The iPhone Air is an interesting idea, but has seemingly failed to appeal to fans in the way Apple may have expected. However, a new leak indicates that Apple could be making key changes to improve the anticipated follow-up, the iPhone Air 2.
According to a recent post on Weibo from known leaker Instant Digital, Apple has requested an “ultra-thin Face ID component" from one of its suppliers. The aim is, reportedly, to allow for more space on the device to include both a main camera and an ultrawide camera on the phone's back. If accurate, this could solve one of the main issues with the iPhone Air series.
While Apple’s iPhone Air was certainly thin, with the device measuring an impressive 5.64mm, this required several sacrifices when it came to hardware. First and foremost, Apple moved most of the internal hardware to the raised camera plateau, along with the main camera, to allow for a larger battery. Moving everything to the top meant that Apple couldn’t offer more than a single camera.
You could probably defend this choice if it weren’t for the fact that, even with those sacrifices, the battery life on the iPhone Air wasn’t great. When we tested the phone, it only managed a battery life of around 12 hours, compared to the 17 hours seen on the rest of the iPhone 17 series.
The other issue, and arguably the larger of the two, is the cost. The iPhone Air costs $999 for the standard 256GB version, which is $200 more than the iPhone 17 and just $100 less than the far more capable iPhone 17 Pro.
There are counter leaks that indicate something very different
While the possibility of an added camera is certainly interesting, it goes against other leaks we have seen recently. For instance, we recently heard rumors that the iPhone Air 2 won’t feature any massive changes, with the new model described as "a routine upgrade," with only "minor changes." This followed earlier leaks that the next-gen iPhone Air would only feature a newer chip and software.
Instant Digital also noted in their post that this thinner Face ID module could potentially find its way into future MacBooks, although this is seemingly just speculation for now. However, while this is the kind of technology that we would expect to see on the iPhone Fold, Apple is reportedly focusing on Touch ID instead.
As with any iPhone, we can’t say anything for certain when it comes to the next generation of iPhone Air until it is released. With that in mind, it was recently rumored that Apple could be launching the iPhone Air in the fall, rather than waiting until 2027 as had previously been reported.
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