iPhone Air: Second version with two cameras?
Reports from Asia suggest that Apple is working on a refresh of the Air despite below-average sales. Initial new features are also mentioned.
The iPhone Air in all four colors: Sales are reportedly not going well.
(Image: Apple)
Will the story of the iPhone Air continue after all? After apparently rather below-average sales and alleged production shutdown, some market observers already expected that the thinnest Apple smartphone ever would be a rather short episode—and would simply be replaced next year by Apple's first iPhone foldable. But now there are fresh rumors from the company's Asian supply chain that suggest Apple is working on a second generation of the Air.
Many iPhones for many target groups
This would mean more iPhones in one year in 2026 than ever before. In addition to the aforementioned foldable in September, there will be the iPhone 18, 18 Pro, and 18 Pro Max, the Air 2, plus presumably an entry-level model in the spring called 17e, which would replace the iPhone 16e. This would mean a total of six new Apple smartphones for very different target groups within twelve months.
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Regarding a possible iPhone Air 2, the well-known leaker Digital Chat Station now states on the Chinese microblogging service Weibo that the new model is to be improved “iteratively.” For example, the 6.5-inch screen with Face ID sensor on the front will not change, and the look, referred to here as “Horizontal Runway Design,” will remain the same. However, Apple is reportedly planning to equip the rear camera platform (“Camera Plateau”) with a second sensor in the middle. This would be the main innovation for the Air 2 (which the person refers to as “18 Air”).
Is there enough space for a second camera?
This would address a central criticism of the iPhone Air, which currently only has a single 48-megapixel main camera on the back. Apparently, the second sensor is not planned to be a zoom/telephoto lens but, as with the iPhone 17 standard model, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. Thus, the Air 2 would catch up with the 17 in this regard, which many customers had hoped for with the first Air. It remains unclear whether and how Apple will improve the iPhone 18's camera—in which case this model would again have an advantage over the Air 2.
It remains unclear whether Apple will actually manage to incorporate a second sensor into the camera platform. This is because it contains more than just image sensors—parts of the main logic board are housed here so that the Air can be as thin as it currently is and there is space for the battery in the main area of the housing.
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