A super-thin iPhone 17 “Air” (as everyone has been calling it) is coming this fall whether we want it or not. Influencers will fawn over its slim profile; I will definitely try to cut cake with it. But phones barely thicker than a USB-C port will likely nix the creature comforts that we’re all used to on our normal-sized slabs.
In addition to reporting that Apple is planning to shuffle up its iPhone release strategy starting next year—premium iPhones including the 18 Pros, 18 Air, and a foldable iPhone in the fall, and more affordable models like the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e in the spring—The Information claims this fall’s iPhone 17 Air will have shorter battery life compared to the iPhone 17 and 17 Pros.
“The percentage of users who can go a single day without recharging the thin phone will be between 60% and 70%,” the report states. “For other models, that metric is between 80% and 90%, one of the people said.”
Naturally, a thinner phone requires a slimmer battery that can fit inside of the iPhone 17 Air’s metal chassis. There are other ways Apple could compensate for a smaller battery, such as using efficient chips, but that may not be the case for this first-gen iPhone Air. Instead, Apple is reportedly planning to sell a battery case that users can attach to extend the time between charges. The cynic will say this is classic Apple creating a problem to sell an accessory as a solution. Of course, idealists will defend the thinness and tell you to just buy a regular iPhone or Pro model if having the longest battery life is at the top of your checklist.
Apple has pitched an accessory before to make up for reduced battery life; alongside the iPhone 12, Apple sold a MagSafe Battery Pack. Apple will never say outright why it sold a battery case, but it’s almost certainly because the iPhone 12s, which were the first to include power-hungry 5G modems, couldn’t last a full work day. Apple discontinued the MagSafe Battery Pack several years later. Was it a coincidence that that happened as iPhones got thicker and battery life longer? Or did Apple stop production because it didn’t want to swap out the accessory’s Lightning port for a USB-C one after the EU forced it to switch to the universal port? I’m sure there are Redditors ready to cry conspiracy.
Reduced battery life on the iPhone 17 Air will lead headlines, but that’s not the only downgrade. We already know this phone will have a single rear camera—one that juts out quite a bit. The Information also reports that the thin iPhone will have a single speaker instead of the dual speakers in the other iPhone 17s.
None of this is news that will go down well with consumers come this fall, but getting a battery pack is the reality that you’ll have to accept if you want Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever. YouTuber Sam Kohl shared a video showcasing high-quality dummy models for the new iPhone 17 and 17 Pros, as well as the iPhone 17 Air—and yeah, the skinny one is absurdly thin. The ultra-thin iPhone 17 is happening. There’s already too much smoke.
Worse will be the added cost to what is shaping up to be a costly iPhone. Rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Air could start at $900 or more. Apple has a tendency to charge extra for thin bragging rights. We’ve still got an entire summer to get through before we know how much an iPhone 17 Air and a battery pack will cost. We also don’t know whether any of Trump’s tariffs will drive that price into the stratosphere. Better brace yourself now, though, so the shock doesn’t stun too hard when Apple throws the price slide up on screen at Apple Park.
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