iPhone 17 Air Expected to Have Battery Case Due to 'Worse' Battery Life
Apple's rumored iPhone 17 Air model will have "worse" battery life compared to previous iPhone models, according to a paywalled The Information report.
In internal testing, Apple determined that the percentage of users who will be able to use the iPhone 17 Air for a full day without needing to recharge the device throughout the day will be between 60% and 70%, according to the report. For other iPhone models, the report said that metric is apparently between 80% and 90%.
The reduced battery life is due in part to the iPhone 17 Air's ultra-thin 5.5mm design, which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever.
To mitigate this problem, the report said that Apple is planning to release a battery case as an optional accessory for the iPhone 17 Air.
Apple last released battery cases for the iPhone 11 lineup, followed by the since-discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12 models and newer. A battery case both protects an iPhone and provides additional battery life as necessary.
The report added that Apple's supply chain is uncertain about how much demand there will be for the iPhone 17 Air, given it will be an all-new model with a unique form factor. As a result, the suppliers are initially only dedicating about 10% of production capacity for the iPhone 17 series to the iPhone 17 Air, according to the report.
The report reiterated that the iPhone 17 Air will have only a single speaker, a single rear camera, and no SIM card slot worldwide.
Apple is expected to release the iPhone 17 Air in September.
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