I don't know about dying for it but I'll wager 10% or more of the market wants thinner even if they have to compromise other things. Meanwhile, this gives Apple a chance to try out some new tech in the wild that can be used for future phones that may have a larger market share.
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Will the iPhone 17 Air Have Good Battery Life? Here's What Rumors Say
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What’s the new tech in this though? The camera isn’t any different than the Pro models. Only thing is the thinness?
Although now that you mention it, it’s interesting that perhaps they’re trying this as a precursor to the foldable which will probably be as thin as this on each side.
Well, the usual fashion victims will fall for it - surely!
Battery life and functionality doesn't matter to them, only the "Look at me, I have it"-effect counts.
Consider these has been*shipping* for three years already there may be a slim chance Apple will do it. Especially in terms of BOM Cost, you have one less camera and C1 Modem, I hope these cost saving are going to Silicon Carbon Battery rather than higher profits.
Edit: Actually we may know soon if Samsung are shipping their Edge with Silicon Carbon Battery, since AFAIK most if not all of them are made with Group14's tech which Samsung's battery has just acquired.
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Every year new iPhones advertise 10 to 20% better battery life than previous phones. As there have been roughly 17 generations of phones, simple math (conservatively using 10%) would tell you that current iPhones should have roughly 5x the battery life of first generation phones. Anyone see the problem?
The widely-rumored iPhone 17 Air is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever, but will that significantly impact the device's battery life?
Below, we recap rumors about the iPhone 17 Air's battery life.
Last week, The Information's Wayne Ma said the iPhone 17 Air will have "worse" battery life compared to previous iPhone models. In internal testing, Apple determined that the percentage of users who will be able to use the iPhone 17 Air for a full day on a single charge will be between 60% and 70%, according to his reporting. For other iPhone models, the report said that this metric falls between 80% and 90%.
The report said the lesser battery life is due in part to the iPhone 17 Air's ultra-thin design. According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the device will measure just 5.5mm at its thinnest point, but the rear camera bar will be thicker.
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 the iPhone 12 series and newer. The case would presumably charge the iPhone 17 Air via the device's USB-C port.
Not everyone agrees that the iPhone 17 Air will have worse battery life, though.
In March, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air's battery life would be "on par with current iPhones." He said Apple made hardware and software optimizations to make the device more power efficient, but he did not elaborate.
There are three rumored features for the iPhone 17 Air that could aid battery life, including a higher-density battery, Apple's power-efficient C1 modem, and the lack of an Ultra Wide camera providing more internal space for a larger battery. The lower-end iPhone 16e with the C1 modem has the longest battery life of any 6.1-inch iPhone model ever, although that device is obviously not as thin as the iPhone 17 Air is expected to be.
All in all, there is a still a lack of certainty about the iPhone 17 Air's battery life, with rumors currently conflicting. The device is not expected to be released until September, so hopefully some additional reports will help to paint a clearer picture.
Article Link: Will the iPhone 17 Air Have Good Battery Life? Here's What Rumors Say
Can you provide an example of Apple saying the new phone gets 10-20% more battery than the previous version? I can’t remember them ever doing that, let alone doing it every year.
I’ve heard them say “best battery life ever” or “X more hours web browsing” but not 20%.
When the iPhone 14 Pro Max was released, Apple said it offers up to 29 hours of video playback, compared to up to 28 hours on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. That’s a 3% improvement, not 10-20%.
I will always state that people just don’t know how to be efficient. iPhones since the Xʀ (on original iOS versions at least) have more than enough battery life.
I’m getting 27 hours of light SOT on my 16 Plus. I’m getting about 17 hours of full 5G SOT. It is possible for ALL iPhone 16 users on iOS 18 to get ridiculous battery life.
In fact, the only way to not get through the day is by deliberately killing it. Otherwise there’s so much you can tweak. Battery life complaints have been a non-issue since 2018, barring the Mini and the SE.
I’m getting 27 hours of light SOT on my 16 Plus. I’m getting about 17 hours of full 5G SOT. It is possible for ALL iPhone 16 users on iOS 18 to get ridiculous battery life.
In fact, the only way to not get through the day is by deliberately killing it. Otherwise there’s so much you can tweak. Battery life complaints have been a non-issue since 2018, barring the Mini and the SE.
I could go for a lighter phone as well. I'm not dying for one, but I wouldn't mind.
I've never once thought that I needed a thinner phone though.
Nahhhhhh, ya think? You make it thinner and you still expect ALL day Battery life? Pffft. noo. and it will still BEND if you sit on it. AND People will STILL Put it in a case, so what's the Point?
I am looking forward to this greatly - slimmer lighter phone is better for me. Battery life is a non-issue as I am generally in my car or at my desk so can easily charge. Also as my connection with people is either in person or via one of three/four devices there is no great drain on one. Given my reduction in photo taking I would be happy to have a lower spec camera to reduce the bump. To those saying it will have to have a case - I have had this sort of case previously https://corners4.com/product/carbon-original-corners4-iphone-15-pro-max/ and currently have a case that adds virtually no thickness. It takes all sorts - happy for those that like/need the extra battery life