Will the iPhone 17 Air Have Good Battery Life? Here's What Rumors Say

Friday May 9, 2025 7:26 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

The widely-rumored iPhone 17 Air is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever, but will that significantly impact the device's battery life?

iPhone 17 Air Size Feature
Below, we recap rumors about the iPhone 17 Air's battery life.

Last week, The Information's Wayne Ma said the iPhone 17 Air will have "worse" battery life compared to previous iPhone models. In internal testing, Apple determined that the percentage of users who will be able to use the iPhone 17 Air for a full day on a single charge will be between 60% and 70%, according to his reporting. For other iPhone models, the report said that this metric falls between 80% and 90%.

The report said the lesser battery life is due in part to the iPhone 17 Air's ultra-thin design. According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the device will measure just 5.5mm at its thinnest point, but the rear camera bar will be thicker.

To mitigate this problem, the report said that Apple is planning to release a battery case as an optional accessory for the iPhone 17 Air.

Apple last released battery cases for the iPhone 11 lineup, followed by the since-discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone 12 series and newer. The case would presumably charge the iPhone 17 Air via the device's USB-C port.

Not everyone agrees that the iPhone 17 Air will have worse battery life, though.

In March, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air's battery life would be "on par with current iPhones." He said Apple made hardware and software optimizations to make the device more power efficient, but he did not elaborate.

There are three rumored features for the iPhone 17 Air that could aid battery life, including a higher-density battery, Apple's power-efficient C1 modem, and the lack of an Ultra Wide camera providing more internal space for a larger battery. The lower-end iPhone 16e with the C1 modem has the longest battery life of any 6.1-inch iPhone model ever, although that device is obviously not as thin as the iPhone 17 Air is expected to be.

All in all, there is a still a lack of certainty about the iPhone 17 Air's battery life, with rumors currently conflicting. The device is not expected to be released until September, so hopefully some additional reports will help to paint a clearer picture.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17 Air

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Top Rated Comments

blairh

8 hours ago at 08:52 am

This isn’t complicated guys. If you need crazy battery life, this model isn’t for you. And that’s fine.

I have MagSafe everywhere. I don’t need insane battery life with my iPhone. This model should be just fine for me. If that isn’t the case for you, then don’t get it. Pretty simple.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

CharlesShaw

8 hours ago at 08:07 am

Nobody is asking for a thinner phone. How about a new form factor? Is there any innovation at all left in this company?

Nobody is asking to read, "nobody is asking for this" over and over again. Is there any innovation at all left with MR readers?

I'm looking forward to the Air reviews and tear-downs.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

WarmWinterHat

8 hours ago at 08:19 am

You're super confused about what actually matters.

No one cares about the camera bump. And the battery life achieved more than good enough status years ago. Most people end the day with something like 20-50% battery left, and then put it on the charger while they sleep.

I don't know how you came up with "no one cares about the camera bump". It's the biggest complaint I read and hear about.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

I7guy

8 hours ago at 08:38 am

Nobody is asking for a thinner phone. How about a new form factor? Is there any innovation at all left in this company?

I know people that are asking for a thinner full featured phone.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

BeerDrinkerDan

7 hours ago at 09:53 am

Worse battery life and a huge camera bump? Sign me up!

-bdd

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

MRSugarD

9 hours ago at 07:38 am

If it will have ProMotion like the rumors suggest this might also contribute to better battery life. I personally doubt it will be on par with the other models but nonetheless it should be enough. I am excited for the Air.