Leaker Claims Apple's iPhone 16e and iPhone Air Are Underperforming

Apple's budget-friendly iPhone 16e is reportedly not selling well, a stumble that is allegedly being mirrored by weak demand for the company's new ultra-thin iPhone Air, according to a recent post on Weibo.

The claim, from leaker Fixed Focus Digital, indicates that Apple's attempts to capture different ends of the market with the two models have fallen short. The report of poor sales for the iPhone Air follows several others from last month, including from Nikkei Asia and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, which claimed Apple was slashing production of the device. Just last week, The Information reported that Apple had notified suppliers that the next-generation Air was being taken off the 2026 schedule.


While the specialized models may be struggling, the leaker noted in a separate post that demand for the flagship iPhone 17 series continues to surge, with production orders increasing to match. That claim builds on a recent Counterpoint Research report which found the new lineup was already outselling its predecessor by 14 percent in its first ten days.

Despite the 16e's reported poor performance, the leaker said the iPhone 17e is still on track for a "normal" spring update. This aligns with a product roadmap from Mark Gurman that also pointed to an iPhone 17e launch in the first half of 2026.

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