Apple's Second-Generation iPhone Air Takes Shape With Second Camera, A20 Pro Chip and Spring 2027 Target

The sequel was not always a certainty. The Information reported in November that Apple had indefinitely delayed a second-generation iPhone Air after the current model sold worse than the company expected. According to that report, Apple notified engineers and suppliers that it was taking the next iPhone Air off the schedule without providing a new release date. The Information later updated its reporting to say Apple was not canceling the iPhone Air 2 altogether and that the device remains in development.

The most concrete change concerns the camera. The ultra-thin design of the current iPhone Air leaves room for only a single rear camera, and Bloomberg and The Information both report that Apple intends to add a second one. Bloomberg says the addition will be an ultra-wide camera rather than a telephoto, which would bring the iPhone Air in line with Apple's base-model iPhones and their main-plus-ultra-wide pairing.

Inside, the iPhone Air 2 is expected to run on the A20 Pro chip, an upgrade from the A19 Pro in the current model. The A20 Pro is reported to be Apple's first 2-nanometer iPhone processor, a fabrication step that allows more performance and better efficiency within a similar footprint. The chip is also said to use a Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module, which integrates the system-on-chip and DRAM at the wafer level for higher performance and lower power consumption.

Battery capacity is reported to grow as well. A supply chain leak cited in the reporting puts the iPhone Air 2 battery at 3,500mAh, compared with 3,149mAh in the first-generation model, an increase of more than 10 percent, with the A20 Pro's efficiency gains expected to add further runtime. Battery life also depends on many other variables, so the final figures will not be known until Apple announces the device.

The Information reports that the iPhone Air 2 will include a vapor chamber cooling system, a technology Apple introduced on the iPhone 17 Pro and marketed for significantly improved heat dissipation. A vapor chamber would let the phone run cooler under sustained load and hold peak performance for longer.

Timing has shifted. The iPhone Air 2 was originally expected in September 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. Bloomberg has since reported that Apple plans to release it in spring 2027 alongside the new base-model iPhone 18.