Apple’s new iPhone Air has surprised many with how well it performs battery-wise, especially given its ultra-thin, lightweight design. Despite packing a smaller battery than its more robust peers, the Air delivers all-day endurance that rivals last year’s iPhone 16 models and even beats some Pro variants.
Here are the key takeaways:
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Battery Life Claims: The iPhone Air offers up to 27 hours of video playback, and when paired with a MagSafe battery accessory, that number jumps to around 40 hours. For streaming video, it’s rated at up to 22 hours, or 35 hours when using the battery accessory.
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How It Compares: These performance numbers place the iPhone Air on par with—or slightly ahead of—certain models in the iPhone 16 line. Meanwhile, the standard iPhone 17 exceeds the Air in raw battery hours for video, especially in the Pro Max version, which gets close to 39 hours of video playback.
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Battery Capacity: The Air uses a smaller battery (~3,150 mAh) compared to the iPhone 17 (~3,700+ mAh) and the larger iPhone 16 Pro models. Despite that, its efficient hardware and software optimizations help minimize the disadvantage.
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Endurance in Real-Use Terms: In terms of “hours per charge,” Apple’s figures place the Air within the same league as the iPhone 17 and ahead of some Pro models from the iPhone 16 generation. That means users who don’t push their phones to the limit can expect solid battery performance from the Air—especially in non-Pro tasks.
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Trade-Offs and Context: The slim design comes with trade-offs. Less internal space means less room for large batteries and more challenge cooling heat. Users who heavily stream video, use high refresh rates, or push demanding workloads may notice shorter battery lifespan under those conditions compared to bulkier phones.
