When to Expect the iPhone Air 2 and 20th Anniversary iPhone With Camera Under Screen

[RALentz]

First of all, the Air is indeed lighter than your 13 (165 vs. 174 gr.) while - more importantly - having a much bigger display.

Have you felt a 9 gram weight? It's miniscule. That's less than a 6% reduction in weight from the iPhone 13, not notable.

The screen is not 'much bigger', it's only 0.4 inches. Pull out a ruler and look at how large half an inch is, this is less of a change, and less than 7% larger, that's not 'much bigger'. For practical purposes it's not beneficial.

And secondly, have you held an Air yet? It feels a lot lighter still than the numbers would suggest because the weight is distributed over a larger area. It is a very pronounced psychological effect, same as with the latest, super-thin iPads Pro.

No, not held one yet. It might be a good psychological effect with regards to dynamic handling (moment of inertia), but try holding one statically for five minutes while watching a video or reading a long article and see if that's still a notable difference. I am very skeptical it will be notable.

Now give us an Air that is 150g, or less, and we'll start talking.

-R

 

[RALentz]

A 5 min google search would tell you none of that is true. Your iphone 13 is 174grams while the Air is 165grams.

Yea, a negligible difference of less than 6%.

The MacBook Air is over 20% lighter than a MacBook Pro, a real difference and worthy of the 'Air' moniker. That is the standard which the iPhone Air does not meet.

While having a 6.1 screen vs 6.5 inch screen. Huge difference.

Huge? That's less than 7% larger. Pull out a ruler and look at how big half an inch is not. The difference is less than that, which is not practical.

I can see knocking lack of features but its form factor? Cmon now. Why exaggerate to prove a point when its false?

I believe you are the one exaggerating, unless you feel that less than 7% is a large increase, I think most people would think 7% is not notable.

-R

 

[the future]

Have you felt a 9 gram weight? It's miniscule. That's less than a 6% reduction in weight from the iPhone 13, not notable.

Like I said, it‘s the combination of less weight and a bigger screen.

The screen is not 'much bigger', it's only 0.4 inches. Pull out a ruler and look at how large half an inch is, this is less of a change, and less than 7% larger, that's not 'much bigger'. For practical purposes it's not beneficial.

You miscalculated here. The display area of the Air is 16% larger than that of the 13.

No, not held one yet. It might be a good psychological effect with regards to dynamic handling (moment of inertia), but try holding one statically for five minutes while watching a video or reading a long article and see if that's still a notable difference. I am very skeptical it will be notable.

You should really try it if you happen to pass by an Apple store one day. It is quite surprising.

 

[Warped9]

The media and some Youtubers have been saying the iPhone Air is a flop due to (supposedly) less than expected demand. Apple said they were scaling back production due to less than expected demand. But thats not the same as Apple saying it’s being cancelled. They wouldn’t be already planning an Air 2 if the Air 1 were being cancelled as a failure this early in the game.

Everyone should know the media and many YouTubers are given to hyperbole and exaggeration.

 

[Gherkin]

Considering it seems to have bombed, maybe we don’t need three iPhone Air news stories every day??

 

[Max Book]

If Apple upgrades the cameras, speaker, and battery life, then they can position the iPhone Air 2 as a premium phone. if not, they should position it below the iPhone 18.

 

[darngooddesign]

The real problem with the iPhone Air is that it is not truly 'Air', while also asking people to sacrifice features.

The iPhone Air is not light, it weighs just as much as my current iPhone 13 (which I have named 'Chunky' due to its weight).

The Air weighs 1/3 of a pound less than your 13.

Most of that weight is in the battery.

The Mini didn't sell well in part due it its smaller battery.

Invest the resources in tuning the operating system similar to the millions they spent tuning responsiveness of iPadOS to the Apple Pencil.

Then give us a smaller battery, saving weight.

That also frees up room for more cameras, minimizing the sacrifice for the lighter weight.

That would be a much better product.

-R

Silicon batteries are lighter while being more power-dense.

 

[darngooddesign]

Apple's bar for releasing the iPhone Air 2 is the bottom of the barrel!

Even Gurman acknowledges that it's going to flop like the original Air.

Whether or not the Air 2 sells better really depends on what hardware upgrades Apple gives it. But right now it is impossible for anyone to claim that it will be a success or a failure.

 

[RALentz]

You miscalculated here. The display area of the Air is 16% larger than that of the 13.

