My favourite trendy iPhone was the iPhone 13 Mini. It solved the battery woes of the iPhone 12 Mini whereas protecting the identical one-handed type issue. Nevertheless, the telephone didn’t generate sufficient gross sales, and Apple killed and changed it with a Plus mannequin. 

Even the Plus mannequin did not seize the general public’s consideration, and Apple quietly sunsetted it final 12 months, changing it with the sleeker, slimmer iPhone Air. Earlier studies advised that the iPhone Air was not selling well and appeared like one other failure. Nevertheless, new data from Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence means that these studies is perhaps exaggerated.

The iPhone Air captured a 6.8% share of the US market in This autumn 2025. That may not sound like rather a lot, however think about this: the iPhone 16 Plus, the mannequin it changed, solely managed a 2.9% share throughout its launch window. Apple greater than doubled the efficiency of that roster slot.

Did the Air steal gross sales from the Professional fashions?

That is the query each Apple analyst was asking, and the reply is usually no. The iPhone 17 Professional Max held 55.5% of the market, almost an identical to the 56.3% its predecessor captured. The ultra-premium crowd isn’t going anyplace.

What the Air did pull was patrons from the usual Professional mannequin, which dropped from 34.9% to 30.6%. So, about 4% of customers selected a slimmer design over a greater digicam and a bigger battery. That’s a trade-off a significant share of individuals, together with me, have been blissful to make.

How did Samsung’s skinny telephone do compared?

In the event you comply with smartphone information cycle, you recognize that Samsung wished to steal iPhone Air’s limelight by releasing its personal slim telephone. Nevertheless, the studies counsel that the transfer may need backfired. 

Within the U.S., the iPhone Air outsells the S25 Edge by a three-to-one margin, accounting for six.8% versus 2.4%. In markets just like the U.Okay. and Germany, the S25 Edge barely registers, with lower than 1% market share.

The information confirms what Apple seemingly suspected. Folks didn’t need a larger or smaller iPhone; they wished a cooler one.