iPhone 17 Air's Svelte Battery Spotted In The Wild But Is It Too Thin?
In case you've been living under a rock somewhere, Apple's has been busy prepping the iPhone 17 Air to join the thin phone game. When it launches, it will be the thinnest iPhone ever created. Based on new leaks posted on a South Korean blog, the thin design necessitates the use of a wafer-thin battery that's approximately half the thickness of the one found in the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro. Could the new phone also become the iPhone with poorest battery life ever?
Leaked images from Korean blogger yeux1122 have shown what is purported to be the new iPhone 17 Air battery, measuring a mere 2.49 millimeters thick. For context, this is thinner than three stacked credit cards. You can see from the pictures that the battery (encased in a metal casing), would enable the iPhone 17 Air to have a chassis of just 5.5mm, a significant reduction from the iPhone 16's 7.8mm, for example. If true, this would make the phone one of the thinnest on the market, beating out competitors like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge.
Of course, this new pursuit for razor-thin profiles raises a critical question for consumers: what about battery life? A thinner battery typically means a smaller capacity, and rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Air’s battery may have a capacity of around 2,900 milliampere-hours. This is notably less than the 3,561mAh battery in the current iPhone 16. However, analysts believe that while the capacity may be smaller, the phone's stamina may not be as bad as one would think. Apple has a history of optimizing hardware and software to maximize efficiency anyway, so perhaps that and iOS 26 will help with reducing battery anxiety.
iPhone 17 Air concept render
Moreover, it's believed that the Air will take advantage of silicon carbon (SiC) battery technology. High-density and compact SiC batteries could definitely allow Apple to pack more power into a smaller physical footprint, offsetting the reduced size.
Elsewhere, the iPhone 17 Air is strongly believed to feature a 6.6-inch display, A19 chipset, and an upgraded 24-megapixel selfie camera. To achieve the ultra-thin design, some compromises have reportedly been made, including a single 48MP rear camera instead of a multi-lens array. The overall design is expected to be a dramatic departure from recent models (a statement piece, if you will), with a distinctive horizontal camera bar and a focus on a sleek, lightweight aluminum frame.
The official unveiling of the iPhone 17 lineup is expected to take place either on September 9 or 10.
Photo credits: Lanzuk via Naver Blog
