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iPhone Air 2 Could Get an 11% Battery Capacity Boost
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Nice,
Apple is reportedly working on a second-generation iPhone Air that's expected to launch in spring 2027, and one of Apple's main aims is to improve battery life. We now have the first rumor suggesting what kind of improvement could be coming.
In a post on Weibo listing supply chain predictions, serial leaker Digital Chat Station said the iPhone Air 2 is expected to feature a 3,500mAh battery. That's up from the 3,149mAh battery in the current iPhone Air, indicating around a 11% increase in raw capacity.
A larger battery capacity usually implies either a physically larger battery or a denser one, but it does not automatically mean a bigger phone. Apple may also be able to improve internal packaging to fit a larger battery in the same chassis. Either way, it's going to be another tight squeeze.
Multiple prior rumors have suggested Apple is adding a second camera to the iPhone Air to address the main customer complaint about the device. The current model has a single rear Wide lens, which makes it less versatile compared to the more affordable iPhone 17 in terms of photography. Reports suggest Apple will add an Ultra Wide lens to the iPhone Air 2 to address this.
Multiple technologies are housed in the plateau of the iPhone Air to maximize space for the battery, so Apple would presumably need to redesign the internals considerably to fit in another camera. Whether that will impact the battery packaging design remains to be seen.
The device will use an A20 chip built on Apple's new 2nm process, so it could feature better efficiency, which should help battery life regardless of any change in battery capacity. In addition, according to a separate report, Apple is said to be adopting a Samsung-made OLED technology called CoE (Color Filter on Encapsulation), which could make the iPhone Air 2's display thinner. That could allow Apple to slide in a slightly larger battery while retaining the same device dimensions.
The iPhone Air 2 is expected to launch in the first half of 2027, alongside the regular iPhone 18 and the lower-cost iPhone 18e.
Article Link: iPhone Air 2 Could Get an 11% Battery Capacity Boost
Give it two cameras and stereo speakers and I might consider this as an upgrade.
tucupeis
macrumors regular
it doesnt need more battery. it needs a 40% price drop to be an absolute success
Oblivious.Robot
macrumors 6502a
I'm a sucker for XX model, but if that's a price hiked and bulky as the Pros. I'm happy to ditch that line entirely and happily settle for the Air 2 with it's wide angle addition plus more battery. Chefs kiss.
itsmemuffins
macrumors 68040
mattopotamus
macrumors Pentium
You wizard. I find myself ALWAYS having to do a mid-day charge. It's my only issue with the phone. With that said, I have access to a charger during the day or when I get in my car, so it's not a big deal for me personally. Other than that, it's easily my favorite iphone to date and people still ask me what it is (rock it caseless).
Samsung proved already that not enough people value lightness. Their s25 edge had 2 cameras, 2 speakers, a 3900 mAH battery and was decent. But not enough people bought it. The similar s25+ had a telephoto/bigger battery and wasnt much heavier.
The reason it also failed was price. It was priced too high considering the gains vs what you lost. Battery anxiety was still a thing. Sounds just like the Air.
Im hoping Apple can fix the Air (cameras/speaker/lowish battery) but it will take a huge marketing effort to convince people that battery anxiety isnt a thing. And they won't spend the money.
The reason it also failed was price. It was priced too high considering the gains vs what you lost. Battery anxiety was still a thing. Sounds just like the Air.
Im hoping Apple can fix the Air (cameras/speaker/lowish battery) but it will take a huge marketing effort to convince people that battery anxiety isnt a thing. And they won't spend the money.
Check out the recent price increases on the MacBook, Mac desktoppand iPad lines, and that should answer that question
Apple can only shield the iPhone from these price increases for so long.
I expect that, just like the $599 Mac mini, the $599 iPad air, and the $599 MacBook Neo, the $599 iPhone “e” probably won’t be around for much longer.
It and the regular iPhone will likely be combined into one $700 to $800 model at the low end, probably quite a bit worse than the current iPhone 17, maybe no 120 Hz, only 8 (or as recently rumored 9) GB of RAM and likely pretty limited color and storage options.
This leaves the $999, or $1099, iPhone Air as the new (default) model.
It will have two cameras on the back just like the regular, it will probably have two speakers, a 3600 mAh battery (literally almost the same as the current regular 17), and new color options. Plus it already has 12 GB of RAM.
It will be the default going forward, just like the iPad Air, just like the MacBook Air before it. Remember when the MacBook became the Air? Sure The original MacBook Air had worse battery life, worse storage options, worse processor, worse everything than the regular MacBook, but eventually, it just… replaced the regular. It’s happening again.
danpass
macrumors 68030
The screen size is what I like most about the Air. Thinness is a close second.
An ultra-wide lens, other factors remaining the same, make it a Buy for me.
The A20 vs A20 Pro ...... hmmmm. If the A20 is faster/better than the A19Pro then that is still a win in system speed.
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edit: an iPhone Air ProPro, with vapor chamber, would be great. Here in south FL using the camera in the regular air temp quickly gets the Air running warm enough to dim the screen.
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An ultra-wide lens, other factors remaining the same, make it a Buy for me.
The A20 vs A20 Pro ...... hmmmm. If the A20 is faster/better than the A19Pro then that is still a win in system speed.
