iPhone Air 2 to add 48MP ultrawide while keeping ultra-thin design

Although the first Apple ultra-slim phone has not met the company’s expectations, rumors about the first iPhone Air 2 have already begun. A new leak points to a straightforward sequel next year. Tipster Digital Chat Station claims Apple will follow a “normal iteration phase,” meaning an annual update that keeps the thin-and-light positioning intact while nudging the hardware forward.

Design and display: same silhouette, familiar specs

Apple is expected to stick with the Air’s hallmark slim, lightweight build and a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with Face ID. In other words, the second-gen model should look and feel much like today’s device from the front, with changes concentrated on the rear camera system.

The big change: a second camera, and it’s 48MP ultrawide

The headline upgrade, according to the leak, is a 48MP ultrawide camera that would sit alongside the existing 48MP primary shooter. That addresses one of the current Air’s chief criticisms: Apple’s single-camera setup—marketed as “multiple cameras in one”—delivers a 2x telephoto crop but no true ultrawide option. A dedicated ultrawide would fill that gap and give the Air a more versatile baseline camera experience.

Horizontal camera layout, not vertical like iPhone 17

The leak also suggests Apple will arrange the Air’s dual cameras horizontally, diverging from the vertical stack seen on the iPhone 17 line. That architectural choice has an important implication: it’s unclear whether the second-gen Air will support spatial video capture, one of the reasons Apple embraced a vertical alignment on its base iPhones.

The bottom line

If accurate, 2026’s iPhone Air will be a classic Apple iteration: same elegant chassis, familiar OLED and Face ID, plus a meaningful camera expansion that finally brings a 48MP ultrawide to the thinnest iPhone tier. The lingering questions concern spatial video support and whether the horizontal lens layout limits Apple’s options in this area.