If the second-gen iPhone Air is indeed only scheduled to come out in 2027, as a report from yesterday suggested, it looks like we might be in for an absolutely unbearable 18 months or so, with conflicting rumors already piling up on a number of key aspects.
The iPhone Air is clearly not a bad phone, but it could have easily been a much better one. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Unfortunately, today's "maybe" feels a lot more credible than last week's "yes", and not just because The Information is a more trustworthy source of, well, inside information on unreleased Apple products than anyone on Weibo, but also precisely because of the new story's framing.
The truth is no one can know for certain how many cameras will sit on the back of the iPhone Air 2 at this time, and yes, that most likely includes Apple's own higher-ups. If the device has been pushed back from its original fall 2026 launch target to spring 2027, it makes perfect sense for various designs, design revisions, and upgrades to be currently considered without anything being etched in stone yet.
Do you think you'll buy the iPhone Air 2 if it comes with two rear cameras?
Definitely
23.29%
Maybe, but only at the right price
31.51%
Maybe, but only if it comes out in 2026
5.48%
It's too soon to tell
12.33%
Definitely not
27.4%
A "redesign" of the first-gen iPhone Air with a second camera lens would be a fairly easy way to make the handset's delayed sequel "more appealing to consumers", but of course, the degree to which said mass appeal will be improved also depends on the quality of the new camera system and the prospective price increase caused by the upgrade.
Are we seriously having this conversation in 2025?
Apparently, we are, and don't forget, the iPhone Air 2 is now expected to see daylight no earlier than 2027, when the "vanilla" iPhone 18 and the budget-friendly iPhone 18e are also likely to be released.
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Given that the iPhone 18 is obviously guaranteed to follow the iPhone 17's example and carry two cameras on its back, you'd think a dual rear-facing snapper setup would be a sure thing for the iPhone Air's follow-up as well.
I still can't believe that a $999 iPhone in 2025 only comes with one rear camera. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
After all, the iPhone 17 starts at only $799, and the more sophisticated (in most departments) iPhone Air costs a whopping $999 in an entry-level configuration. But evidently, Apple felt its hardcore fans would care more about an admittedly mind-blowing 5.6mm waist than a decent photography-taking experience, which seems to have backfired on the Cupertino-based tech giant.
It probably didn't help that Samsung made a similar compromise for its own ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge, which only borrowed one of the S25 Ultra's four rear-facing cameras while downgrading the secondary ultra-wide-angle lens from 50 to 12 megapixels.
But that's still a dual camera system (that includes a state-of-the-art 200MP primary sensor, no less), and there's obviously no doubt that the Galaxy S26 Edge will come with (at least) two rear-facing snappers... if it comes.
Will it be too little, too late for the iPhone Air 2?
Now that, my friends and dear readers, is the real million multi-billion dollar question, and the answer is... currently unclear, of course.
That's because a handset's success is determined by many more things than just its release date and the number of cameras on its back, and those things are even less certain right now than the detail causing confusion and uncertainty following the reports cited above.
With all that in mind, I think that Apple will need to get most of those things just right in order to give the second-gen iPhone Air a fighting chance in 2027, and alas, I'm skeptical that the $999 price point will go unchanged, for instance, or that the battery life will be massively improved. But I'm (always) ready to be proven wrong.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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