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edit: an iPhone Air ProPro, with vapor chamber, would be great. Here in south FL using the camera in the regular air temp quickly gets the Air running warm enough to dim the screen.
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smeagol
macrumors regular
Coming from an iPhone 13 Pro, I love my Air, but I didn't consider my use case carefully enough and will not be returning. And as much as I loathe the look, feel and durability of the new aluminum body of the iPhone 17 Pro/Max, I plan on replacing my Air with either the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max. Why? Because I'm on video calls for large chunks of the day and find myself charging by mid-afternoon on most days. This constant need to charge has already brought my battery's maximum capacity down to 92%, in only 10 months, yikes! Plus, I don't always want to lug my Sony camera around to my kids's soccer games, so I'm missing the telephoto lens. Haven't decided if I'm going to trade in my Air, or keep it as a spare phone, I guess it depends on how much the trade in value will be.
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They could have used the Air to test out production of Silicon Carbon Battery. And it would have been a 4000mah battery.
But no. Just to save $20 bucks.
But no. Just to save $20 bucks.
jacquesvfd
macrumors newbie
I agree with you, except on the details. I think the standard iPhone and the Air will combine; the regular phone will get thinner but it definitely won't be worse than an iPhone 17. Apple will never make a new entry in the mainline iPhone series that is visibly worse than previous ones, so I believe 120hz is here to stay.
jacquesvfd
macrumors newbie
From my understanding it's more about risk management (Apple really does not want to make the next Note 7).
Luftkopf
macrumors 65816
At least you do care a little.
No ultra wide, no go for me.
Don’t like it? Great, don’t get one! Just don’t try to kill it for the rest of us.
BombDialog
macrumors newbie
Speculation. How do they maintain the Air’s “thinnest iPhone ever” status while adding battery and another camera?
1. Accept a small weight increase. Thinner display, and maybe improved battery density, could provide room for the +350mAh at around the device’s existing volume.
2. Move the Dynamic Island to the left corner. A second rear camera might not accommodate even a narrowed central island in such a thin device. (Six months post-foldable the visual shock will have worn off.)
I love my Air as is, but these feel like reasonable concessions to market realities.
1. Accept a small weight increase. Thinner display, and maybe improved battery density, could provide room for the +350mAh at around the device’s existing volume.
2. Move the Dynamic Island to the left corner. A second rear camera might not accommodate even a narrowed central island in such a thin device. (Six months post-foldable the visual shock will have worn off.)
I love my Air as is, but these feel like reasonable concessions to market realities.
But the phone this would replace, the 17e, never had 120 Hz to begin with.
If one thing is clear with the Price increases, it’s at today’s $799 iPhone is going to be better than tomorrow’s $799 iPhone.
Remember, the $599 iPad Air went up to $749, and the $599 Mac mini went up to $799. Expect the same thing with the $599 iPhone.
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I almost picked up an Air this week but bought an iPhone 17 Pro instead. Frankly, I really like the Air and its single camera doesn’t bother me. Battery life? Maybe… but I suspect it would be adequate for my needs even if the Pro will give me a bigger margin. It’s the Air’s C1X modem that gave me the final push toward the Pro. I’m on Verizon now and the carrier relies heavily on mmWave service - which is exactly what the C1X can’t give me. That said, if the Air turns up on Woot at a discounted price in the months ahead, I’d probably pull the trigger and put it on one of the inexpensive MVNOs just for kicks.
ClaraStahlbaum
macrumors 6502a
Main concern I have with the Air is battery life. I have the 17e and I don't need to charge it too often.
11% will make a difference. As an Air owner this change is welcomed, however I am curious how the weight of the Air 2 will go up. I like the light weight of the Air 1 and don’t want the Air to become more like a “regular” phone in that regard.
Interesting. Glad your is behaving differently than my Air. I do really like it. Another negative is it will have much poorer resale value when I sell it this Fall. But, I knew that going into it.
Brilliant, have a phone with two wide angle lenses and call it premium 😂😂😂
Have loved my air and the battery has always been much of an improvement over my 15 pro so that wasn’t an issue for me. If you came from a max then I can see it being disappointing.
A second camera might be enough to make me upgrade especially if the battery is improved further and they don’t put the price up!
Gains from a 2nm a20 chip could be significant combined with an 11% increase in battery capacity. As long as they don’t gimp it elsewhere like put 8gb ram over the current 12gb.
A second camera might be enough to make me upgrade especially if the battery is improved further and they don’t put the price up!
Gains from a 2nm a20 chip could be significant combined with an 11% increase in battery capacity. As long as they don’t gimp it elsewhere like put 8gb ram over the current 12gb.
Contact_Feanor
macrumors 6502a
I bought one of the magsafe batteries when I bought it, but quickly noticed that I absolutely don't need them most of the days. Many work days include 2 hours of video calling and still I get through the day. Only when I'm going on vacation have I really used the external magsafe battery since after about a week or two after buying it (close to launch window). Of course your mileage may vary since everyone has different uses; but no, for me battery life really hasn't sucked.
The camera is not good coming from a pro phone, but for important moments I usually bring a dedicated camera, so I can live with it.