The iPhone 17 series is here. Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event saw the reveal of the iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the all-new iPhone Air, all of which are available for pre-order on September 12.
Of the four new models, the iPhone Air has stirred up the most conversation – it’s the only member of the lineup that doesn’t iterate on a previous-generation iPhone, and the first brand-new iPhone model in three years.
As many rumors had speculated in the run-up to the Apple Event on September 9, the iPhone Air replaces the iPhone 16 Plus with a new thin-and-light design. It measures just 5.6mm thick (not including the camera bump), beating the rival Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge which comes in at 5.8mm.
Naturally, Apple was pretty keen to show off the iPhone Air during its hour-long keynote, dedicating a stylish video teaser and plenty of, well, airtime to the new handset. We learned that the iPhone Air comes with the A19 Pro chipset – the same as the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max – as well as a camera bump that houses most of the phone’s components, as well as the single rear camera.
The rest of the super-thin chassis is dedicated to a ‘high-density’ lithium-ion battery – there isn’t even a SIM card slot, to save more space for the battery (part of Apple’s eSIM push).
However, when it came time for Apple to talk about the iPhone Air’s battery during the “Awe Dropping” presentation, all we got was confirmation of a new slim MagSafe battery pack which offers 40 hours of video playback when combined with the iPhone Air’s inbuilt battery. That’s… cool, I guess? But it didn’t give us any idea of how long the iPhone Air might last on its own.
This omission, which some might call glaring, is made all the more confusing by the fact that Apple then published a full spec sheet for the iPhone Air, which suggests its battery can sustain 27 hours of video playback.
That’s the same as the iPhone 16 Plus, which the iPhone Air replaces, despite the fact that there’s simply no way an equivalent-sized battery could physically fit inside the iPhone Air’s 5.6mm-thick chassis.
In fact, last-minute rumors suggested the iPhone Air’s battery could be as much as 33% smaller than the one in the iPhone 16 Plus. Achieving the same battery life, as Apple suggests the iPhone Air can, would evidence a huge victory in engineering and optimization.
So, why would Apple want to keep such a seemingly impressive feat so quiet?
I can think of two possible explanations – the first is that the iPhone Air can achieve 27 hours of video playback, but only under absolutely optimal conditions – we’re talking downloaded video, at minimum brightness, in a nice cool environment.
As mentioned, nearly all of the iPhone Air’s internal components are housed in that large camera bump, which Apple calls a ‘plateau’. In more intensive use, those bunched-up components could generate a lot of heat, which has an adverse effect on battery life.
The iPhone 17 Air is made predominantly of Ceramic Shield 2 glass, with very thin titanium rails, which won’t conduct heat as well as the aluminum frame of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. I wouldn’t be surprised if high-powered gaming and media creation knocks that 27-hour estimate down by quite a bit.
My second theory is a bit more charitable, and is more to do with Apple’s brand messaging. It could simply be the case that Apple is purposefully drawing less attention to battery life. There was plenty said on-stage about how efficient the new A19 and A19 Pro chipsets are, so perhaps Apple just wants its users to focus on other hardware elements, as if to say battery life won’t be a concern.
Apple’s battery ratings for the iPhone 17 series would certainly suggest that all-day battery life is pretty much a given. The standard iPhone 17 apparently lasts for 30 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max claims an astonishing 39 hours. We’ll need to test these claims for ourselves, of course, but even if you cut these estimates by two-thirds for more varied usage, you’re still looking at a full day’s use between charges.
No matter what Apple wants you to think, we won’t be letting it off the hook when it comes to battery life any time soon.
We’ll be testing the iPhone Air’s battery for ourselves as soon as possible. But until then be sure to check out our hands-on iPhone 17 review, hands-on iPhone 17 Pro review, hands-on iPhone 17 Pro Max review, and hands-on iPhone Air review.
