Update – August 2: Majin Bu now indicates that this battery is actually for the iPhone 17 Pro, not the iPhone 17 Air as the source originally indicated. Additionally, there will be two variants – models with and without a physical SIM card tray, it appears that iPhones with nano SIM cards will get to live for another year in countries outside the States.
“Due to a miscommunication with my source, the information I reported yesterday is incorrect,” said Majin Bu.
Original story below:
The iPhone 17 Air has been highly anticipated since it will bring on a brand new form factor that will focus solely on thinness. The iPhone 17 Air is also expected to replace the ‘Plus’ model in the lineup. However, since the iPhone 17 Air is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever at 5.5mm, some sacrifices will have to be made; the biggest compromise will be the battery life.
Today, Majin Bu posted images on his website that depicts the alleged battery that will be used for the iPhone 17 Air. As you can see, similar to the iPhone 16 Pro’s battery, this battery has a metal cover, which is necessary for better heat dissipation. It is also reported that this battery will have a capacity of approximately 2,900 mAh, which lines up with the range between 2,800 mAh and 3,000 mAh that previous rumors indicated.
The batteries in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have been easier to remove thanks to the new adhesive technology. Bu expects this improved repairability feature to make its way to the entire iPhone 17 lineup, including the Air and both the Pro models.
If these battery specs turn out to be official, customers would fear that the iPhone 17 Air could have the shortest battery life of any iPhone model since the iPhone 13 series because physics. Less internal space means smaller battery. Apple expects the percentage of users who will be able to use the iPhone 17 Air for a full day without plugging in to recharge will be between 60% and 70% as opposed to between 80% and 90% for other models. But even then, Apple plans to mitigate those concerns with improved power efficiency thanks to the A19 chip and iOS 26’s upcoming Adaptive Power Mode. Apple is even planning to reintroduce a battery case as an optional accessory for the iPhone 17 Air. In fact, Apple used to make Smart Battery Cases (official name from Apple) for older iPhone models:
- iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
- iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
- iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max
We expect the iPhone 17 Air to come out in September, so we’ll know more details by then.
