iPhone 17 Pro's Metal Battery Allegedly Revealed [Updated]

[Populus]

In principle, the A19 SoC will have a higher power consumption, due to it being a third gen 3nm process, where higher clocks will be used to differentiate it from the A18.

If that’s true, the only thing that occurs to me is Apple designing a special flavor of the A19 with only e-cores, which are already plenty powerful, but much more efficient than p-cores.

That, or the A19 in the iPhone Air will be a binned version with less cores… otherwise the battery life will be not good.

 

[jz0309]

I'd rather wait for Apple to provide the battery life expectation before jumping to any conclusions.
Plus, a lot of people that I know do not have to charge their phones multiple times/day

 

[Moreplease]

In principle, the A19 SoC will have a higher power consumption, due to it being a third gen 3nm process, where higher clocks will be used to differentiate it from the A18.

If that’s true, the only thing that occurs to me is Apple designing a special flavor of the A19 with only e-cores, which are already plenty powerful, but much more efficient than p-cores.

That, or the A19 in the iPhone Air will be a binned version with less cores… otherwise the battery life will be not good.

If what you’re saying is true – and there is no law that states a higher clock speed on an improved process node must use more power – it still doesn’t follow that the Air must get a compromised chip.

The battery life Apple quotes, and the battery life that users experience, is not battery life with the CPU running continuously at the phone’s thermal limit.

If a more efficient chip allows a web page to be rendered using more power but finishing sooner, such that the net energy consumption of that render is lower than before, then the user experiences better battery life.

Clearly from the rumours – 12 GB of RAM, A19 Pro chip, huge display, etc. – Apple is positioning the 17 Air as a premium product despite its lightness. Seems safe to assume it won’t be slow.

The big question mark is pricing. That will determine whether this product is a sales hit or a niche thing, and it will determine whether I personally buy it.

Rumours are terrible about pricing, in part because the price for each market is set very late in the process of marketing a new product.

 

[tgwaste]

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.

😂😂😂 Oh man.. this company.

 

[Twingo23]

I wonder, when will there be new tech for batteries? Does Apple work on that? And why are they telling us, that the phone is so thin? Everybody forgets the camera bump, why don't they loose that? All of the sudden, no issues with battery or heat, cause the tech has room to breathe.

 

[agsystems]

I wonder how these newer batteries will age compared to the current ones in use.. i have a 14 Pro and got a replacement 1 year in and I'm already at 82% i don't think i would be ok with worse.

Yes i know depends on use everyone is different I'm speaking for myself.

Interesting — my iPhone 16 Pro Max is still showing 100% battery health after 213 charge cycles. Either Apple is overestimating (or not being entirely transparent), there's a different battery technology in use, or your usage pattern is significantly more demanding.

 

[jrhop]

Interesting — my iPhone 16 Pro Max is still showing 100% battery health after 213 charge cycles. Either Apple is overestimating (or not being entirely transparent), there's a different battery technology in use, or your usage pattern is significantly more demanding.

My iPhone is 15 year and a half old 293 cycles and 98% health, original battery. Always set to charge to 80%.

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

Keep in mind that if you buy a new phone with poor battery life, degradation will be even more noticeable and annoying as it gets older.

That’s especially why Tim is excited for anyone who buys this, as he’d get a near guaranteed customer upgrading yearly due to poor battery performance with a little nudge from apple rep instead of simply changing batteries.

For me it’s a hard pass, but I’m guessing it’s going to sell rather well and would be fun to read the battery issues thread 6 months down the line.

 

[Mackan]

Short battery life is very annoying.

 

[victorvictoria]

Well, here's a conundrum:
Apple sells you a thin, light Apple iPhone 17 Air. But its battery life is so poor that Apple wants to SELL you a battery case (instead of providing it at no charge, since it's to address an engineering flaw) to make it fatter and heavier. So what's the point of buying it?

And when all is said and done, you could get an iPhone 17 for less, with longer battery life. "Oh, but the camera…" it's a PHONE with a camera, not a camera. If you want to take pro-level photos, get a DSLR for Pete's sake!

 

[Jackbequickly]

LOL! Not giving up battery just so it can be thin. I can hear the complaints now! It will go though cycles quickly and need replacement sooner.

 

[TechRunner]

I've stated this before, but light phone users like myself will be fine with the battery life of the Air. I get 3-5 days out of my 16PM.

 

[Populus]

I wonder, when will there be new tech for batteries? Does Apple work on that? And why are they telling us, that the phone is so thin?

There’s new battery technology, but as far as I know, Apple isn’t using it on the iPhone Air yet. It’s been predicted, or rumored, to be used on the iPhone 18 Air. So I guess that, like in many other Apple products, waiting for the second gen model will be the wise choice.

 

[topmounter]

Fashion first design ⚠️

 

[k1121j]

deleted

 

[k1121j]

Interesting — my iPhone 16 Pro Max is still showing 100% battery health after 213 charge cycles. Either Apple is overestimating (or not being entirely transparent), there's a different battery technology in use, or your usage pattern is significantly more demanding.

My point was really not where i am now personally. its with the same use i have now, i'm wondering how the thin will hold up for me over the same time with this new HD battery.

 

[Geekett]

Unless you want badly a thinner iPhone, stay away from the air this year, wait for the 18 air !
My guess is that Apple will make the same « coup »as it did with the first iPhone mini : battery was very weak, and the the year after, bam !, they improved battery life by 20% with iPhone mini 13. Bad Apple !

