Apple iPhone event may lack sparkle, but rumoured iPhone Air likely to spur upgrades

By Admin

09 Sep, 2025

When Apple takes the stage on Tuesday to unveil its latest iPhones, the spotlight may shine less on flashy artificial intelligence features and more on something that could feel refreshingly new: design. Analysts believe the biggest draw this year could be the long-rumoured iPhone Air, a slimmer device than anything Apple has sold before, borrowing its name and design inspiration from the company’s iconic MacBook Air.

The challenge for Apple

The Cupertino giant faces a tough task this year. Rivals like Samsung and Google have already embedded AI deeply into their products, using advanced models like Google’s Gemini to demonstrate real-world capabilities. In contrast, Apple has been slower to integrate AI, leaning instead on a partnership with OpenAI while delaying its own Siri upgrades due to engineering hurdles.

Why the iPhone Air matters

The thinner iPhone Air could be Apple’s first meaningful form factor shift in years, offering more than the incremental updates users have grown accustomed to. Analysts suggest that Apple will need to carefully balance battery life and camera performance in a slimmer design, while pricing it between the base iPhone 17 models and the Pro line to capture the mass market.

Dipanjan Chatterjee, VP and principal analyst at Forrester, believes this design change could spark a wave of upgrades: “It’s been a while since we have seen any meaningful update to the form factor beyond tepid incremental changes, and the novelty of the Air will likely induce many 14, 15 and even 16 iPhone users to migrate up.”

Looking toward the future: foldables and AI

While the iPhone Air may be the headline this year, many see it as a stepping stone to something bigger Apple’s eventual foldable iPhone. Samsung is already on its seventh generation of foldables, and Google has entered its third, yet together these devices still account for less than 2% of sales globally. Analysts say a foldable iPhone could be crucial for Apple’s performance in China, where consumers have embraced foldable devices.

On the AI front, Apple is working to close the gap with rivals. Reports suggest early talks with Google to integrate Gemini AI into Siri, which could lay the foundation for an “agentic” Siri capable of handling tasks autonomously in the background without draining battery life. Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies notes this could be the start of broader AI integration across Apple’s ecosystem of 2.35 billion devices.

The pricing puzzle

Apple historically relies heavily on its mid-priced iPhone segment, which has accounted for nearly a quarter of total sales. Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management expects Apple to raise prices across its lineup, though perhaps indirectly such as charging more for higher storage options while avoiding direct increases that might draw political backlash.

The risk of standing still

Despite its huge market share in the U.S., Apple cannot afford complacency. Bob O’Donnell of TECHnalysis Research warns that if Siri remains underwhelming and a foldable doesn’t arrive soon, customer patience may wear thin: “By this time next year, if Siri still sucks, and if they don’t get the foldable out, I don’t know whether that contentment will continue.”

Conclusion

The upcoming iPhone event may not be packed with AI breakthroughs, but the rumoured iPhone Air could be enough to breathe fresh life into Apple’s lineup and drive upgrades from loyal users. Slimmer, sleeker, and potentially paving the way for foldables and a smarter Siri, the iPhone Air may be Apple’s quiet revolution in a year where the tech giant needs to prove it can still lead not follow in innovation.