iPhone 17 Air Might Ship With a Smaller Battery Than the Galaxy S25 Edge

Apple’s next big experiment in slim flagships might come at a cost—battery life. If you’ve been hoping the iPhone 17 Air would outpace Samsung in this department, recent leaks suggest you might want to scale back expectations.

The iPhone 17 Air, which is said to replace the Plus model in this year’s lineup, is rumored to feature a battery size of just 2,900mAh. That’s noticeably smaller than its rival, the Galaxy S25 Edge, which already packs a tiny 3,900mAh unit.

iPhone 17’s Battery Could Be Even Smaller Than the Galaxy S25 Edge

So, What’s the Deal with the Battery?

A recent leak from tipster Majin Bu claims that the battery on the iPhone 17 Air will measure just 2.49mm thick. That’s incredibly thin by smartphone standards. It’ll also reportedly be encased in steel—likely to help with heat dissipation and maintain density in such a slim frame.

There’s a trade-off here, of course. You get a sleek, lightweight design but possibly at the expense of all-day endurance. Whether Apple pulls off efficient power management remains to be seen, but it’s clear the focus here is on keeping things light and compact.

The Rest of the Specs Look Familiar—but With Some Tweaks

Leaks point to the iPhone 17 Air featuring:

A 6.6-inch display
Aluminum body
A19 chipset
8GB of RAM
A single 48MP rear camera
A 24MP selfie camera
Face ID support
iOS 26 with Apple Intelligence

There’s also talk of improved thermal management, which might allow for faster charging, though no numbers have surfaced yet.

iPhone 17 Air vs Galaxy S25 Edge: Where They Might Differ Most

If the leak holds up, the iPhone 17 Air is likely to enter the same ultra-slim category as Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge (review), which has a 6.7-inch screen, a 5.8mm thickness, and a 3,900mAh battery.

That means while both phones might look similar in form factor, they could behave quite differently in real-world use—especially when it comes to screen-on time and overall endurance.

A Quick Word on the Software Side

Aside from hardware, Apple is also reportedly working on something new behind the scenes. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has formed an internal team called AKI (short for Answers, Knowledge, and Information).

The group is said to be developing a new search tool designed to answer user questions more intelligently (similar to ChatGPT). It could end up being part of the broader Apple Intelligence ecosystem in iOS 26.

If you're hungry for more, check out our complete rumors roundup on the upcoming iPhone 17 series.

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