iPhone Air is disappointing in terms of battery, nearly 12 hours behind iPhone 17 Pro Max

Apple's new iPhone 17 series continues to be the center of discussion this past week, not only in terms of design or performance, but also in terms of battery life - an increasingly important factor for today's users. In particular, the iPhone Air is the most compared when the actual battery life is quite inferior to the iPhone 17 Pro Max .

Ultra-thin design trades off battery life

According to the battery test conducted by Tom's Guide , the iPhone 17 models were tested by continuous web surfing on a 5G network with the screen brightness set to 150 nits. The results were as follows:

1. iPhone 17 Air: 12 hours 2 minutes
2. iPhone 17: 12 hours 47 minutes
3. iPhone 17 Pro: 15 hours 32 minutes
4. iPhone 17 Pro Max: 17 hours 54 minutes

This means that the iPhone 17 Pro Max can last up to 1.5 times longer than the iPhone Air, or about 48% longer. This is understandable: the iPhone Air's ultra-thin and lightweight design limits battery capacity, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max has more space to accommodate a larger battery, allowing for significantly longer battery life.

Apple's official estimate for offline video playback time is also consistent with the above test results:

1. iPhone Air: 27 hours
2. iPhone 17: 30 hours
3. iPhone 17 Pro: 33 hours
4. iPhone 17 Pro Max: 39 hours

The above results once again solidify the Pro Max's leading position in this year's entire iPhone lineup.

However, for normal usage such as calling, texting or surfing the web, the iPhone Air can still last all day. However, for those who often play games, watch online videos or work for many hours, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is definitely a more suitable choice. In case you still want to own the super thin design of the Air, users should consider buying an additional backup battery for peace of mind.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 23 September 2025