Some people complain about phones being too big, admittedly with different specifics: weight in the hand, how it sits in a pocket, etc. Apple tried with the Mini, but it didn’t sell well. One hypothesis for the lower-than-hoped-for sales is that not everyone who complains about the size of modern phones bought one because they didn’t want to give up the big screen. So now Apple wants to sell people a smaller phone with just as big a screen. Throw in the opportunity to start recouping engineering investments made in preparation for foldable devices, and I think the Air is a logical next try after the Mini and the Plus.
Some people complain about phones being too big, admittedly with different specifics: weight in the hand, how it sits in a pocket, etc. Apple tried with the Mini, but it didn’t sell well. One hypothesis for the lower-than-hoped-for sales is that not everyone who complains about the size of modern phones bought one because they didn’t want to give up the big screen. So now Apple wants to sell people a smaller phone with just as big a screen. Throw in the opportunity to start recouping engineering investments made in preparation for foldable devices, and I think the Air is a logical next try after the Mini and the Plus.