Apple’s Second-Generation iPhone Air Is Coming in Spring 2027

Apple is preparing a second-generation iPhone Air for spring 2027, adding a second rear camera and a longer-lasting battery to the slim phone that has divided buyers since its September 2025 launch. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported the second iPhone Air prototype details on June 17, citing people with knowledge of the product roadmap, and the device, code-named V62, is already in advanced testing at Apple. A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.

The move is the opposite of Samsung’s. In October 2025, Samsung cancelled the Galaxy S26 Edge after the Galaxy S25 Edge’s low sales volumes, ending the Edge line for now. Apple is instead pushing ahead, betting that a thinner phone with the right fixes can carve out a permanent slot in the iPhone lineup.

What Apple Is Adding to the Next iPhone Air

Bloomberg’s sources describe a prototype with three concrete changes and a familiar silhouette. The device will retain the current Air’s look, with the same titanium frame and 5.6mm profile. Inside, the biggest shift is the camera array.

The V62 prototype adds a second rear camera for ultrawide-angle photography. That is the most-requested missing piece on the original Air, which shipped with a single 48MP main lens. Per Bloomberg, the limited single-lens setup drew the most customer complaints. The V62 is built to address that complaint directly. Battery life is the second priority.

Apple is working to extend the Air’s runtime, though the company has not settled on a mechanism. A larger battery may be impractical inside the slim chassis; efficiency gains from the new chip are the likelier route. The V62 will run a version of the A20 Pro processor, the same chip coming to Apple’s fall 2026 iPhones.

• Second rear camera for ultrawide-angle photography
• Improved battery life, mechanism to be determined
• A20 Pro processor, shared with fall 2026 iPhones
• Retains the current Air’s design
• Currently in advanced testing within Apple

The Complaints Apple Is Trying to Fix

Per the iPhone Air launch announcement in September 2025, the device is the thinnest iPhone ever made at 5.6mm, and at 165 grams it ranks among the lightest. The phone ships with a 48MP Fusion Main camera, the A19 Pro chip, and a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion up to 120Hz. Apple’s positioning was clear: a breakthrough design that keeps pro performance in a thin frame. The iPhone Air also ships eSIM-only, a first for an iPhone.

The trade-offs became the story. The Air ships with a single rear camera, where the iPhone 17 Pro has a triple-camera setup. The mono speaker does not match the Pro’s stereo output, and of the four iPhones Apple launched in 2025, the Air carries the smallest battery. Reviewers, including the India Today Tech review, called out exactly these gaps. Per Bloomberg, the limited single-lens camera drew the most customer complaints, with battery life close behind.

Why the iPhone Air Is Still Alive After Samsung Quit

Samsung reached the opposite conclusion in October 2025. The company cancelled the Galaxy S26 Edge after the Galaxy S25 Edge’s low sales volumes, ending the Edge line for now. Per the reported Galaxy S26 Edge cancellation, shipments of the Galaxy S25 Edge reached 1.31 million units as of August 2025. In the same period, the Galaxy S25 Ultra shipped 12.18 million units, the S25 8.28 million, and the S25+ 5.05 million, according to data from Hana Investment & Securities cited by GSMArena.

The Galaxy S25 Edge sold 190,000 units in its first month on sale, per 9to5Google. An unnamed Samsung official told NewsPim the Edge line was effectively dead, with no return in sight. The S26 Edge had already completed development but will not ship under the Edge name.

Apple’s framing is the opposite. Incoming CEO John Ternus has framed the Air as a differentiator, per Bloomberg. The same report says the Air is performing better than the iPhone mini and Plus, two predecessors Apple eventually dropped. The Air has not yet emerged as one of the highest-volume iPhones, but it has not flopped. Apple’s response: a longer development cycle, a more capable second generation, and a release window that puts the Air in a less crowded slot of the calendar.

I’m not sure if the slim line (i.e. Edge line) will ever return, but as of now, it seems unlikely. It’s practically gone.

An unnamed Samsung official, quoted by Korean outlet NewsPim in October 2025, per GSMArena.

Kuo’s Read on iPhone Air Demand

In October 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo published a note on iPhone Air production cuts. Per Kuo’s note on iPhone Air production cuts, he wrote that iPhone Air demand had fallen short of expectations, leading the supply chain to begin scaling back both shipments and production capacity. Most suppliers, Kuo said, would cut iPhone Air capacity by more than 80% by the first quarter of 2026. Components with longer lead times were set to be discontinued by the end of 2025, Kuo added. The read on demand: weak.

