Which iPhone reigns supreme? See how iPhone 17, Air and 17 Pro battery life stacks up

Apple’s new iPhones—iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max—are now available for preorder starting September 12. Battery life is a big concern for people upgrading, but exact numbers are still partly unknown.

Apple rarely reveals the actual battery sizes inside its phones, so we don’t know exactly what powers the iPhone 17 lineup compared to last year’s iPhone 16 models. Apple provides video playback time estimates for each model, both for videos stored on the device and for videos streamed online. Streaming uses more battery, so the time is shorter, as reported by Tom's Guide.

iPhone 17 battery life comparison

Apple’s estimated battery life for video playback:

• iPhone 17: 30 hours (stored video), 27 hours (streaming)
• iPhone 17 Air: 27 hours, 22 hours
• iPhone 17 Pro: 33 hours, 30 hours
• iPhone 17 Pro Max: 39 hours, 35 hours

The iPhone Air has the shortest battery life due to its slim 5.64mm design, which limits internal space for a bigger battery. Using a MagSafe Battery can extend playback time, but adds bulk. Apple notes that eSIM models have slightly longer battery life than physical SIM versions because the SIM tray takes up space inside the phone, as stated by Tom's Guide.

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Compared to iPhone 16, iPhone 17 improves video playback by 8 hours. iPhone 17 Pro models improve by 6 hours. iPhone Air matches the iPhone 16 Plus at 27 hours, despite being thinner.

Last year’s iPhone 16 battery sizes and video tests give context:

• iPhone 16: 3,561 mAh → 12:43 hrs battery test
• iPhone 16 Plus: 4,674 mAh → 16:09 hrs
• iPhone 16 Pro: 3,582 mAh → 14:07 hrs
• iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4,685 mAh → 17:35 hrs

iPhone Air vs iPhone 17 Pro battery outlook

iPhone battery tests measure how long the phone can surf the web over cellular until it dies. Average phones today last 10.5–11 hours. All iPhone 16 models exceeded that easily. iPhone 16 Pro Max had the best battery due to its largest cell, while the smaller iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models had lower but still respectable times, as mentioned in the report by Tom’s Guide.

Using Apple’s claims for iPhone 17, it’s likely that iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max have bigger batteries than iPhone 16 models. The A19 chip may also make the phones more power-efficient. The iPhone Air is harder to predict. Its battery is probably smaller than the iPhone 16 Plus. Even with the A19 Pro chip and other improvements, it may not beat the 16-hour test of the 16 Plus, though it should at least surpass the standard iPhone 16’s 12:43.

Battery testing will confirm actual performance, but iPhone 17 and 17 Pro models are expected to improve over iPhone 16. Apple is confident the slim iPhone Air won’t suffer from poor battery life, as per the report by Tom’s Guide.

FAQs

Q1. How long does iPhone 17 battery last?
iPhone 17 can last up to 30 hours for stored video and 27 hours for streaming, according to Apple.

Q2. Is iPhone Air battery smaller than iPhone 17 Pro?
Yes, iPhone Air has a smaller battery than iPhone 17 Pro, so its battery life is shorter.