iPhone Air Charges Slower Than Other iPhone 17 Models: Here Are The Speeds You Can Expect
Every year, battery life is one of the main considerations when buying a new iPhone. It's especially true this year with the ultra-thin iPhone Air, which has a considerably smaller battery than the other three iPhone 17 models. Battery life tests after the official launch showed that the iPhone Air can offer solid battery life for some users, though the iPhone 17 Pro Max will provide the absolute best endurance. Along with battery life, though, charging speed is an important factor for a lot of users. The iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max charge faster than their predecessors at 40W, allowing the phone to charge up to 50% in just 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the iPhone Air doesn't get this much-needed upgrade and retains the same charging speed as previous models. As per Apple's estimates:
iPhone 17 models:
- Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher via a USB-C cable
- Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe
iPhone Air:
- Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher via a USB-C cable
- Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe
How fast does the iPhone Air really charge?
The iPhone Air's wired charging speed is identical to the iPhone 16 series. It's the same estimate Apple used for iPhones since the iPhone X. But some of the older iPhone models could support higher speeds than that. iPhone 13 Pro fast charging tests indicated that it could charge at up to 27W with a 30W power adapter. ChargerLab – a YouTube channel — put the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 models through the same tests. They used multiple power adapters to charge the handsets while monitoring the power draw. Instead of relying on Apple's theoretical figures, let's look at ChargerLab's real-life figures. The iPhone Air's charging speed averages between 18-19W even when using an Apple power adapter supplied with MacBooks that support 40W of power.
Interestingly, the iPhone Air charges faster wirelessly via MagSafe, with speeds reaching 21W. A couple of 140W charging adapters allowed the iPhone Air to reach 21W charging speeds via the wired route, too. Power banks and car chargers also supplied 18-19W of power. ChargerLab ran similar tests for the other iPhone 17 models. The standard iPhone 17 reaches speeds of up to 27-28W, slightly higher than the 23W wired charging speed of its predecessor. The iPhone 17 Pro models go even higher, reaching 36W in similar conditions.