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iPhone Air Battery: What You're Trading for the Thinnest iPhone Ever

Apple today introduced the iPhone Air, and it is the thinnest and lightest iPhone to date. With a 5.6mm thick chassis, the ‌iPhone Air‌ doesn't have as much internal space as other iPhones for a battery.

iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature
There have been rumors suggesting the ‌iPhone Air‌ would have worse battery life than the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro models, but there were also rumors indicating that Apple had workarounds, like denser battery technology.

The ‌iPhone Air‌'s battery will last for up to 27 hours when watching videos and up to 22 hours when streaming videos.

It has the lowest battery life of the four ‌iPhone 17‌ models, but Apple is using high-density battery technology to improve battery life. Apple did not provide information on the watt-hours of the ‌iPhone Air‌ battery, but information published on Apple's European site indicates that it has a 3,149 mAh battery inside. 3,149 mAh is most comparable to the 3,227 mAh battery that was in the iPhone 13.

For comparison, the ‌iPhone 17‌ has a 3,692 mAh battery, the 17 Pro has a 4,252 mAh battery, and the 17 Pro Max has a 5,088 mAh battery.

Apple introduced a MagSafe battery pack to go along with the ‌iPhone Air‌, plus iOS 26 has an Adaptive Power mode that's meant to extend battery life when iPhone activity is above a normal day-to-day baseline.

Related Roundup: iPhone Air
Buyer's Guide: iPhone Air (Neutral)

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Top Rated Comments

dustin_ Avatar
11 months ago
i mean it’s the worst in the 17 lineup, but supposedly has the same video playback hours as the 16 pro, and four hours more than the 14 and 15 pro. that’s not exactly bad battery life!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
11 months ago
This article is pretty “slap something together quickly please”… Battery capacity is not important, battery life is. iPhone Air battery sound bad until you realise it matches the 16 Pro.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
11 months ago
Get iPhone Air and carry 5 battery packs.

Just what I wanted.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
11 months ago
What struck me as the biggest compromise with the Air is the camera system. It's basically a bit better than the 16e but far less useful than the 17. I found that a bit disappointing. You're paying a lot more money for a svelte phone. But that's about all you get for your money.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
11 months ago
Based on one metric it outlasts my 15 Pro, so that’s plenty for me…
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
11 months ago
I wanna see if the Air outsells the 13 mini
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)