The iPhone Air is significantly surpassing sales of Samsung’s slim phone, as well as Apple’s discontinued Plus model.

      The iPhone Air has outperformed the Plus and is surpassing Samsung's slender phone by a ratio of three to one.

      My favorite contemporary iPhone is the iPhone 13 Mini, which addressed the battery issues of the iPhone 12 Mini while maintaining the same one-handed usability. However, it didn't achieve sufficient sales, leading Apple to discontinue it in favor of a Plus model.

      The Plus model also struggled to generate interest, and Apple quietly phased it out last year, replacing it with the more streamlined iPhone Air. Initial reports indicated that the iPhone Air was underperforming and could be another failure. Nevertheless, new information from Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence implies that those reports may have been overstated.

      In the fourth quarter of 2025, the iPhone Air secured a 6.8% share of the U.S. market. While that figure may seem modest, it's notable that the iPhone 16 Plus, which it replaced, only achieved a 2.9% share during its launch period. This means Apple has more than doubled the performance of that category.

      Did the Air detract from the Pro models?

      This was a key question among Apple analysts, and the majority answer is no. The iPhone 17 Pro Max maintained a 55.5% market share, nearly identical to the 56.3% held by its predecessor. The ultra-premium segment remains stable.

      The Air did attract buyers away from the standard Pro model, which saw its share decline from 34.9% to 30.6%. Thus, about 4% of consumers opted for a slimmer design at the expense of a superior camera and larger battery. This is a compromise that a significant segment of the audience, myself included, was willing to accept.

      How did Samsung’s slim phone fare in comparison?

      If you keep up with smartphone news, you are likely aware that Samsung aimed to overshadow the iPhone Air with its own slim phone. However, reports indicate this strategy may not have worked as intended.

      In the U.S., the iPhone Air outsells the S25 Edge by a three-to-one ratio, holding a 6.8% market share against the S25 Edge's 2.4%. In countries like the U.K. and Germany, the S25 Edge barely registers, commanding less than 1% of the market.

      The data appears to confirm what Apple likely suspected: consumers were not interested in a bigger or smaller iPhone; they were seeking a cooler option.