When Apple releases the iPhone 17 series this September, it will also introduce new software, iOS 19. And it looks like it will bring a windfall that almost all users will appreciate: longer battery life, because of the rumored iPhone 17 Air.
Even better than that, current iPhones which can run iOS 19 will be able to take advantage of the enhanced battery life as well as the new models released in the fall — you can read a list of the iPhones expected to run iOS 19 here.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will use artificial intelligence to address what he describes as “a frequent source of customer frustration: the iPhone’s battery life,” as he puts it.
“The enhancement will analyze how a person uses their device and make adjustments to conserve energy,”, Gurman says, with Apple “using battery data it has collected from users’ devices to understand trends and make predictions for when it should lower the power draw of certain applications or features. There also will be a lock-screen indicator showing how long it will take to charge up the device,” he says.
And it looks like it’s the most talked-about new phone that’s causing this: the iPhone 17 Air. “The driving force behind the battery feature is the company’s upcoming slimmed-down iPhone 17, which will be offered as an alternative to the standard and Pro models. Because of its thinner design, the new iPhone will have a much smaller battery — and fewer hours of life than other models,” Gurman goes on.
There have already been reports of disappointing battery life in the iPhone 17 Air, so this news takes a rosier turn.
Battery optimization happens in every version of iOS, but it looks like the AI approach is designed to take things further, and any benefit for the iPhone 17 Air will also be beneficial to other iPhones in the 17 series — as well as older phones. If true, this is news that will be very widely welcomed.