Kuo’s read is that the Pro models and the standard iPhone already cover most of the high-end demand, leaving little room for a slim device. Apple’s apparent counter: more time per cycle, a fix for the loudest complaint, and a release slot that does not force the Air to compete head-to-head with the Pros in September. The 18-month gap between Air generations is itself the counter.

• 5.6mm thickness of the original iPhone Air, per Apple’s September 2025 press release
• 165 grams weight of the original iPhone Air, per India Today Tech’s review
• $999 starting price of the original iPhone Air, per Bloomberg
• 1.31 million units shipped by the Galaxy S25 Edge as of August 2025, per Hana Securities via GSMArena
• More than 80% iPhone Air supplier capacity cut projected by Q1 2026, per analyst Ming-Chi Kuo via PhoneArena

Apple’s New Two-Wave iPhone Release Schedule

The V62 timing is part of a wider shake-up to Apple’s iPhone cadence. For years, Apple has unveiled its main iPhones in a single September event. That single-event pattern is over. The V62 lands in the spring 2027 slot, six months after the fall 2026 iPhone launches.

The fall 2026 lineup will consist only of the high-end models: the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple’s first foldable iPhone. The standard iPhone 18 and the refreshed iPhone Air will follow about six months later, in 2027. That gap, roughly 18 months, is itself part of Apple’s plan to compete with Samsung’s year-round release cadence, per Bloomberg. The same staggered plan shapes Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro split launch and 2nm chip details.

The schedule does not stop there. Bloomberg reported earlier this week that fall 2027 will bring two versions of the 20th anniversary iPhone, with a curved screen wrapping around the device’s edges, alongside a second-generation foldable. Apple says the staggered approach lets it spread revenue more evenly across the calendar. The same approach will help Apple compete with Samsung, which releases major phones at multiple points throughout the year. The two-wave cadence also gives Cupertino a clear answer to anyone who says the iPhone line has grown too predictable.

The Wider 2026-2027 iPhone Roadmap

The iPhone Air is one of at least four new form factors on Apple’s near-term roadmap. Bloomberg has previously reported on a 20th anniversary iPhone for 2027 with a curved, wraparound display. MacRumors has reported that the 2027 model will use a four-edge bending OLED in its first iteration, with a more advanced version planned for 2028. The first foldable iPhone is widely tipped to arrive in September 2026, with Forbes, CNET, and PhoneArena all pointing to a fall 2026 launch window.

The staggered schedule gives Apple room to run all of these launches without colliding. The 2026 fall event carries the Pros and the first foldable; 2027 carries the standard iPhone 18 and the Air refresh; fall 2027 carries the 20th anniversary iPhone and the second-gen foldable. Incoming CEO John Ternus has framed the Air as part of that long-term strategy rather than a one-off.

For the iPhone Air specifically, the new release slot also buys time. The prototype is already in advanced testing, 18 months after the original Air went on sale. If the second Air arrives on time in 2027, it will be the first iPhone Air ever to follow another Air, and Apple’s first test of whether a slim phone can carry a two-year update cycle. A successful test would make the Air a permanent fixture in the lineup, not a one-generation experiment.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Apple’s second iPhone Air coming?

Per Bloomberg, the prototype (codename V62) is in advanced testing at Apple, with the public release planned for spring 2027. The 18-month gap from the original Air’s September 2025 launch is longer than Apple’s typical iPhone cycle.

What’s new in the second iPhone Air?

Two upgrades anchor the V62, per Bloomberg: a second rear ultrawide camera and a longer-lasting battery. Apple has not confirmed whether the battery improvement comes from a larger cell or efficiency gains. The A20 Pro processor inside the V62 is the same chip Apple will ship in the iPhone 18 Pro this fall.

How much will the second iPhone Air cost?

Apple has not announced pricing. The original iPhone Air launched at $999 in September 2025, and Bloomberg has not reported a price for the V62 prototype.

Why is Apple keeping the iPhone Air alive when Samsung killed its slim phone?

Apple’s pitch is differentiation. Incoming CEO John Ternus has framed the Air as a differentiator, per Bloomberg, and the same report says the Air is performing better than the iPhone mini and Plus, both of which Apple eventually dropped. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Edge was cancelled in October 2025 after the S25 Edge sold 1.31 million units as of August 2025, against 12.18 million for the S25 Ultra. Apple sees the addressable market as different.

Is the iPhone Air a flop?

It depends on the yardstick. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in October 2025 that suppliers were cutting iPhone Air capacity by more than 80% by Q1 2026, citing weak demand. Bloomberg reports the Air is performing better than the iPhone mini and Plus predecessors, but has not emerged as one of the highest-volume iPhones. Both can be true: the Air is not a sales disaster, but it is not carrying the lineup either.