Apple's iPhone Air nearly died after one generation. Poor sales and middling reviews suggested the ultralight design was a dead end.
Now, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports the company is preparing a sequel, and the fixes target exactly what went wrong. The second-generation iPhone Air, codenamed V62 and in advanced testing, will add a second rear camera with an ultrawide-angle lens and improved battery life, according to people with knowledge of the matter cited by Gurman. Those were the two biggest complaints about the original model, which launched last fall with a single 48MP rear camera and battery life that trailed the standard iPhone 17 by three hours.
The original Air was a marvel of engineering, reviewers found no bending or durability issues, but the trade-offs were hard to swallow. Macworld's Jason Cross wrote that he was "painfully conscious" of the single camera.
"Not a day went by that I didn't miss having a second (or third) camera," he said, noting the lack of macro and telephoto capabilities in a device that costs around $1,000.
Adding an ultrawide lens brings the Air 2 to parity with the iPhone 17's camera setup, though it will still lack the telephoto lens found on the Pro models. The battery fix is less defined.
Gurman reports that Apple is targeting better endurance but acknowledges it's unclear whether that will come from a larger battery, difficult in the Air's slim chassis, or efficiency gains from a rumored A20 Pro processor. The bigger story is timing.
Gurman's sources peg the iPhone Air 2 for a spring 2027 launch, roughly 18 months after the original. That would mark a departure from Apple's historical rhythm of announcing all major iPhones in September.
Apple has already been testing this split schedule. The iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the long-rumored foldable iPhone (reportedly called "iPhone Ultra") are expected this September, while the iPhone 18, iPhone Air 2, and iPhone 18e would follow in spring 2027. The budget iPhone 17e kicked off this pattern last spring, moving the lower-cost model out of the fall window.
The shift signals Apple sees the Air as more than a one-off experiment. Many analysts assumed the device was a precursor to a foldable iPhone, a showcase for thin design rather than a permanent lineup member. But committing to a second generation with significant upgrades suggests Apple plans to keep the Air around, potentially as a spring-cycle anchor that gives the company a second product beat each year.
Whether the Air 2 can overcome the original's weak sales depends on execution. The camera gap is closing. The battery question remains open. And the spring 2027 launch gives Apple time to solve both.
