iPhone Air Battery Life Put to the Test — Here’s How It Performed

Apple made a bold claim at the iPhone 17 launch, stating that the ultra-thin iPhone Air delivers “all-day battery life.” At just 5.6mm thick, that seemed ambitious. Apple rates the iPhone Air for 27 hours of local video playback and 22 hours of streaming, but independent testing shows how it truly compares to other devices.

In Tom’s Guide Battery Test, which involves continuous 5G web browsing at 150 nits of brightness, the iPhone Air lasted 12 hours and 2 minutes. This result puts it ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which managed 11 hours and 48 minutes under identical conditions. The regular iPhone 17 performed slightly better at 12 hours and 47 minutes, leaving a 45-minute gap between the two Apple models.

However, Apple’s flagship endurance champion remains the iPhone 17 Pro Max. That device lasted an impressive 17 hours and 54 minutes, almost six hours longer than the Air. The iPhone 17 Pro also performed better, clocking in at 15 hours and 32 minutes — roughly three and a half hours more than the iPhone Air. Phones that make the “best battery life” list generally hit 14 hours or more, meaning the iPhone Air falls just short of that threshold.

Adding the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack ($99) significantly boosts endurance. Apple claims it can add up to 65% extra charge, and testing confirmed this by extending the iPhone Air’s runtime to 17 hours and 15 minutes — nearly matching the Pro Max.

To gauge real-world usage, a secondary test involved running a continuous 5-hour YouTube video on the iPhone Air and its competitors. After five hours, the iPhone Air still had 81% battery remaining, far better than the Galaxy S25 Edge, which dropped to 67%. Extrapolating from this result suggests the iPhone Air could theoretically last 26 hours and 19 minutes, exceeding Apple’s own claim of 22 hours, according to Tom’s Guide.

Overall, the iPhone Air delivers strong battery life for such a thin device. Apple has optimized the internal layout, using the top section for components and leaving room for a large battery. While it cannot match the longevity of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, it comes close to the standard iPhone 17, making it a good balance of portability and power. The MagSafe Battery Pack is a useful accessory, though it somewhat undermines the device’s slim design.