Apple iPhone Air could be a flop as rumors suggest lower-than-expected demand and potential discontinuation
It seems Samsung is not the only one grappling with the failure of the ultra-thin smartphone dream, as rumors are now circulating online that the Apple iPhone Air is not selling as well as Apple had hoped outside of China. This comes after leaks emerged that Samsung won’t be releasing a successor to the Galaxy S25 Edge in 2026.
The latest development regarding the reception of the Apple iPhone Air comes to us courtesy of a rumor circulating on Weibo (via Jukan on X). The rumor claims that, due to the colder-than-expected demand, the production strategy of the Apple iPhone Air has been revised. The production of the iPhone Air is reportedly “halted” at the pre-processing stage, as there is sufficient inventory, and is seemingly only resumed when there are enough orders.
In other words, Apple isn't continuously pre-producing iPhone Air units like it does with more popular models. This points to the discontinuation of the iPhone Air in 2026 if things don’t improve, a move suggested by famed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a post on X.
Per Ming-Chi Kuo, most iPhone Air suppliers are “expected to reduce capacity by up to 80%” by Q1 2026. Apple is also expected to stop sourcing components with long lead times, which can include things like SoC and critical rare earth minerals for internal hardware, by the end of 2025. Ming-Chi Kuo suspects that these developments are due to the base and Pro iPhone models being enough to satisfy most demand. This, according to the analyst, “leaves little room to carve out new market segments”, something that Apple has previously experienced with iPhone Mini and Plus.
So, where does that leave the smartphone market?
For starters, Samsung is rumored to replace the Galaxy S25 Edge with the Galaxy S26 Plus next year. While we can’t say for sure if Apple will also reverse its decision to scrap the iPhone Plus, there is a chance that the company could do something similar. We also have the iPhone Fold to look forward to, as rumors suggest a potential 2026/2027 launch.
The discontinuation should also mean that most Chinese brands will stay away from releasing their ultra-thin smartphones. This is rather unfortunate, as the smartphone industry has matured, and truly exciting releases are hard to come by.
As always, this is all speculation, and we don’t know for sure which route Samsung and Apple will take. So, take the information with a grain of salt.
Source(s)
