Malcolm Owen
The iPhone 17 Air's battery life could be very low compared to a normal iPhone, with a leaker claiming it will have a capacity of just 2,800mAh.
Rumors about the iPhone 17 Air have not only discussed how thin it will be, but also how it could have a limited battery capacity. In a Friday post from a serial leaker, it could be considerably smaller than usual.
Posting to Naver, leaker "yeux1122" makes some claims about the iPhone 17 Air. The information is said to be from a "mass production-confirmed sample."
The details include a 5.5mm thickness, which has been raised before, as well as a weight of approximately 145 grams (5.1 ounces). That puts it at almost an ounce lighter than the six-ounce iPhone 16.
However, the lightweight and thin body is accompanied by a smaller battery. According to the leaker, it will just be a 2,800mAh-capacity battery in the smartphone.
Yeux1122 has a relatively mixed track record for Apple leaks. However, given other rumors lie in a similar vein for the device, this seems fairly believable.
Size struggles
The small capacity claim is unsurprising, since Apple has to somehow pack in all of the necessary electronics into a much thinner body than usual. Sacrifices have to be made, and a physically smaller battery is seemingly one of them.
The 2,800mAh claimed to be inside the iPhone 17 Air is a far cry from the capacities of current-gen models, such as the 3,561mAh iPhone 16 or the 4,685mAh iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Indeed, you have to go back to the 2022 iPhone SE to find a relatively recent iPhone with a smaller battery, at 2,018mAh.
The physical limitations have forced Apple into working in new ways, including changing the battery technology. On May 16, it was reported that the iPhone 17 Air could be the first to use an advanced silicon-anode battery technology to increase capacity by 15%.
The lacking battery has also raised the prospect of the revival of the iPhone battery case. Adding a second external battery in a thicker case would run counter to the aim of creating a thin smartphone, but it could be a fix for consumers who want the better device without sacrificing battery life.
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12 Comments
Even if it is true, you have to give something somewhere. Where the hell is the battery going to go in something that thin. The only thing Apple can really do is try to make the logic board as small as possible so they can put as long and wide of a battery as possible. I think the neat thing about something like that challenge is it helps the other phones in the future because they'll have to develop new technology to make something like this all work which they can then eventually put into other iPhones.
Battery life will probably be better than expected. iPhone Air is an exercise in how thin and light can Apple make an iPhone and what battery optimizations and technologies can we use...
My current device is iPhone 16 Pro. I would love to add an iPhone Air to my plan like I added my Watch Ultra and iPad Pro. Can Apple work this out with carriers?
Of course, it’s also possible that the battery capacity will be lower than average but battery life will be higher, since battery life depends on much more than just the battery capacity.
Apple is so transparent. Don't you see that the thin iPhone is all a prelude to the folding iPhone? They HAVE TO get these shells small enough to so that two shells can clamp together and not look like a giant sore thumb. Apple wants their R&D to be paid for, in part, by the consumers. It's a smart strategy and one that Apple has used for years. The final iteration of the thin phone will be a folding phone with all the battery life you need.