New leaked images have surfaced showing what may be the dramatically thin battery designed for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air—rumored to measure just 2.49 mm thick, less than half the width of the iPhone 17 Pro’s cell(MacRumors).
📱 Featherweight by Design: Just 5.5 mm Thin
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to redefine what "ultra-thin" means—boasting a total chassis thickness of around 5.5 mm, making it the slimmest iPhone ever launched(Indiatimes, 9to5Mac, Notebookcheck). Weighing approximately 145 g, it’s comparable to the iPhone 13 mini or SE 2(MacRumors).
🔋 Battery: Power at a Premium Thinness
- The leaked L-shaped cell is housed in a steel casing akin to that of the iPhone 16 Pro, offering enhanced heat dissipation and structural support(Hindustan Times).
- Though compact, battery capacity is quoted at 2,800–2,900 mAh, significantly below the iPhone 16 Plus’s 3,561 mAh and Samsung’s S25 Edge’s 3,900 mAh(Free Press Journal).
- Comparisons show the new cell measures just 2.49 mm thick, around half the thickness of a standard iPhone 17 Pro battery(MacRumors).
⚠️ Trade-Offs: Design Comes at a Cost
This radical slimness does come with compromises:
- A single rear camera lens instead of the dual or triple setups on other iPhone 17 models(tomsguide.com, 9to5Mac).
- The potential removal of a physical SIM tray, as internal space is prioritized for the wafer-thin battery(bgr.com).
📈 Can Apple Make It Work?
Apple is reportedly betting on next-gen silicon-anode battery technology, combined with more efficient hardware like the A19 chip, C1 modem, and software enhancements in iOS 26, including an “Adaptive Power Mode”, to offset the reduced capacity(Hindustan Times).
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman speculates that runtime may still be a full day under moderate usage, despite the smaller cell(Android Headlines).
Additionally, Apple may offer an optional battery case to extend usage when needed—an accessory preference that resonates with a design-first approach(washingtonpost.com).
⚖️ Slim vs Practical: Is It Worth the Sacrifice?
With Apple pushing design limits, the iPhone 17 Air’s extreme thinness makes a bold aesthetic statement. But whether consumers will embrace these compromises—battery life, fewer cameras, no SIM slot—will depend on priorities.
As competitor devices like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (3.9 mm battery) and leaked Galaxy S26 Edge (rumored at 4,400 mAh) offer larger cells in similarly slim designs, Apple’s move feels like a stylistic gamble as much as a technological one(Wccftech).
📅 What’s Next?
Apple is expected to officially unveil the iPhone 17 lineup—including the Air—between September 8–10, 2025, with launches in India, the U.S., and elsewhere soon after(tomsguide.com).
If you’re intrigued by the engineering daring of a 5.5 mm form factor with nearly half‑thickness battery, this model may be compelling. Just brace for trade-offs in battery endurance and mainstream usability.
🔍 Final Verdict
The iPhone 17 Air is shaping up to be Apple's thinnest phone ever with a bold battery design—just 2.49 mm thin, in a 5.5 mm chassis. While hardware and software work-arounds aim to maintain usability, the stripped-down battery and feature set make it a device for style-driven minimalists rather than power users.