Last night, The Information reported that Apple had delayed the iPhone Air 2 launch, from its original schedule of fall 2026. In a follow-up post, The Information reports the second-generation model is now aiming for a spring 2027 release, which would be alongside updates to the base model iPhone 18 (as Apple is shifting the release of that model to the spring going forward).
The reason for the delay is apparently Apple is redesigning the product to address customer complaints, most notably by adding a second camera lens to the back. However, it’s currently unclear if spring 2027 is an achievable deadline.
Of course, Apple never officially said when to expect an iPhone Air 2 to come out, so it isn’t officially delayed. But the usual pattern for iPhones is that Apple refreshes them on an annual basis. This would have seen the iPhone Air 2 due to come out in fall 2026, probably with a minor chip spec bump and not much else.
Under the new plans, the iPhone Air 2 would come out in the following year. Apple engineers are apparently hoping to hit a spring 2027 timeframe, but that is not a firm date at this stage — it could slip until later in 2027.
The current iPhone Air has not been a strong seller, according to reports, which has motivated the need for Apple to significantly change its plans for the iPhone Air roadmap.
However, due to the immense scale of the iPhone business, adding a second camera ahead of schedule is a non-trivial task. Most iPhone designs are locked in approximately two years ahead of when they are released to the public.
Are you excited for the second generation of iPhone Air, and disappointed it might not arrive until 18 months after the first one launched? Alternatively, would you have bought an iPhone Air if it had a second camera lens? Let us know in the comments.