Weeklong iPhone Air Battery Test Says The Phone Lasts All Day

The iPhone Air isn't selling as well as the three iPhone 17 models, which are still sold out in various markets, but there's no question the handset is a head-turner. While the ultra-thin profile and the large display might be appealing to buyers, some longtime iPhone owners might worry about battery life and the lack of additional cameras on the back. Battery life was one of the main concerns related to the iPhone Air. Apple said the ultra-thin iPhone Air should offer all-day battery life during the launch event. Immediately after that claim, Apple unveiled a battery pack crafted specifically for the iPhone Air, prompting viewers to question the all-day battery life estimate.

The first iPhone Air reviews showed the handset offers better battery life than expected, but that might not be enough to convince buyers who are still on the fence. A brand-new round of battery tests for the new iPhones shows the iPhone Air performs remarkably well. After weeks of use, Apple's all-day battery life claim stands.

"Impressively, the iPhone Air has consistently lasted all day over the last several weeks I've been using it," CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti said. "But I've hardly had to touch that MagSafe battery pack to extend battery life during the day, which is reassuring." The reporter added that she doesn't like to carry the MagSafe battery with her unless she knows she'll have a long day away from home. Al-Heeti also noted that the standard iPhone 17 does even better than the iPhone Air, routinely offering a 44% to 47% charge in the evening after 12 hours of use.

Al-Heeti used the iPhone Air for weeks, which is much longer than early iPhone reviewers got to test the handset. Her battery life experience is a much better test than what we'd get out of the first iPhone Air reviews. But CNET didn't stop there. The tech site put the iPhone 17 phones and the iPhone Air through the same battery stress tests it uses for every smartphone, which are even more objective than a single reviewer's experience.

CNET compared the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air to the previous iPhones in its battery benchmark tests. The video streaming test involves playing a video over Wi-Fi with the screen at full brightness for three hours. The iPhone 17 series did "terrific", though not dramatically better than the iPhone 16. The iPhone 17 Pro Max lost 9% in the test, marking the first time an iPhone stayed in the single digits. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air lost 15% (like the iPhone 15), while the iPhone 17 lost 11%.

The stress test is a 45-minute session that involves video games, video streaming, social media, and a video call. The iPhone 17 Pro Max battery dropped by 1%, which makes it the best result of the year. Interestingly, last year's iPhone 16 Plus, which the iPhone Air replaces, stayed at 100%. The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro dropped 2%. The iPhone Air dropped 5%, which matches the iPhone 15. However, the iPhone Air outperformed phones with larger battery packs from the competition in this test, including the Galaxy S25 series. Also, the iPhone Air tied the Motorola Razr Ultra.