A fresh leak from Apple’s supply chain has confirmed that the iPhone 17 Air will measure just 5.5mm in profile, making it the thinnest iPhone ever. But that sleek profile comes at a cost. The leak also reveals the battery capacity, and for 2025 standards, it’s surprisingly low; enough to raise some eyebrows.
The leak suggests that the battery size on the iPhone 17 Air will be 2800mAh only, which is unbelievably low, compared to its rival Galaxy S25 Edge with a 3900mAh backup. The latter also has an extremely thin 5.84mm chassis, but that didn’t stop Samsung from jamming a standard-size battery inside this device.
The Naver Blog leak hints at the possibility that a higher energy density might increase the capacity by 15 to 20%. But, the battery will be labeled as 2800mAh, as far as the iPhone 17 Air sample unit is concerned. The same leaker also gave away the phone’s expected weight.
The Apple latest Air model is not only thin, but it is also super lightweight with only 145g on the scale. That’s an impressive number, even lower than the current slim king, the Galaxy S25 Edge. However, the way Apple has positioned the iPhone 17 Air, it's a cause for concern more than excitement.
If the internet rumors are to be believed, Apple might be skimming on the battery on purpose to drive users towards its battery case accessory. There was a report earlier that mentioned an optional battery pack that users will be able to buy with their iPhone 17 Air.
We also heard a leak saying that Apple is working on an AI solution to deal with the iPhone 17 Air’s low battery capacity. The company might employ Apple Intelligence to make a battery-saving feature, which could offset the phone’s physical limitation with a smaller battery.
Since Apple hasn’t completely delivered on its promises yet, leaving Apple Intelligence mostly unfinished, the idea of an AI-battery-saving feature doesn’t inspire much confidence. The iPhone 17 series launch is closing fast. We’ll know soon how successful Apple is going to be with its iPhone 17 Air, especially with the controversial 2800mAh battery.
