of tech adventists or enthusiasts, aka "nerds".

 

[seth556]

If I was getting a new phone every year and not the one paying for it the Air would be perfect. But as a long term phone there’s just too many drawbacks.

It’s going to be quickly outdated as soon as the Air 2 and 3 come out, the advancements will be large. Also, the battery being smaller means a 5% drop in performance is much more substantial.

As this is a tech forum there’s a drastic overestimation regarding people not buying these because of the specs, 99% of people buying an iphone have no idea about the cpu, modem, or wifi specs. There’s just not much selling point over the regular 17 and if you’re a wannabe influencer or just want to flex you’ll buy the pro.

 

[Corefile]

I tried balancing the iPhone Air on my finger but it fell off due to the wire securing the phone to the table at the Apple store.

 

[code-m]

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/17/iphone-air-sells-out-in-china/

So what does this means ?

Hype, many Apple products have initial hype then fizzle out shortly after.

Stock is available on Costco website for the iPhone Air but very limited if no stock for all the other models, quite telling.

I may pick one up as a collectors item when it gets discontinued.

 

[Innovati0n]

Shocker. Priced like a pro phone when it isn’t one. And i don’t care if it has the “pro” chip in it.

 

[tomtad]

Apple's designers are in a really sticky situation. Damned if you do make different and interesting designs and damned if you don't.

I don't think they were given the right brief. Going for the 'thinnest iPhone ever' was a pointless endeavour if it requires so much compromise

 

[danielchow]

“Virtually no demand…” so much drama. Must be a high-drama blogger rather than an industry reporter. 🙄

 

[code-m]

Needs the telephoto. should have been single lense on iPhone 17, dual on air, and triple on pro

Thinness and weight have compromises and the 17 does not want to be Kate Moss 🙊

 

[tomtad]

Oops. Well only joking but this is yet another Tim product which is misguided, and that on top of the ongoing AI debacle.

I just hope he stands aside soon

 

[nerdAFK]

iPhone Air is 12 inch MacBook 2.0

 

[turbineseaplane]

“Virtually no demand…” so such drama. Must be a high-drama blogger rather than an industry reporter. 🙄

How would you prefer it be phrased?