October 18, 2025 – According to a recent report from Mizuho Securities in Japan, Apple is scaling back production of its ultra-thin iPhone Air model due to weaker-than-expected market performance. While the overall iPhone 17 lineup continues to see strong sales, the iPhone Air has emerged as an outlier within the series.
Mizuho Securities revealed that Apple intends to reduce iPhone Air production by approximately 1 million units. To offset this, the company plans to increase output for other models in the lineup. Notably, sales of the standard iPhone 17 digital series have outperformed their predecessors, and demand for the Pro and Pro Max variants has also risen significantly year-over-year. As a result, Apple now expects total iPhone 17 shipments to reach 94 million units by early 2026, up from an initial forecast of 88 million.
This trend is not unique to Apple. The iPhone Air was initially positioned as a trailblazer in the “ultra-thin premium” segment, but market data indicates that consumer interest in this niche remains limited. A similar situation unfolded with Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, which faced sluggish sales. Reports suggest Samsung has since abandoned plans for a successor, the Galaxy S26 Edge, opting instead to revive the more conventional S26+ model.
The challenges faced by both Apple and Samsung highlight the risks of pursuing untested design strategies in saturated markets. For now, consumers appear to favor proven form factors over experimental ultra-thin devices, even when branded as “premium.”
