Apple reportedly hits pause on iPhone Air 2 after disappointing sales and production cuts

Apple’s ambitious attempt to reinvent the iPhone line with the ultra-thin iPhone Air has fallen flat. According to The Information, the company has postponed the next-generation iPhone Air, which was originally scheduled to debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro in late 2026, following weak sales and widespread production cuts.

The iPhone Air, launched in September this year, was supposed to represent Apple’s boldest design shift since the iPhone X introduced Face ID and an all-screen display in 2017. At just 5.6mm thick, it was Apple’s slimmest iPhone ever but that record-breaking thinness came at a cost. The device packed a smaller battery, offered only a single rear camera, and started at $999, just $100 less than the more capable iPhone 17 Pro. Consumers, it seems, weren’t willing to trade performance and endurance for a slimmer silhouette.

Reports from Apple’s supply chain show just how severe the fallout has been. Foxconn, the company’s main manufacturing partner, has reportedly dismantled most of its iPhone Air production lines, leaving just one and a half operational until the end of the month. Luxshare, another supplier, ended production entirely in October. The cutbacks suggest demand has been far weaker than Apple anticipated.

The setback adds another failed experiment to Apple’s search for a successful “fourth iPhone” to complement the standard and Pro models. The company previously tried with the iPhone mini, which was too small for most users, and the iPhone Plus, which struggled to justify its existence. The iPhone Air was meant to be a stylish middle ground — but high pricing and functional compromises have put it in the same category as its predecessors: commercially underwhelming.