Summary
- Dropping the SIM tray gives eSIM-only iPhone 17 models a modest real-world battery boost.
- iPhone 17 Pro eSIM: 4,252mAh vs 3,988mAh with tray; 17 Pro Max eSIM: 5,088mAh vs 4,823mAh.
- US eSIM models get the larger cells now; worldwide SIM removal could bring this to other countries.
Typically, when Apple arbitrarily removes something from their phones, it doesn’t really have much of an excuse for it. This, however, is one of the rare cases where Apple removing something results in a real-life improvement.
Different data floating around the internet appears to confirm that if your iPhone doesn’t have a SIM card tray, you might be in for a sizable battery upgrade, even compared to other iPhone 17 models that do have a SIM tray. As per data compiled by MacRumors, the iPhone 17 Pro without a SIM tray has a 4,252 mAh battery, whereas the iPhone 17 Pro with a tray has a smaller battery at 3,988 mAh. The iPhone 17 Pro Max takes a step further. The eSIM-only model has a 5,088 mAh battery, while the SIM tray-equipped model has a 4,823 mAh cell. There doesn’t appear to be info on how big the battery in the regular 17 is with a SIM card tray, but the eSIM only model has a 3,692 mAh cell. If you’re in the US, you’re getting the model with the most battery.
The SIM card tray takes significant internal space, so it makes sense for there to be enough space for a larger battery once that’s taken out. This is the first time this has happened. With previous eSIM-only models, the batteries in both SIM tray-equipped models and eSIM-only models were identical. This is also partly because in the eSIM-only models, the space that would otherwise take the SIM slot is replaced with a plastic tab. Now, it looks like there are actual internal difference between the phones that don’t have a SIM tray and the phones that do. And in those without a SIM tray, there’s just enough space to sneak in a small 200 mAh battery upgrade. That’s not a lot, but it could mean the difference between making it home with 5% of battery or having your battery die on you.
The iPhone Air, which is the only model I didn’t mention, doesn’t come with a SIM tray anywhere, so it will have a 3,149 mAh battery worldwide. It’s not huge, but I honestly expected worse. As a reminder, the iPhone will continue to be sold with a SIM tray in a number of European and Asian countries, so if you have a US model, you can rejoice in the fact that your phone has a slightly bigger battery. Not a huge upgrade, but it’s an upgrade. It’s also a taste of what other countries will get when Apple eventually removes the SIM card tray worldwide—assuming no legal issues with governments, it will happen sooner than later.
Source: MacRumors
