Apple is expected to announce a brand-new smartphone later this year – the iPhone 17 Air. It's an ultra-thin iPhone made using premium materials like titanium, but one that may lose out on a few features. A new report now reveals the iPhone 17 Air could pack a battery much lower than any iPhone released in recent years.
According to leaker Instant Digital on Weibo, the battery capacity of the iPhone 17 Air is reportedly lower than 3,000mAh. Though we don't know the exact size of the battery unit, previous rumours have indicated that it could be around 2,800mAh, owing to the 5.65mm thinness of the iPhone 17 Air. Unsurprisingly, this battery could be the smallest of any model in the iPhone 17 lineup.
If the rumour around the 2,800mAh capacity is true, it would make the iPhone 17 Air's battery smaller than the one on the iPhone 13. For context, the iPhone 13 launched in September 2021 with a 3,227mAh battery. The last iPhone to feature a battery close to the 2,800mAh range was the iPhone 12 which was tested to pack a 2,815mAh unit.
In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is rumoured to pack a significantly larger battery, close to 5,000mAh. However, Instant Digital notes that with iOS 26's new Adaptive Power Mode feature, the iPhone 17 Air could still last to up to a whole day on a single charge.
To help with its lower capacity, Apple is expected to release a battery case, specifically for the iPhone 17 Air. Such a case was last released for the iPhone 11 and have since been replaced with MagSafe battery packs that work across all iPhone models with MagSafe support.
Besides the lower battery, the iPhone 17 Air could feature premium materials like a titanium frame, something that could be missing on this year's Pro models. We expect more information to surface as we prepare for the iPhone 17 launch set for early September 2025.
