According to new mobile network data from Ookla, Apple’s new iPhone Air appears to be off to a much stronger start than the larger Plus model it effectively replaced. Looking at the launch window for the iPhone 17 lineup and comparing it with the same stage of the iPhone 16 cycle, Ookla says the iPhone Air is seeing roughly double the popularity of the old iPhone 16 Plus.
The data comes from crowdsourced cellular network information gathered through real-world use of the Speedtest app on iPhones. In practice, Ookla estimates relative sales performance by comparing how often each model shows up in its sample pool. That means the figures are not official shipment numbers, but they do offer a useful snapshot of early user adoption patterns.
During the late-2024 launch period for the iPhone 16 generation, the iPhone 16 Plus accounted for less than 3% of observed usage. That was well below the standard iPhone 16 at 5.9%, and far behind the higher-end models, with the 16 Pro at 34% and the Pro Max at 56%.
In the equivalent 2026 period, the standard iPhone 17 and the Pro Max are said to be tracking close to where their iPhone 16 counterparts were. The biggest year-over-year change shows up in the fourth model slot. After the Plus gave way to the Air, the new iPhone Air reached a 6.8% share, nearly three times the level previously seen for the Plus.
That gain may have come partly at the expense of the Pro tier. Ookla says the iPhone 17 Pro dropped from 34.9% to 30.6%, leaving the Air roughly in line with the standard iPhone 17 in terms of share. Even so, the report notes that Air buyers may skew more toward early adopters and tech enthusiasts who upgrade right when sales open, so the gap between the Air and the standard model could still change over time.
Even with that caveat, the early numbers still look encouraging for Apple. The company has spent years trying to define a successful fourth iPhone model, first with the Mini and later with the Plus, and neither format turned into a long-term breakout hit. Based on Ookla’s early data, the Air seems to be carving out a more meaningful niche.
Regional demand is not uniform, though. The percentages above refer to the US market, while in several other countries the Air is performing even better. Ookla says the model reached 11.2% share in South Korea, and it also showed notably strong interest in markets including Japan, Sweden, and Singapore.
The report also compares the iPhone Air with Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge. In the US, Ookla says Air sample volume is more than three times higher than the S25 Edge, suggesting Apple’s thinner model has built stronger early momentum in that matchup.
There is also a modem angle here. Ookla says the Apple C1X modem used in the iPhone Air is a substantial upgrade over the first-generation C1 seen in the iPhone 16e. In download performance, the C1X reportedly comes close to the Qualcomm modem used in the iPhone 17 Pro lineup and clearly outperforms the older C1. In typical real-world conditions, the report says download speeds are nearly on par, though upload performance still trails somewhat.
