Thin iPhone 17 Air: speculation about small battery
Apple plans its thinnest cell phone to date with the 17 Air. Problem: There's not much room for the battery. More details are now coming from China.
iPhone 17 Air: New form factor for the iPhone.
(Image: heise medien)
Apple's most exciting iPhone this year is probably the iPhone 17 Air – supposedly the manufacturer's thinnest smartphone to date. But with thinness comes compromise. Apparently, the built-in battery is also shrinking because there is not enough space for it. Apple has already integrated new AI battery-saving measures in the upcoming iOS 26 operating system, which are apparently intended to help the 17 Air get through the day of use (relatively) well. Now a Weibo leaker with many followers has once again unpacked information on how thin the Air battery really is.
Power-saving modes should make up for it
According to “Instant Digital,” which claims to have contacts in Apple's supply chain, the battery of the 17 Air ends up at “under 3000 mAh”. Only thanks to the new power-saving modes can the device last a day with “moderate use”. The flat iPhone thus becomes a “backup model.”
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There were already rumors that the flat iPhone could end up at 2800 mAh. This is not entirely new for Apple: iPhone 12 and 13 sometimes came with correspondingly small batteries, the mini models even with less than 2300 mAh. However, it is unclear whether this can be compared with the 17 Air.
Apple formulates different requirements
Apple is said to have determined in internal tests that between 60 and 70 percent of users of the 17 Air can get through the day on one battery charge. This would be below the benchmark of 80 to 90 percent for iPhones that are not so flat. The casing is said to be a good 5.5 mm thick. There are already Android devices that beat this thinness.
It is conceivable that Apple could supply a battery case for the 17 Air that protects the device and supplies it with power. However, this would counteract the purpose of the device: many users will use the 17 Air without a case, as this is the only way to keep it as thin as Apple intends. How well the AI functions for battery saving in iOS 26 work also remains to be seen. In the past, Apple had already implemented a controversial secret performance throttle when the battery was low, which was later made optional. But no customer wants a slower iPhone that is only flat.
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