The iPhone 17 series has one model which is catching the most attention ahead of time, a super-slim phone nicknamed iPhone 17 Air. However, the latest report brings news which will disappoint: it may have “worse” battery life.
That word comes from a report in The Information, spotted by MacRumors, and suggests that the thinness which exemplifies the striking design of the new phone may bring a problem with it.
When a phone is as thin as the iPhone 17 Air is reported to be, perhaps as little as 5.5mm, the room for a battery is reduced compared to a thicker phone, obviously.
The issue of battery life is a thorny one: it’s all very well to have the latest features like AI, but if the phone runs out of juice before the end of the day, it’s far from ideal. When a phone promises improved battery life that is usually a vote-winner.
Exactly how little battery life will be the important question: if most people can get to the end of the day with 10% or more battery life left, it won’t be a significant issue.
“In internal testing, Apple determined that the percentage of users who will be able to use the iPhone 17 Air for a full day without needing to recharge the device throughout the day will be between 60% and 70%, according to the report. For other iPhone models, the report said that metric is apparently between 80% and 90%,” MacRumors says.
There’s a plan to soften the blow, with the report saying that Apple is building a battery case for the phone. That’s good, but cladding a phone whose raison d’etre is gorgeous, slim design seems less than ideal. That said, there’s every chance that most people will want to protect their iPhone with a case anyway, so if the built-in battery is discreet, this could be a strong choice.
Or maybe Apple could revive its excellent MagSafe battery pack, which was retired when Apple switched from Lightning to USB-C connector on the iPhone.
The report also questioned exactly how much demand there will be for the iPhone 17 Air, with initial production capacity limited. My suspicion is that the Air will have a design that will turn heads, and if battery life is acceptable, will prove very popular.
