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iPhone Air Battery: What You're Trading for the Thinnest iPhone Ever

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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple today introduced the iPhone Air, and it is the thinnest and lightest iPhone to date. With a 5.6mm thick chassis, the iPhone Air doesn't have as much internal space as other iPhones for a battery.

iOS-26-Battery-Glass-Feature.jpg

There have been rumors suggesting the iPhone Air would have worse battery life than the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro models, but there were also rumors indicating that Apple had workarounds, like denser battery technology.

The iPhone Air's battery will last for up to 27 hours when watching videos and up to 22 hours when streaming videos.

It has the lowest battery life of the four iPhone 17 models, but Apple is using high-density battery technology to improve battery life. Apple did not provide information on the watt-hours of the iPhone Air battery, but information published on Apple's European site indicates that it has a 3,149 mAh battery inside. 3,149 mAh is most comparable to the 3,227 mAh battery that was in the iPhone 13.

For comparison, the iPhone 17 has a 3,692 mAh battery, the 17 Pro has a 4,252 mAh battery, and the 17 Pro Max has a 5,088 mAh battery.

Apple introduced a MagSafe battery pack to go along with the iPhone Air, plus iOS 26 has an Adaptive Power mode that's meant to extend battery life when iPhone activity is above a normal day-to-day baseline.

Article Link: iPhone Air Battery: What You're Trading for the Thinnest iPhone Ever
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/09/iphone-air-battery/
MacRumors said:


Apple today introduced the iPhone Air, and it is the thinnest and lightest iPhone to date. With a 5.6mm thick chassis, the iPhone Air doesn't have as much internal space as other iPhones for a battery.

iOS-26-Battery-Glass-Feature.jpg

There have been rumors suggesting the iPhone Air would have worse battery life than the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro models, but there were also rumors indicating that Apple had workarounds, like denser battery technology.

The iPhone Air's battery will last for up to 27 hours when watching videos and up to 22 hours when streaming videos.

It has the lowest battery life of the four iPhone 17 models, but Apple is using high-density battery technology to improve battery life. Apple did not provide information on the watt-hours of the iPhone Air battery, but information published on Apple's European site indicates that it has a 3,149 mAh battery inside. 3,149 mAh is most comparable to the 3,227 mAh battery that was in the iPhone 13.

For comparison, the iPhone 17 has a 3,692 mAh battery, the 17 Pro has a 4,252 mAh battery, and the 17 Pro Max has a 5,088 mAh battery.

Apple introduced a MagSafe battery pack to go along with the iPhone Air, plus iOS 26 has an Adaptive Power mode that's meant to extend battery life when iPhone activity is above a normal day-to-day baseline.

Article Link: iPhone Air Battery: What You're Trading for the Thinnest iPhone Ever
Click to expand...
it would be helpful to say which currently existing iPhone model (eg 16Pro) has similar video watching hours, erred someone said the 16Pro, so that might be a better comparison
 
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I rarely have airplane mode disabled (at any given time) I am able to make and receive phone calls as well text via SMS perfectly fine and have been since Wi-Fi calling was enabled over 10 years ago

As long as I am connected to Wi-Fi, my phone is in airplane mode 100% of the time and having airplane mode disabled would make zero difference (other than draining the battery)

Do this and you will be greatly surprised by how much longer your battery will last! Disable airplane mode when you’re out and about (without access to Wi-Fi)
 
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22 hours video streaming time ? therefore equivalent talk time is also amazing.

instant purchase on the 12th. my ideal iPhone, for sure. thin and light and big.
not worried about it lasting a day. much longer than i thought it would last.
 
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dustin_ said:
i mean it’s the worst in the 17 lineup, but supposedly has the same video playback hours as the 16 pro, and four hours more than the 14 and 15 pro. that’s not exactly bad battery life!
Click to expand...
Its fine battery life, people who game and consume media 24/7 on their phone are going pro max anyway
 
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Honestly, battery life hasn't been an issue for me since the iPhone 11. But here's what I get in return: it's a damn beautiful physical object that I want to use. 206 grams for the iPhone 17 Pro sounds like a bad joke, but with a 6.3-inch screen diagonal, that's a density of 32.7 grams per inch, which is a lot. My iPhone 15 weighs 27.9 grams, and sometimes that seemed excessive to me. The iPhone 17 Air weighs 25.4 grams per inch, which is 20% less than the standard iPhone. In fact, density greatly affects the feel of the phone, and in the iPhone Air, it should be fantastic. The width has not exceeded the psychological threshold of 75 mm, which is excellent news because at 71.4 mm, the iPhone 15 is not wide enough for me to use comfortably with two hands, but too wide for one. The design is truly impressive, and the colors are superb, except for black. Blue emphasizes its “light nature,” white is a celebration of simplicity, purity, and minimalism, and even gold looks nice. I can't wait to get my hands on it.
 
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Justin Cymbal said:
I rarely have airplane mode disabled (at any given time) I am able to make and receive phone calls as well text via SMS perfectly fine and have been since Wi-Fi calling was enabled over 10 years ago
Click to expand...
Wi-Fi Calling is unreliable. I disabled it after finding out a couple of times that I was not available for incoming calls. I could make calls, but nobody could call me until I restarted the iPhone.
 
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Why does Apple measure battery life on video playback. I mean that’s not what people are sitting around doing most of the time and I guarantee you they have cellular off and brightness at a minimum.

There is no way this phones battery lasts more than 6-7 hours with moderate use.
 
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If they used good materials the chances the battery will cause it to bulge or explode are reduced considerably. But being the phone most likely to get bent, be extra careful with it.
 
They didn't include that technology in the other models. Why.
Because they want to make the worst phones they can get away with for the most money.
 
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Mazda 3s said:
It’s a good thing that there are multiple iPhones to appeal to different buyers…
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Nein! Nur ein battery per iPhone! Inkompatible viz ozer Fones. You kant charge if not trough zee iPhone AIR to proof it's you!!
 
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