The iPhone Air has captured 6.8% market share, nearly triple the iPhone 16 Plus. Learn about its growth, regional demand, and performance with the C1X modem.
© A. Krivonosov
The new iPhone Air model has proven significantly more successful than the Plus format Apple previously tried to promote. According to data from the Ookla analytics platform, the new device is roughly twice as popular as the iPhone 16 Plus was in a comparable period after the iPhone 17 lineup launched.
This research is based on usage statistics from the Speedtest app, which helps gauge real-world device adoption. At the iPhone 16's launch, the Plus model accounted for less than 3% of total devices, while the base iPhone held about 5.9%. The Pro and Pro Max versions dominated with 34% and 56% shares, respectively. For the iPhone 17, the situation has shifted: the iPhone Air has already captured around 6.8%—nearly triple the share of its Plus predecessor.
This growth in Air's popularity has come partly at the expense of the Pro model, whose share dropped from 34.9% to 30.6%. In terms of market penetration, the Air is now close to the base iPhone 17, though analysts note that early adopters and enthusiasts are driving initial sales, so the competitive landscape could change over time.
Interestingly, demand for the iPhone Air varies strongly by region. While it shows moderate results in the United States, its share reaches 11.2% in South Korea, for example. High interest has also been recorded in Japan, Sweden, and Singapore. Furthermore, the model confidently outpaces competitors: in the U.S., it is more than three times as popular as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
The new C1X modem in the iPhone Air deserves special attention. For download speeds on 5G networks, it nearly matches the Qualcomm solutions used in the iPhone 17 Pro and significantly outperforms the previous C1 modem. Although it still lags in upload speed, in real-world conditions the Air demonstrates performance nearly on par with flagship models.