Apple discounted the iPhone Air by up to 30% on its official UK Amazon storefront last month, in a steep and highly unusual direct price reduction, and at least one color sold out entirely.
The sale price brought the 256GB iPhone Air down to as low as £699 across two colorways (Sky Blue and Space Black), both reduced from their original £999 price. Sky Blue has since sold out entirely, suggesting all available units shifted once Apple dropped the price. The remaining three 256GB colorways are currently listed at £799, down from £999, all with free next-day delivery.
512GB models are also discounted: The Cloud White configuration is listed at £1,049, down from £1,199, while other colors are available from £899. The 1TB model is similarly reduced, with pricing starting from £1,099 for the Space Black option, down from £1,399. The iPhone Air is also listed as a highly returned item.
The reduction of up to 30% represents the lowest price at which the iPhone Air has ever been available directly from Apple in any market. It is also unprecedented for Apple to heavily discount a current-generation iPhone. Apple never normally discounts its current lineup and the company typically holds firm on pricing until a model is superseded. This appears to support the narrative that the iPhone Air has not been the commercial success Apple had hoped for.
The device is widely believed to have struggled since its launch in September last year. A KeyBanc Capital Markets survey revealed "virtually no demand" for the iPhone Air, and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that suppliers had been asked to reduce capacity by more than 80% between launch and the first quarter of 2026, with some components discontinued by the end of 2025.
Apple reportedly cut production orders to nearly "end of production" levels, and supplier Foxconn reportedly dismantled all of its production lines for the device, while Luxshare stopped production at the end of October. The device is now believed to be out of production and Apple may simply be selling through its existing stockpile of the device.
Mizuho Securities found the iPhone Air was the only outlier in an otherwise strong iPhone 17 cycle, with Apple cutting Air production by one million units while increasing orders for all other models by two million. The iPhone Air is believed to have captured just 6.8% of iPhone 17 generation sales in the U.S. in its launch quarter, compared to 30.6% for the iPhone 17 Pro and 55.5% for the Pro Max.
Analysts have pointed to price as the central issue: The iPhone Air launched at $999, just $100 less than the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro, which offers a triple-lens rear camera and substantially better speakers and battery life. Rival smartphone manufacturers including Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have either cancelled or adjusted development plans for their own ultra-thin models in response to the iPhone Air's poor reception, with Samsung similarly reportedly cancelling the Galaxy S26 Edge after the Galaxy S25 Edge sold poorly.
The Information reported in November that Apple has delayed the second-generation iPhone Air, which had been scheduled to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro in fall 2026. The next version of the device could feature a second rear camera in response to customer feedback and launch in spring 2027.