I didn't miscalculate, you are citing a completely different measure. I cited the linear diagonal screen size that is used as the descriptive size. Area is a completely different measure and can be misleading.

For practical purposes what is the improvement in viewable height or width of content? For width it's less than 8%, for height it's 8%, neither is a notable difference, and shows that the diagonal size difference of less than 7% is a good proxy, certainly better than area.

You should really try it if you happen to pass by an Apple store one day. It is quite surprising.

Oh, I already intended to, and you should take up my suggestion to try holding one for five minutes while watching a video the next time you are at an Apple store.

-R

 

[darngooddesign]

I didn't miscalculate, you are citing a completely different measure. I cited the linear diagonal screen size that is used as the descriptive size. Area is a completely different measure and can be misleading.

For practical purposes what is the improvement in viewable height or width of content? For width it's less than 8%, for height it's 8%, neither is a notable difference, and shows that the diagonal size difference of less than 7% is a good proxy, certainly better than area.

Counter point, the ProMax is around .5" larger than the equivalent Pro and most people can tell the difference.

 

[RALentz]

The Air weighs 1/3 of a pound less than your 13.

Um, it's only 9 grams less. There are over 453 grams in a pound, that's less than 3% of a pound difference, not 33%.

-R

 

[vi2867]

I own the iPhone Air, my choice was the new design and weight. The battery, camera and speaker did not affect my decision. After almost 2 months I still have no regrets, maybe in the future, it may change. I am on the annual renewal program, and I am not sure which way I’ll go. Maybe back to the pro or the fold. It really depends on my budget.

 

[sk1ski1]

Huge? That's less than 7% larger. Pull out a ruler and look at how big half an inch is not. The difference is less than that, which is not practical.

Your math is wrong. Total screen area in square inches (height and width) of the iPhone 13 (6.06 inch screen...18.36 square inches) vs the iPhone Air (6.55 inch screen...21.45 square inches) is 16.82% larger screen size.

 

[RALentz]

Counter point, the ProMax is around .5" larger than the equivalent Pro and most people can tell the difference.

Pro to Pro Max screen is 0.6", which is 50% larger than the difference between the 17 and the Air.

Much larger difference.

-R

 

[ChrisMac47]

As a couple of commenters suggested the smaller flip phone could be attractive. Fold the Air in half like a clam shell. Prioritising the smaller flip over the larger fold is my preference 2026.

But still far too heavy, need to get the weight down to around 100g.

 

[Warped9]

The Air was released only two months ago and in a market where many economies around the world are cooling. It’s not a Hollywood movie, it’s an electronic device. It’s way too soon to call it a failure.

Just as some films don’t generate much buzz initially yet go on to be widely revered classics some products take time to catch on and reach their market.

But today we live in a world where success has to be immediate or forget it.

Yeesh.

 

[RALentz]

Your math is wrong. Total screen area in square inches (height and width) of the iPhone 13 (6.06 inch screen...18.36 square inches) vs the iPhone Air (6.55 inch screen...21.45 square inches) is 16.82% larger screen size.

No, my math is not wrong, you are citing a completely different measure. I cited the linear diagonal screen size that is used as the descriptive size. Area is a completely different measure and can be misleading.

For practical purposes what is the improvement in viewable height or width of content? For width it's less than 8%, for height it's 8%, neither is a notable difference, and shows that the diagonal size difference of less than 7% is a good proxy, certainly better than area.

Viewable height of content is what truly matters for most and that is merely an 8% improvement over the 13, not meaningful.

-R

 

[sk1ski1]

No, my math is not wrong, you are citing a completely different measure. I cited the linear diagonal screen size that is used as the descriptive size. Area is a completely different measure and can be misleading.

For practical purposes what is the improvement in viewable height or width of content? For width it's less than 8%, for height it's 8%, neither is a notable difference, and shows that the diagonal size difference of less than 7% is a good proxy, certainly better than area.

Viewable height of content is what truly matters for most and that is merely an 8% improvement over the 13, not meaningful.

-R

Nope, I have always had the smaller iPhones every year and this is my first year to step up in screen size with an iPhone Air. Very noticeable huge difference to me in screen size. Many others have said the same.

Btw, ask any AI chatbot on the best way to compare screen sizes. They will say total screen area, not screen diagonal.

When comparing screen size, diagonal is easier, but total screen area (square inches) is the more accurate way to understand how big a screen actually feels

 

[B-Mc-C]

Yea, a negligible difference of less than 6%.

