Leaker Fixed Focus Digital gained credibility for being one of the first to report the iPhone 16e naming, and continues to insist that an iPhone Air 2 will launch this year despite contradictory reports.
In a new Weibo post today, they double down on a claim made last month and add a little more detail …
The iPhone Air appeared to flop
While Apple launched its slimmest ever iPhone with much fanfare, it wasn’t long before we saw signs that it wasn’t proving as popular as the company had hoped.
The popularity of a new product can often be judged by how quickly estimated delivery times slip. For the iPhone Air, that simply didn’t happen at all. It remained available for immediate delivery or in-store pickup throughout. Even competitors were said to have given up on the ultra-sleek form factor.
Things culminated in a Nikkei report back in October stating that Apple had slashed manufacturing orders for the model to nearly end-of-production levels.
However, reports suggested that Apple hadn’t given up on the idea.
Conflicting iPhone Air 2 reports
Things kicked off in November with a claim that Apple was going to fix one of the biggest criticisms of the original model: the single camera. The company was said to be exploring the option of releasing a second-generation Air with two cameras.
While that had been expected to launch this year, a subsequent report said that it had been pushed to 2027. However, Fixed Focus Digital disagreed. They have now doubled down on this, though say that this year’s model will be a very small update.
The feedback from the production line is that the iPhone Air 2 will be launched this fall. The change is very small, which is a routine upgrade. There is no substantial change to the specifications.
Here’s the likely reality
On the face of it, a minor update to an unpopular product would seem unlikely. The iPhone Air appears to need a second camera if it’s to have any hope of success.
However, there could be a plausible reason for Apple to issue a minor update this year, and that’s one that was suggested by Bloomberg late last year.
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.
We’ve heard speculation that this chip may be cheaper to produce, and therefore it might make sense for Apple to switch to this despite no other changes to the model. I wouldn’t expect Apple to make any kind of fuss about this minor update.
Either way, it’s a near certainty that we’ll have to wait until next year for a two-camera version.
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