Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Newsletters Best Picks Entertainment OpenAI announcement Switch 2 Restock Galaxy Z Fold 7 iPhone 17 Air Best laptops Wordle Today Best Mattress Recommended reading iPhone 17 Air leak is concerning news for the battery — and it makes the Galaxy S25 Edge's look huge in comparison The Galaxy S25 Edge shows us what the trade-off is with thinner phones — and it's not one I'd make iPhone 17 Air reportedly won't last a full day on a charge, reviving this dead accessory Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge leak may have confirmed our worst fears about battery life The iPhone 17 Air can blow Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge out of the water — here's how iPhone 17 Air may not have all-day battery life — and the solutions defeat the purpose of a skinny phone Samsung and Apple are the wrong brands to make thin phones — here's why iPhone 17 Air battery leak looks like worst case scenario Alyse Stanley 19 July 2025 Less than 3,000mAh? Yeesh... When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future) Samsung made a splash with the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year, but Apple's rumored to challenge it for the ultra-thin phone throne in fall with its iPhone 17 Air. Too bad it looks like the iPhone maker is skimping on battery capacity to achieve that sleeker profile. That's according to well-known tipster Instant Digital, who posted this week on Weibo that the iPhone 17 Air battery "does not exceed 3,000mAh," as first spotted by 9to5Mac. That's slightly larger than the 2800mAh battery estimate we heard from another leaker back in May, but it still spells bad news for Apple. For starters, it would be a serious downgrade compared to the iPhone 16's 3,651mAh battery, which lasted up to 22 hours on a single charge in our battery tests. For reference, Samsung managed to fit a 3,900mAh battery cell into the S25 Edge, just a smidge smaller than the 4,000mAh battery in the regular Galaxy S25. You may like iPhone 17 Air leak is concerning news for the battery — and it makes the Galaxy S25 Edge's look huge in comparison The Galaxy S25 Edge shows us what the trade-off is with thinner phones — and it's not one I'd make iPhone 17 Air reportedly won't last a full day on a charge, reviving this dead accessory That being said, raw specs only tell part of the story. Apple designs its iOS updates with optimization in mind, often managing to wring more battery life than the best Android phones with bigger batteries. (An exciting new feature coming with iOS 26 could give Apple even more of a leg up.) Look no further than the iPhone 16 lineup, for example. Two of which — the premium iPhone 16 Pro Max and larger iPhone 16 Plus — made our best phone battery life ranking for their surprisingly long charge and considerable upgrade over their predecessors. Instant Digital added that the iPhone's lower power mode could eke out a bit more battery life, so you might be able to get a full day's worth of moderate use out of the iPhone 17 Air. Game-changing iOS 26 battery upgrade up Apple's sleeve (Image credit: Shutterstock / Tom's Guide) Notably, Apple's also improving its iPhones' power-saving capabilities with a new adaptive power mode introduced in iOS 26. When the setting's enabled, your phone will use Apple Intelligence to automatically trim its energy use to keep it going longer between charges. That includes things like lowering the screen brightness or restricting app usage from running the background. It's different from the iPhone's existing low power mode, which restricts background activities and automatically kicks in when your battery reaches 20 percent. Instead, adaptive power mode uses AI to "make small performance adjustments to extend your battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to take a little longer," according to the full description in the first iOS 26 beta. Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Between this new setting and rumors that Apple will employ a new silicon carbon battery to boost battery density by as much as 15%, the iPhone 17 Air's battery capacity could last surprisingly longer in practice than its raw specs would suggest. iPhone 17 Air vs. Galaxy S25 Edge: Who will win? (Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco) Samsung made quite the impression with the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year, which packs all the same Galaxy AI features you'd expect from the phone maker's premium headsets into a ridiculously thin footprint. One of its biggest compromises is its slightly smaller battery than the rest of the Galaxy S25 line, but even at 3,900mAh, that still blows the iPhone 17 Air's rumored sub-3,000mAh capacity out of the water. In our Galaxy S25 Edge battery tests, Samsung's super-thin phone lasted 12 hours and 28 minutes on a single charge. That's far below the average of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which goes the distance with 17 hours and 14 minutes running the same tests. Even the standard Galaxy S25 managed to outlast the Edge by almost 3 hours. Whether the thin profile is worth the tradeoff in battery will be a matter of preference for most buyers. Me? I'd rather have a longer-lasting phone than even the thinnest one I can't use without lugging around one of the best portable battery banks as a backup. That could make the iPhone 17 Air a tough sell unless Apple can demonstrate how users can wring a full day's worth of usage out of their iPhone. More from Tom's Guide Should you buy the iPhone 16 or wait for the iPhone 17? Here’s the advice I gave my own dad iPhone 17 Air — here’s what Apple could learn from Samsung’s thin phone releases iOS 26 has a huge battery life upgrade — here’s the iPhones that get it Today's best Apple iPhone 16 deals $23.06View No price informationCheck Amazon We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices See more Phones News Alyse Stanley News Editor Alyse Stanley is a news editor at Tom’s Guide, overseeing weekend coverage and writing about the latest in tech, gaming, and entertainment. Before Tom’s Guide, Alyse worked as an editor for the Washington Post’s sunsetted video game section, Launcher. She previously led Gizmodo’s weekend news desk and has written game reviews and features for outlets like Polygon, Unwinnable, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. She’s a big fan of horror movies, cartoons, and roller skating. She's also a puzzle fan and can often be found contributing to the NYT Connections coverage on Tom's Guide You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. iPhone 17 Air leak is concerning news for the battery — and it makes the Galaxy S25 Edge's look huge in comparison The Galaxy S25 Edge shows us what the trade-off is with thinner phones — and it's not one I'd make iPhone 17 Air reportedly won't last a full day on a charge, reviving this dead accessory Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge leak may have confirmed our worst fears about battery life The iPhone 17 Air can blow Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge out of the water — here's how iPhone 17 Air may not have all-day battery life — and the solutions defeat the purpose of a skinny phone Latest in iPhones iOS 26 Safari lets you pick your own tab design — here's how to do it Apple sues YouTuber Jon Prosser for allegedly stealing iOS 26 secrets Forget the iPhone 17 Air — iPhone Fold just tipped to be thinnest iPhone ever iPhone 17 Pro's biggest display upgrade may not be canceled after all — say goodbye to screen glare AutoMix gets the hype in iOS 26's Music app, but there’s another change that’s even better iOS 26’s Liquid Glass design brings big changes to your iPhone — here’s everything coming in the public beta Latest in News Microsoft will no longer sell movies or TV shows on PCs or Xbox — what happens to the stuff you bought This beloved comedy-drama is leaving Netflix next week — binge it now before it's gone Over 200 million Amazon Prime customers warned about scammers trying to steal their accounts — how to stay safe Ring backtracks, lets cops once again request video from your doorbell and security cameras 5 best new movies to watch this weekend on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and more (July 19-20) 3 best mystery thriller movies on Netflix to stream right now LATEST ARTICLES Nintendo Switch Online has reignited my passion for retro games — and I can't get enough I was a bona fide member of the anti-ASMR club but then I tested these bizarre ASMR earbuds — here's what happened I gave my Mac mini M4 the ultimate upgrade with this Mac Pro-style case — and it fixes some of my biggest complaints I'm a personal trainer — 2 things you shouldn't do when lifting heavy during squats 5 best shows like 'Sullivan's Crossing' Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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