iPhone Air 2: Here’s what’s actually going on

It’s been a whirlwind of a week for iPhone Air fans. First, The Information reported that Apple had indefinitely delayed the iPhone Air 2 due to lower-than-expected sales.

The next day, a separate report said the iPhone Air 2 had actually just been delayed six months, with Apple targeting a spring 2027 launch instead of fall 2026.

Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has more details on what’s going on with the iPhone Air 2.

According to Gurman, the second-generation iPhone Air “hadn’t actually been earmarked for next year — at least not in recent months.” This, in turn, negates the narrative that Apple delayed the device due to its sales numbers.

The Information’s report suggested that the main reason for the delay was to give Apple time to add a second camera to the iPhone Air 2.

Gurman, however, reports that the primary focus of the next iPhone Air will be the switch to a new 2-nanometer processor rather than structural updates. The chip will bring notable improvements to the iPhone Air battery life. Supply chain reports have largely corroborated that the forthcoming A20 chip will be built on TSMC’s second-gen 2nm process (N2) with multiple breakthroughs.

Here’s what Gurman says about the likelihood of the iPhone Air 2 having two cameras:

The report says that Apple developed the iPhone Air “believing it would make up 6% to 8% of new iPhone sales.” These numbers “roughly” mirror the performance of the iPhone 16 Plus.

Today’s report doesn’t give a specific release date for the iPhone Air 2. Instead, Gurman writes:

The key takeaway is that Apple never wanted the iPhone Air tied to an annual release schedule, hence it being named “iPhone Air” not “iPhone 17 Air.”

Finally, Gurman reminds us that one reason the iPhone Air exists is to serve as a “technology expertise and a prototype” for next year’s iPhone Fold. The foldable iPhone will use “many of the same materials, miniaturization techniques, internal components, batteries and software optimizations” as the iPhone Air.

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