With a day to go until Apple officially unveils the iPhone 17 collection, fresh leaks are painting a clearer picture of what to expect – and this time, it’s the battery sizes making headlines.
According to well-known Apple tipster ShrimpApplePro, all four iPhone 17 models are set to see modest gains in battery capacity – and, logically speaking, battery life.
The iPhone 17 is said to feature a 3,692mAh cell, up from 3,561mAh, while the iPhone 17 Pro is expected to house a 3,900mAh cell, up from 3,355mAh, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max could potentially land at 4,832mAh, up from 4,696mAh.
The iPhone 17 Air, meanwhile, is said to feature a 3,036mAh cell – slightly larger than the previously rumoured 2,500mAh cell.
This essentially means that the iPhone 17 generation is shaping up to deliver anywhere from 100mAh to 600mAh more capacity, depending on the model. The jump is most noticeable on the Pro model, which looks to gain just under 600mAh compared to its predecessor.
The real surprise, however, is that the eSIM-only variants actually offer larger batteries.
Standard vs eSIM-only models
Without a physical SIM tray taking up extra space within the iPhone 17 collection’s chassis, these models are expected to feature even bigger batteries:
- iPhone 17 Air (eSIM): 3,149mAh vs 3,036mAh
- iPhone 17 Pro (eSIM): 4,252mAh vs 3,988mAh
- iPhone 17 Pro Max (eSIM): 5,088mAh vs 4,832mAh
Compared to last year’s iPhone 16 collection, it could be the eSIM-only models that offer the notable boost in overall battery life.
A global eSIM rollout?
So far, eSIM-only iPhones have been restricted to the US, but reports claim Apple could be expanding the approach internationally with the iPhone 17 series.
If that’s the case, these bigger battery upgrades could be Apple’s way of countering resistance to the switch and give users a clear incentive to accept the change – but we’ll have to wait and see for now.
Opinion
We’ve long said that even small boosts to iPhone battery capacity can make a big impact on battery life, and the iPhone 17 collection looks to double down on that – though it’s the eSIM-only models that could benefit the most.
If Apple’s plans for a wider rollout of eSIM-only handsets are true, this could be a smart way of making the jump much easier to swallow.
