- A leaker has published battery specs for the iPhone 17 series
- It reveals increased capacities almost across the board
- The iPhone 17 Air’s battery levels are much lower than its siblings
With just over a day left until Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event kicks off, we’re still getting last-minute rumors claiming to spill the beans on what Apple will announce. The latest is a trove of information on the iPhone 17 series’ battery capacities, and it contains some fascinating surprises that we didn’t see coming.
The information was provided by leaker ShrimpApplePro on X, who claims to have found the data in a Chinese regulatory database. If true, that gives the leak a degree of reputability.
Interestingly, all iPhone 17 models except the base iPhone 17 have two different battery capacities listed. It’s thought that this might mean that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will have two different capacities depending on whether the phone is equipped with an eSIM slot, with the versions lacking this feature coming with higher battery capacities. An eSIM compartment is included on iPhone models in some regions and excluded in others.
It’s unclear why the iPhone 17 only has one entry and whether this relates to a model equipped with an eSIM or one that goes without.
Here’s a quick at-a-glance breakdown of the different rumored capacities:
Model | Without eSIM | With eSIM |
|---|---|---|
iPhone 17 | 3,692mAh (up 3.7% vs iPhone 16) | 3,692mAh (up 3.7% vs iPhone 16) |
iPhone 17 Air | 3,036mAh | 3,149mAh (down 33% vs iPhone 16 Plus) |
iPhone 17 Pro | 3,988mAh | 4,252mAh (up 18.7% vs iPhone 16 Pro) |
iPhone 17 Pro Max | 4,823mAh | 5,088mAh (up 8.6% vs iPhone 16 Pro Max) |
The numbers suggest that almost every iPhone in the range will get a battery increase compared to the iPhone 16 series.
The exception is the iPhone 17 Air, which could see a huge 33% drop versus the iPhone 16 Plus. That’s explained by the fact that the iPhone 16 Plus had a capacious battery owing to its large size, while the iPhone 17 Air is expected to be light on the battery front due to its thin frame.
eSIM benefits
It’s unusual to see Apple bring higher battery capacity to iPhone models that have an eSIM slot – in the past, the company has kept the battery levels the same, regardless of whether your iPhone has had an eSIM or not. But the difference in the iPhone 17 lineup suggests that Apple will use the extra space vacated by the SIM card tray to expand the size of the battery.
If the figures are accurate, this will also be the first time that an iPhone has offered a battery capacity above 5,000mAh, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 5,088mAh squeaking past that milestone.
It’s worth noting that a higher battery capacity does not necessarily mean the iPhone 17 series’ batteries will last longer, as Apple might implement some new features that drain the battery more. We won’t know for sure until the Awe Dropping event on Tuesday, so make sure you tune in to see all the latest updates.
