iPhone Air impresses: More successful than the Plus model

The iPhone Air is becoming a success faster than many expected. Initial data from independent analyses show that Apple's new model is being received significantly better than previous attempts to establish a fourth device in the iPhone lineup. Especially when compared to the iPhone Plus, it becomes clear that the strategy has fundamentally changed.

Apple has repeatedly attempted to position an additional model between its standard and Pro devices in recent years. However, neither the iPhone mini nor the later Plus variants achieved lasting success. Both lines fell short of expectations and reached only a relatively small target audience.

With the iPhone Air, Apple is taking a different approach. Instead of defining itself solely through size or compromises in functionality, the focus here is primarily on the ultra-thin design. Current figures show that this approach is working better than previous concepts.

iPhone Air significantly outperforms iPhone 16 Plus

Data from speed tests collected by Ookla via crowdsourcing provides concrete insights into usage. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the iPhone Air accounted for 6.8 percent of the sample within the iPhone 17 generation in the US.

For comparison: The iPhone 16 Plus only achieved 2.9 percent market share in the same period a year earlier. This means the iPhone Air has more than twice the market share of the Plus model at its respective launch.

These figures are considered a clear indication that the iPhone Air has achieved significantly higher acceptance among buyers.

Impact on the Pro models

The success of the iPhone Air has not been without consequences for the rest of the model lineup. The iPhone 17 Pro, in particular, has lost market share year-on-year.

Decline from 34.9 percent to 30.6 percent
The iPhone 17 Pro Max remains virtually unchanged at 55.5 percent.

The data suggests that around 4 percent of buyers consciously switch from the Pro model to the iPhone Air, foregoing a better camera and higher processing power in order to get a thinner and lighter device.

International markets are showing even stronger demand

Outside the US, the iPhone Air's market share is even higher. According to Ookla data, the model achieves the following market shares:

South Korea: 11.2 percent
Japan: 8.9 percent
Singapore: 8.4 percent

These figures show that international demand is sometimes significantly stronger than in the US market.

Modem performance in detail

In addition to market penetration, technical performance was also examined. The iPhone Air uses Apple's own C1X modem. Here's an overview of the results:

Download speed: comparable to the Qualcomm X80 in the iPhone 17 Pro Max
Latency: better than the Qualcomm modem in 19 out of 22 tested markets.
Upload speed: Qualcomm remains in the lead, with up to a 32 percent advantage in some regions.

Ookla cites the further developed Uplink Carrier Aggregation (UL-CA) of the Qualcomm X80 as the reason for the lag in upload speed.

Apple's previous model strategy in retrospect

The development of the iPhone Air can only be fully understood in the context of earlier models:

The iPhone mini underperformed expectations for over two generations.
The iPhone 14, 15 and 16 Plus models fared even worse.
Both versions only managed to secure a niche fan base.

In contrast, the iPhone Air succeeded for the first time in successfully positioning a fourth model in the market, at least in the first few months after its market launch.

The iPhone Air is establishing itself as a mainstay in Apple's portfolio

The iPhone Air confirms for the first time Apple's strategy of meaningfully expanding its product range with an additional model. The data clearly shows that the device is being received significantly better than previous alternatives such as the Plus or mini models.

The most striking change is the shift within the model range. Some buyers are consciously choosing a slimmer design over the Pro performance. At the same time, demand for the Pro Max remains stable.

The iPhone Air also delivers solid technical results, especially in terms of download speed and latency, while there are still differences in upload speed.

Overall, there are many indications that the iPhone Air could play a more permanent role in the iPhone portfolio in the long term than its predecessors. (Image: Shutterstock / Framesira)