The iPhone 17 Air is the start of a new line for Apple, and the device will focus on aesthetics and form factor more than technology. The battery capacity and weight of the device have started surfacing on the internet.
As per a Korean source, the iPhone 17 Air will apparently have a 5.5mm thickness, and the information is from the supply chain. The S25 Edge is 5.8mm thick, so the iPhone 17 Air is set to launch with an even slimmer design. Another controversial leak is the battery capacity, which is probably only 2800mAh. That’s even lower than Apple’s own base iPhones, and is slightly more than the Mini iPhones from 2021.
While that might sound extremely low, we must also consider that mAH isn’t the only way to measure battery capacity; we don’t yet know the Watt-hour values. Besides, battery density and software optimization play a key role in battery life. Apple always prioritizes experience over specs, but 2800mAh is definitely leaving it a little low for 2025 and beyond. High-density battery technology paired with iOS optimization might give it a slight edge in terms of battery life, by around 20%.
Even if it’s not an issue initially, it might not last long enough in the future, which is bad for longevity. Some sources claim that Apple is nerfing the battery capacity of the iPhone 17 Air on purpose. As a byproduct of this, the company can sell more battery cases, which are normal phone cases with a small power bank attached, which charges wirelessly. This is good in emergencies, but inconvenient and completely defeats the purpose of buying a slim iPhone, only to put a thick case on it, which makes it even thicker than a regular iPhone.
The Galaxy S25 Edge, for comparison, uses a 3900mAh battery. While this was alright on a smaller 6″ panel, the S25 Edge uses a 6.6″ display with a power-hungry 8 Elite that doesn’t have enough room for thermals in such a thin body, which might result in disastrous battery life for anything other than extremely casual usage. While initial results show nearly 5 hours of screen-on time, this is not enough for many and will cause battery anxiety towards the end of the day.
The leak also mentions the weight of the iPhone 17 Air, which is apparently only 145 grams. For reference, that’s a similar weight to the 2017 iPhone 8, which was extremely light and comfortable to hold. Slim phones sit in a weird middle ground. They’re extremely convenient for one-handed use, since one-handed use depends a lot on the weight of the phone, arguably as much as the size of the screen. While the screen of the iPhone 17 Air is slightly larger than the S25 Edge, it still might end up being a whole 15g lighter- the S25 Edge is 160g.
