Samsung and Apple are in a race to deliver the slimmest phone possible in 2025. While Samsung has already released its Galaxy S25 Edge, the long-rumored Apple iPhone 17 Air is tipped to launch in September. One has launched with foreseeable trade-offs like fewer cameras and a smaller battery capacity, the other is expected to struggle with battery life and have just one rear camera. However, a recent report hints that iPhone 17 Air’s battery life might not be as bad as expected.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple and Samsung battery supplier TDK is all set to begin shipping its third iteration of silicon-anode batteries by the end of June—earlier than its original schedule of September. Noboru Saito, Chief Executive Officer at TDK, said this will “give smartphone makers enough time to use these cells in thinner models launching this year.”
“Some handset makers might be able to use the new battery in their product one generation early,” says Saito. The mention of “one generation early” could indicate that Samsung is using silicon-carbon batteries for its next Galaxy Z lineup.
However, adding the previous statement’s “thinner models launching this year” makes it pretty clear that he was hinting at the iPhone 17 Air. Apple was earlier rumored to embrace silicon-anode batteries on its second-generation iPhone Air, but now we can expect the first-generation product to struggle less with battery life.
Why Silicon-Carbon Battery Is A Big Deal For iPhone 17 Air
Smartphone makers have tried making thin phones in the past, but the tech wasn’t enough to house big batteries in slim designs. As a result, they struggled with battery life.
Fast forward to 2025, and we have silicon-carbon batteries, which feature a higher-density silicon anode (4,200mAh/g) instead of a graphite anode (372mAh/g). So, you get more battery capacity in a slimmer cell, allowing brands to squeeze in bigger batteries.
This year, we’ve seen silicon-carbon batteries inside Chinese smartphones like the OnePlus 13, Oppo Find X8 Ultra, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Honor Magic 7 Pro, and Vivo X200 Pro. Most of these phones last significantly longer than their American competitors. In fact, Honor’s silicon-carbon battery tech is already on its third generation.
If Apple packs a silicon-carbon battery inside the iPhone 17 Air, it could last longer than expected. Plus, iOS 19 is reported to feature AI optimization to “analyze how a person uses their device and make adjustments to conserve energy.” In his earlier Bloomberg report, Mark Gurman added, “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.”
The combination of silicon-carbon battery and iOS 19 optimization could be a recipe for success against Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge.
Apple iPhone 17 Air: Rumored Specs
According to previous leaks, iPhone 17 Air could be Apple’s thinnest iPhone to date. It could measure around 5.5mm, which is slightly thicker than Apple’s slimmest product, the M4 iPad Pro (5.1mm). For comparison, the Galaxy S25 Edge measures 5.8mm in thickness. Meanwhile, the Tecno Spark Slim concept phone, showcased at MWC 2025 as the world’s thinnest phone, was said to be 5.75mm thin.
The iPhone 17 Air won’t be a spec-heavy phone. Even if Apple manages to navigate the battery issues, it likely won’t be able to house multiple rear cameras. The slim Apple iPhone is said to sport a single camera in a Nexus 6P-like camera module. It will retain the Action Button and Camera Control.
The iPhone 17 Air could feature a 6.6-inch ProMotion-equipped OLED display with ultra-slim bezels. Apple reportedly considered making the iPhone 17 Air as large as iPhone 16 Pro Max with a 6.9-inch display but scrapped the idea due to durability concerns.
Apple’s upcoming slim phone is expected to be powered by the A18 or A19 series chipset, putting it on par with the base iPhone 17. It might have 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence and include Apple’s new in-house C1 modem, which debuted with the iPhone 16e. It is said to debut alongside the iPhone 17 series in September.
The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to cost more than the iPhone 17 but less than the iPhone 17 Pro. As per Bloomberg, it might be priced around $900.
