I’ve been fascinated about the iPhone 17 Air ever since I first noticed rumors claiming that Apple would substitute the Plus with an ultra-thin iPhone 17 mannequin. I used to be already ready to go non-Professional with regards to new iPhones, and my two-month stint with the iPhone 16 Plus proved that I can use a non-Professional iPhone as my each day driver. Apple’s rumored iPhone 17 Air isn’t confirmed, however a number of dependable sources have mentioned that it’s within the works. Apple can also be reportedly battling a few of the tech concerned with making a telephone that’s between 5mm and 6mm skinny.
The battery is certainly one of them, with a report saying that Apple engineers are “discovering it laborious to suit the battery and thermal supplies into the machine.” The implication right here is that iPhone 17 Air battery life may need to undergo to ensure that Apple to drag off its new ultra-thin design.
I used to be already ready to just accept a battery compromise for the iPhone 17 Air. I don’t want the telephone to final so long as the iPhone 16 Plus and 16 Professional Max. However I’m not anxious about battery life, as I’ve a number of causes to help my pondering.
M4 iPad Professional
The M4 iPad Professional, launched earlier than the iPhone 16 got here out, proves that Apple has reached some extent the place it could make ultra-slim gadgets. The 2024 iPad Professional has a 5.1mm profile, however the battery life didn’t take successful. The pill will final simply so long as its predecessor, which additionally has a skinny profile.
That tells me that Apple has reached some extent the place it’s snug utilizing thinner batteries with out impacting a tool’s battery life.
Apple’s A19 chip
The rationale why the M4 iPad Professional’s battery life is so wonderful considerations the pill’s parts. The M4 chip is a key improvement from Apple, and it’s the rationale that a number of necessary options are potential. Apple might use a tandem show within the iPad Professional due to the M4 chip. The processor’s effectivity is what makes battery life so good.
The M4 chip can also be chargeable for higher battery life from the recenty launched MacBook Professionals.
The iPhone 16 fashions all have bigger battery packs than their predecessors. Nevertheless, the A18 and A18 Professional chips are extra environment friendly than the A16 and A17 Professional chips within the iPhone 15 sequence.
What I’m getting at is that the A19 chip Apple is creating for the iPhone 17 sequence ought to ship much more battery beneficial properties. In flip, battery life ought to be not less than pretty much as good on the iPhone 17 fashions as their predecessors, if not higher.
The iPhone 17 Air doesn’t have a predecessor, however I’d count on Apple to need it to supply battery life not less than on par with the bottom mannequin, if not higher. Aiming for iPhone Plus battery life might be wishful pondering.
Snapdragon 8 Elite
This one is expounded to the expectation that the A19 chips can be extra environment friendly however with a twist. The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which can energy the Galaxy S25 telephones and lots of different 2025 Android flagships, is already out. Among the telephones utilizing Qualcomm’s new chip have stunned reviewers with monster battery beneficial properties.
That’s an unimaginable improvement for a chip that will even get a giant efficiency increase over this yr’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
If Qualcomm can do this, I’d count on Apple to do the identical (or higher) with its 2025 chips.
Additionally, do not forget that Samsung is anticipated to unveil a Galaxy S25 Slim to compete towards the iPhone 17 Air. That Galaxy S25 taste ought to characteristic the identical Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.
The show
Numerous experiences declare that every one iPhone 17 fashions will characteristic OLED panels that help Apple’s dynamic 120Hz refresh price (120Hz). That’s one other supply of battery life beneficial properties, which ought to vastly profit the iPhone 17 Air.
On that notice, I’ll flip off the All the time-On performance obtainable on ProMotion shows to additional increase battery life.
iPhone 16 battery well being
The iPhone 16 fashions have higher battery life and higher battery expertise than their predecessors. As a result of battery well being will depreciate slower, the iPhone 16 handsets will last more earlier than needing a battery alternative. You’ll get extra cycles out of the iPhone 16 battery earlier than the battery well being drops underneath 80%.
I’d count on all iPhone 17 fashions to characteristic the identical battery tech, if not higher. As somebody who often retains their iPhone for not less than a few years, I hope the iPhone 17 Air’s battery well being won’t degrade considerably after a yr of normal use.
Sooner charging speeds
The iPhone 16 telephones cost sooner than their predecessors when utilizing a MagSafe wi-fi charger. The official wired charging pace is technically just like earlier fashions. In observe, it’s been sooner than that for years.
That’s one option to repair battery life issues. If the iPhone 17 Air struggles to outlive a day of normal use, I’ll all the time have some type of charger by my facet. I’m even keen to think about energy packs once more if that’s what it takes to compensate for less-than-stellar battery life.
Subsequent-gen battery tech
We’ve heard rumors for some time that Apple is investigating novel iPhone battery applied sciences that can enable it to extend the power density of iPhone batteries with out growing the battery dimension.
Individually, Chinese language smartphone distributors have been utilizing silicon carbon batteries for some time. A few of them got here up with extremely skinny foldable telephones that make use of such batteries. These telephones are even thinner than 5mm when unfolded.
It’s too early to inform whether or not Apple will introduce any new battery tech for the iPhone 17 Air or whether or not it’ll be capable of mass-produce sufficient skinny batteries for this specific telephone. However I’d count on Apple to not make a slim iPhone if it didn’t suppose it had the mandatory tech, together with battery improvements.
Apple’s new iPhone 17 Air design
The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to characteristic a 6.6-inch show. That’s bigger than Apple’s 6.1-inch and 6.3-inch screens within the iPhone 16 and 16 Professional. However it’s smaller than the 6.7-inch and 6.9-inch shows of the iPhone 16 Plus and 16 Professional Max.
The 6.6-inch is among the causes I need the iPhone 17 Air. I’d love a telephone with a bigger display however with out the additional bulk.
I believe Apple has settled on this specific display dimension due to the battery. The corporate most likely needs to make sure the telephone can final for a full day. On the very least, meaning matching the bottom iPhone 17’s battery.
But when the battery has to shrink to suit inside an up-to-6mm skinny body, then Apple has to extend its top and width. That’s the one option to receive the form of battery quantity Apple wants.
Samsung did one thing related when with the thinner Galaxy Z Fold SE. The foldable has bigger shows, as Apple made the foldable barely greater than the thicker Galaxy Z Fold 6.
I’ll additionally remind you of rumors that the iPhone 17 Air may characteristic just one rear digicam, which could not essentially be positioned in a nook. These may be design issues associated to the battery life. Apple will wish to use as a lot of that inside quantity as potential for the battery.
Conclusion
With all that in thoughts, I’m hopeful that the iPhone 17 Air battery life won’t disappoint, even when meaning having to cost the handset each evening. The trade-off can be warranted if I get to make use of an ultra-thin iPhone with a big show.
And who is aware of? Perhaps Apple will do the unthinkable and obtain wonderful battery life with the iPhone 17 Air despite how skinny it’s.
