The iPhone 17 Pro will usher in a new era, where the iPhone Air is the go-to iPhone model.
After the mini and the Plus models failed to capture significant market share, Apple has introduced the ultra slim iPhone Air. However, much like the redesign for the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone Air has also received a lot of mixed reception online since its announcement.
Despite that, I think that the Air will become the go-to iPhone model in 2-3 years. The iPhone that everyone will be rocking in public, and the model that newcomers to Apple’s ecosystem will be encouraged to get.
Today’s iPhone Air isn’t great — it makes a lot of sacrifices — but I still believe that Apple has finally struck gold. Or, at least, made a model that will win over a reasonable chunk of the market share, unlike the mini or the Plus. Let me explain.
The iPhone Air makes sacrifices for its form. | Image credit — Apple
Most of the shortcomings currently holding back the iPhone Air aren’t going to last too long. Short battery life? Apple will continue to improve upon its batteries, like Samsung with the Galaxy S26 Edge. When that’s not enough, the company will transition over to silicon batteries, a field that it is already experimenting in.
There are already super slim phones on the market with much larger batteries than the Air: for example, the Tecno Slim. The iPhone Air’s battery life is already pretty decent, just a few minutes less than the base model iPhone 17. Intelligent battery management on iOS 26 helps a great deal, and it’ll only get better alongside larger batteries in the future.
