Samsung made a splash with the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year, but Apple rumored it to challenge it for the ultra-thunderstorm throne in a decline with its iPhone 17 Air. It feels very bad that the iPhone manufacturer is skimp on the battery capacity to achieve that smooth profile.
This is according to the famous tipster Immediate digitalWho posted on Weibo this week that the iPhone 17 air battery “does not exceed 3,000mAh, as was seen for the first time 9to5macThis is slightly larger than the 2800mAh battery estimate that we heard from another leak in May, but it is still bad news for Apple.
For the beginning, it would be a serious downgrade compared to the 3,651mAh battery of the iPhone 16, which lasted for 22 hours on the same charge in our battery tests. For reference, the Samsung S25 managed to fit the 3,900mAh battery cell in the age, which is smaller than a 4,000mAh battery in the regular Galaxy S25.
It is being said, raw glasses tell only part of the story. Apple designs with adaptation keeping in mind its iOS update, often manages to write more battery life than the best Android phone with large batteries. (An exciting new feature that comes with iOS 26 can give Apple even more to one leg.)
For example, do not look beyond the iPhone 16 lineup. Two of which – premium iPhone 16 Pro Max and large iPhone 16 Plus – made their best phone battery life rankings surprisingly long charge and great upgradation on their predecessors. Instant Digital said that the lower power mode of the iPhone can remove a little more battery life, so you can be worth the medium use of the whole day with the iPhone 17 Air.
Game-Changing iOS 26 Battery Upgrade Up Apple sleeve
In particular, Apple has also improved the power-saving capabilities of its iPhones with a new adaptive power mode offered in iOS 26. When the setting is enabled, your phone will use Apple Intelligence to automatically trim your energy use so that it can be continued for a long time between charge. This includes things such as reducing the brightness of the screen or restricting the use of the app from walking in the background.
It is different from the current low power mode of the iPhone, which restrictions background activities and automatically kicks when your battery reaches 20 percent. Instead, the adaptive power mode uses AI to “make your battery to expand small performance adjustments, in which the display is slightly reduced or allowing some activities to be taken for a while,” first according to full details in iOS 26 beta.
Between this new setting and rumors that apple will appoint a new silicone carbon battery to increase the battery density by 15%, the iPhone 17 air battery capacity can surprisingly remain in prolonged behavior, as its raw glasses will suggest.
iPhone 17 Air vs Galaxy S25 Edge: Who will win?
Samsung left a lot of impression with the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year, which all packs the same Galaxy AI features, which you will expect in a ridiculous thin footing from the premium headset of the phone manufacturer.
Its biggest compromise is a slightly smaller battery than the rest of the Galaxy S25 line, but also at 3,900mAh, which still excludes the rumor of iPhone 17 Air from the water.
In our Galaxy S25 Edge Battery Tests, Samsung’s super-split phone lasted 12 hours and 28 minutes on a charge. It is much below the average of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which goes a distance with 17 hours and 14 minutes running the same test. Even the standard Galaxy S25 managed to exclude the edge for about 3 hours.
Whether the thin profile is worth the tradeoff in the battery, will be a matter of preference for most buyers. Me? I have a long -running phone, even the use of the thinning one I cannot use without the best portable battery banks to be used as a backup. This iPhone 17 can create a hard sale until Apple cannot display it how users can worth using the whole day out of their iPhone.