The MacBook Air is over 20% lighter than a MacBook Pro, a real difference and worthy of the 'Air' moniker. That is the standard which the iPhone Air does not meet.



Huge? That's less than 7% larger. Pull out a ruler and look at how big half an inch is not. The difference is less than that, which is not practical.



I believe you are the one exaggerating, unless you feel that less than 7% is a large increase, I think most people would think 7% is not notable.

-R

I think you just answered your own question. The iPhone Air is most definitely at least 20% lighter than the alternative, the iPhone 17 Pro (almost 30% lighter than the Pro Max). As you admit, that is absolutely deserving of the Air moniker. The iPhone 13 is so old, with such poor battery life, slower LTE, inferior silicon, etc, that comparing it to the Air is just silly.

The Air is for people who want Pro level performance (latest SoC) with the battery life of last year’s iPhone 16 Pro, and a screen size right in between the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Yes, it could use an additional speaker, or 2nd camera, but for a first gen product, it’s insanely great. I use two phones, keeping my previous year’s model as a backup, and for the first time in a long time, I can’t stand holding my 16 Pro Max. It feels like I went back in time by about a decade. I challenge anyone to test drive the Air for two weeks, you’ll see what I’m talking about and will not want to go back. Don’t even get me started on materials choice, the glossy titanium being infinitely more durable, grippy, and premium-feeling than the anodized aluminum.

One caveat: if I were a photographer, content creator, or gamer, this phone probably wouldn’t cut it. For everyone else, it’s the best phone Apple has ever made, and I’m seeing more and more videos on YouTube of tech savvy people who have ditched their Pro for the Air.

 

[the future]

Area is a completely different measure and can be misleading.

Sorry, but this doesn‘t make any sense. Screen area is the only valid metric when comparing screen sizes. Especially as both of these phones have the same aspect ratio.

 

[RALentz]

I think you just answered your own question. The iPhone Air is most definitely at least 20% lighter than the alternative, the iPhone 17 Pro (almost 30% lighter than the Pro Max).

Somewhat of a good point, thank you, particularly with the comparison I made.

Though I would say the iPhone 17 is also an alternative and is less than 8% heavier, but you get better battery life and camera support which are both major aspects for which people use iPhones, even casually. So the Air being notably lighter than the alternatives is only true if one limits the alternatives.

For those looking to upgrade from a less than 4-year old phone, the iPhone Air is not notably lighter than what they currently have while causing notable sacrifice otherwise than the analagous model (iPhone 17 being the natural replacement for an iPhone 13).

When the MacBook Air first launched it was considerably lighter than not only the alternatives, but also considerably lighter than what people currently had. The iPhone Air cannot claim that.

Also the MacBook Air has kept getting lighter over time while also improving battery life. Will the iPhone Air be able to live up to that? Call me extremely doubtful, unless Apple invests in better tuning their operating system which I originally mentioned as a necessity.

Doubt the necessity of optimizing their operating system for battery life? Take off your Apple Watch, charge it, and then leave it on the dresser until the battery runs down. It does not last significantly longer than if you wore it and used it.

-R

 

[macbookj0e]

The real problem with the iPhone Air is that it is not truly 'Air', while also asking people to sacrifice features.

The iPhone Air is not light, it weighs just as much as my current iPhone 13 (which I have named 'Chunky' due to its weight).

Most of that weight is in the battery.

Invest the resources in tuning the operating system similar to the millions they spent tuning responsiveness of iPadOS to the Apple Pencil.

Then give us a smaller battery, saving weight.

That also frees up room for more cameras, minimizing the sacrifice for the lighter weight.

That would be a much better product.

-R

The air is light relative to its size though.

 

[0lf]

Pro to Pro Max screen is 0.6", which is 50% larger than the difference between the 17 and the Air.

Much larger difference.

-R

If you want to be precise, iPhone 13 is 6.06'', iPhone 17 (pro) is 6.27'', iPhone air is 6.55'' and iPhone 17 pro max is 6.86''.
The size difference between the 17 and air is already noticeable.

 

[RALentz]

If you want to be precise, iPhone 13 is 6.06'', iPhone 17 (pro) is 6.27'', iPhone air is 6.55'' and iPhone 17 pro max is 6.86''.
The size difference between the 17 and air is already noticeable.

Might noticeable but is it practically notable?

When reading an article at a comfortable text size how many extra lines of text can you see?

Does the extra size notably reduce the all the scrolling while shopping?

-R

 

[johnsawyercjs]

I'm going to hold Gurman firmly to these release dates.