Will the Next iPhone Air Be A Minor 2026 Refresh or a Major 2027 Redesign?
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While the consensus among analysts and leakers is that we won’t see an iPhone Air refresh until 2027, a well-known supply chain leaker is going against the grain, saying we should expect a new iPhone Air later this year, albeit one with only “minor changes.”
The new claim comes from Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital, who says that preparations are already underway to manufacture a second-generation model of the ultra-slim iPhone:
The topic is saying it will be in the fall of 2027?? No, feedback from the production line indicates that the iPhone Air 2 will be released this fall with minor changes, a routine upgrade, and no significant specification cuts as mentioned in the topic…
Fixed Focus Digital on Weibo, machine-translated from Chinese
In their comments, the leaker appears to be doubling down on a similar claim they made late last year. They say the feedback they’re receiving from the production line indicate we’ll see a second-generation iPhone Air debut in the fall, likely alongside Apple’s new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models, as well as a much-rumored “iPhone Fold.”
The leaker refers to the second-generation iPhone Air as a “routine upgrade” from the original iPhone Air, saying it will have “very minor changes” from the original model that was released last fall. While Fixed Focus Digital doesn’t have a perfect track record, they did accurately break the news of the iPhone 16e name a few weeks ahead of its launch, at a time when everyone was still expecting it to be the “iPhone SE 4.”
Fixed Focus Digital’s prediction flies in the face of a November report from The Information that reported on Apple’s decision to delay the release of a second-gen iPhone Air until 2027, likely due to poor sales of the original model iPhone. The same outlet later followed up with a second report, claiming Apple is going to use the additional time between generations to redesign the handset, carving more weight from the design, adding vapor cooling, adding a second rear camera, and making room for a larger battery.
Following those reports, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman chimed in, saying his source told him that the iPhone Air 2 wasn’t delayed per se, but that Apple had never intended to release a new Air in 2026. “The fact that Apple named the device the iPhone Air (rather than the iPhone 17 Air) signaled that it didn’t want to tie the product to an annual release schedule,” said Gurman at the time.
Gurman expects to see the revamped iPhone Air to possibly heading for a spring 2027 release, possibly alongside the base model iPhone 18 and the iPhone 18e, as Apple moves to a new split-launch release strategy. Gurman believes Apple will be focusing on moving the Air 2 over to a 2-nanometer chip, which should provide improved performance and longer battery life.
In November 2025, a Weibo post by leaker “Digital Chat Station,” who has a somewhat-mixed but decent record of predicting Apple’s moves in the past, tagged a possible 2026 model with an “iPhone 18 Air” moniker, claiming that Apple was planning to add a 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens to the next-generation model — something that The Information agreed with, but suggested Apple needed more time to do.
Digital Chat Station’s comments suggested that the camera system on the new iPhone Air would mirror that of the standard iPhone 17 system, with a main 48 MP shooter joined by a 48 MP ultra wide lens. Telephoto would still be reserved for the flagship iPhone Pro models.
On the flip side, Fixed Focus Digital seems to be suggesting that the 2026 version will retain the single camera. With conflicting reports, it’s also possible that both could be true, with Apple potentially treating a 2026 model as a spec-bump before a bigger 2027 upgrade.
However, it’s also telling that multiple reports suggest Apple plans to hold off the iPhone 18 until early spring, kicking off a strategic shift in the launch cycle that would see the pro and standard models released separately. While the new “iPhone Fold” is a natural fit to launch alongside the iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max, it’s hard to predict which side of the release schedule the iPhone Air lands on. However, the disagreement could simply be a matter of timing; it’s notable that Fixed Focus Digital is specifically questioning a fall 2027 launch, while Gurman and The Information have suggested the next iPhone Air would likely come in the spring of 2027.
Either way, the mere fact that we have disagreements about the release timeframe for the next iPhone Air is a good sign for the longevity of the device. Soon after the release of the iPhone Air, we began seeing reports of its poor sales and its impending cancellation. Some analysts claimed the poor sales of the iPhone Air could lead to the death of the ultra-slim smartphone “craze,” but others believe the first-generation model is selling as well as Apple expected, and that it was never intended to be a breakout hit right out of the gate.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
