iPhone 17 Air Design Leak Reveals How It Compares To Samsung's Svelte Galaxy S25 Edge
As the quest for the slimmest smartphone continues to heat up this year between Apple and Samsung (at least initially), it's quite apparent that Cupertino's svelte iPhone 17 Air will be thinner than the new Galaxy S25 Edge by a nice margin—5.5 millimeters versus 5.8mm. Of course, with great thinness comes great compromises, such as smaller batteries and weaker cooling. A new report about the iPhone 17 Air's battery, however, may shed some light on how Apple intends on tackling at least one of those problems.
So far, we've seen Samsung's approach on creating a skinny phone with the Galaxy S25 Edge. Revealed last week, the device boasts a remarkably thin 5.8mm profile, making it one of the slimmest smartphones ever. To achieve this, Samsung had to incorporate a 3,900mAh Li-on battery. While this capacity might seem adequate, early reviews have stated that battery life, while serviceable, falls short even of the cheaper base Galaxy S25 with its 4,000mAh cell, let alone the similarly priced Galaxy S25 Ultra.
By contrast, the iPhone 17 Air, expected to be announced later this year, is rumored to be even thinner than the Edge at 5.5mm. However, many are rightfully concerned that this extreme slimness could compromise the battery capacity, which is reported to be 2,800mAh cell. Should users expect less than a day of use and have a battery bank on standby? Well, not so fast, implies a recent Bloomberg report.
The report suggests that Apple, with the help of leading battery manufacturer TDK Corporation, could adopt a new generation of silicon-anode battery technology, which could potentially increase the battery's energy density by 15-20% within the same physical space. That said, another rumored solution is the return of an official Apple MagSafe battery case accessory that users can slap on the phone when it needs a quick recharge. In either case, these could potentially bridge the gap between the smaller capacity and real-world usage.
The report suggests that Apple, with the help of leading battery manufacturer TDK Corporation, could adopt a new generation of silicon-anode battery technology, which could potentially increase the battery's energy density by 15-20% within the same physical space. That said, another rumored solution is the return of an official Apple MagSafe battery case accessory that users can slap on the phone when it needs a quick recharge. In either case, these could potentially bridge the gap between the smaller capacity and real-world usage.
For now though, it seems like both phones will be targeting two kinds of customers, aside from OS ecosystems of course. The S25 Edge seems to strike a balance between slim design and better out-of-the-box battery performance, as opposed to the 17 Air that could appeal to those who want the absolute thinnest smartphone at the expense of battery endurance.
iPhone 17 Air photo credit: Zellzoi via X
