One of the key compromises with the iPhone Air is a smaller battery, but a combination of real-life usage and lab tests suggests that it will get you through a typical day.
In one lab stress test, for example, where the phone is used with the screen on maximum brightness for three hours of video streaming, the iPhone Air dropped 15% of battery life – which is the same as the iPhone 15 …
iPhone Air Lab tests
CNET has been conducting the same smartphone battery tests for three years, giving a lot of comparative data for context. When it put the latest models through their paces, the lab data was encouraging.
CNET tested the new Apple phones’ battery life three ways: through an anecdotal stress test, a video streaming test and observing battery life after everyday use. We also tested wired and wireless charging. Our lab data showed strong battery life for the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and even the Air, especially compared to older iPhone models.
The video streaming test is reasonably demanding because it streams video over Wi-Fi for three hours with the screen at maximum brightness, which is significantly more power-hungry than the everyday brightness levels selected by most users.
Phones start fully charged, and the percentage lost during the test is measured. The results:
iPhone 17 Pro Max: 9% (the first ever single-digit result by an iPhone)
iPhone 17: 11%
iPhone 17 Pro: 15%
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