 

[SactoGuy18]

2,900 mAh is not cutting it for me. It means I have to carry around a separate 5,000 mAh power bank to keep the phone charged to up 90% all day, and that can be an issue given airline restrictions on usage of even 5,000 mAh power banks and the new CCC certification in China.

I'm so glad I got an iPhone 16 Plus with the 4,674 mAh battery, which is enough to last all day (and then some) on a single charge to 90%.

 

[Populus]

Unless you want badly a thinner iPhone, stay away from the air this year, wait for the 18 air !
My guess is that Apple will make the same « coup »as it did with the first iPhone mini : battery was very weak, and the the year after, bam !, they improved battery life by 20% with iPhone mini 13. Bad Apple !

Same with iPad Air (2013), iPad Air 2 was miles better in all regards (much more powerful SoC, double the RAM, laminated display for the first time ever… and a much longer software support). Heck, the same story with the original iPad and the iPad 2. Or the iPhone 4 (which struggled to move the all new iOS 7) vs the dual-core iPhone 4S.

I’m sure there are many more examples, such as the iPhone mini you mentioned. Short story: wait for the second gen device.

 

[EugW]

Same with iPad Air (2013), iPad Air 2 was miles better in all regards (much more powerful SoC, double the RAM, laminated display for the first time ever… and a much longer software support). Heck, the same story with the original iPad and the iPad 2. Or the iPhone 4 (which struggled to move the all new iOS 7) vs the dual-core iPhone 4S.

I’m sure there are many more examples, such as the iPhone mini you mentioned. Short story: wait for the second gen device.

Yep. I skipped the iPad and iPad Air, and bought the iPad 2 and iPad Air 2. I did buy the iPhone 4 though and it was great up to and including iOS 6 as did have the same 512 MB RAM as the iPhone 4S. I also bought the first OLED iPad Pro M4, but am disappointed it only has 8 GB RAM.

 

[iMean]

I can’t speak on behalf of everyone but most people I know are no further than 5 yards from a charger at any given point in their entire day. My wife, myself, and a few of my cousins will absolutely be getting the air because we all detest how heavy and thick phones are getting. I can’t think of the last time my phone actually died died.

You ever go for a walk or nah?

 

[svish]

Not sure how much battery life it will have with the small battery. Long battery life will be advertised but actually it might last much less. Low power mode should be helpful. Nice to see the photo of the battery.

 

[snipr125]

As a 13 mini user – the 13 being the last generation with a mini option – I like the idea of a lighter, thinner phone than the massive clunkers that are in vogue right now.

My partner’s 14 Pro Max (240 g) is honestly ridiculous. Unreasonable to carry in a pocket.

I’m sure the battery life of the Air will be better than my 13 mini … and it would need to be.

But if you’re running the battery flat in any modern iPhone by dinner time, you need to take a look at your daily screen time and consider if that is really how you want to live your one life.

Honestly i reckon it will be on par with the 13 Mini in battery life. Personally i used to get around 36 hours in between charges with my 13 mini with light/medium use which is decent, but the 17 Air will have a much larger Promotion screen which people will want to use a lot for content consumption which is the main issue here.

 

[SF7]

Update — August 2: Majin Bu now says that this battery is actually for the iPhone 17 Pro, instead of the iPhone 17 Air as they originally claimed. There will apparently be two variants, for models with and without a physical SIM card tray.

"Due to a miscommunication with my source, the information I reported yesterday is incorrect," said Majin Bu.

Original story follows.



A leaker known as Majin Bu today shared images of an alleged battery pack for Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Air model, which is expected to launch in September.

The battery apparently has a metal cover, just like the iPhone 16 Pro's battery. This cover would help to dissipate heat generated by the battery inside the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to measure just 5.5mm at its thinnest point.

A source told Majin Bu that the L-shaped battery pack will have a capacity of around 2,900 mAh. That tracks with previous rumors indicating that the iPhone 17 Air's battery capacity will be in the 2,800 mAh to 3,000 mAh range.

The batteries in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus use a type of adhesive that can be loosened with low-voltage electrical current, from a 9V battery or another power source. Majin Bu expects the iPhone 17 Air's battery will also be removable in this way.

Alleged images of iPhone 17 Air battery via Majin Bu​

Majin Bu has a mixed track record with Apple rumors. They were most recently accurate about iPadOS 26 adding a Mac-like menu bar to iPads.

If the 2,900 mAh figure is accurate, the iPhone 17 Air could have the shortest battery life of any iPhone model since the iPhone 13 series, but the lower capacity could be offset by the A19 chip's improved power efficiency. In addition, iOS 26's new Adaptive Power Mode would help the iPhone 17 Air to achieve at least slightly longer battery life.

Earlier this year, The Information's Wayne Ma reported that the iPhone 17 Air would have "worse" battery life compared to previous iPhone models, due to the device's rumored ultra-thin design limiting internal space for a battery.

In internal testing, Apple determined that the percentage of users who will be able to use the iPhone 17 Air for a full day without needing to recharge the device throughout the day will be between 60% and 70%, according to that report. For other iPhone models, the report said that metric is apparently between 80% and 90%.

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 iPhone 12 models and newer.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Pro's Metal Battery Allegedly Revealed [Updated]

I don’t understand. The iPhone 17 Pro battery is not going to be 2900 mAh, so it must have been the Air battery. The casing is one thing, but it can’t be the Pro battery.
Also, regarding 17 Air, I think people are forgetting that it will have a modified C1 modem and * Apple Bluetooth/Wi-Fi chip * which will both contribute tremendously to battery life; much more so than the A19 will.

 

[scrapesleon]

okay where are all the people lining up to buy the 17 air the new battery gate