Apple is reportedly planning on bringing back its Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 17 Air, according to a report by The Information. The reintroduction of the accessory may be intended to compensate for the phone’s poor battery life, as it is rumoured to have a battery capacity of between 3,000mAh and 4,000mAh.
The Smart Battery Case was initially released way back in 2015 for the iPhone 6s, which Apple continued to update and release until the iPhone 11 series. Starting with the iPhone 12 generation, the tech company switched to the MagSafe Battery Pack. However, this was discontinued in 2023, not long after the iPhone 15 was launched.
The return of the Smart Battery Case is likely a necessity, as apparently only 60-70% of iPhone 17 Air users will be able to get a full day’s use of the device without recharging it throughout the day, based on early internal tests run by Apple. In comparison, the figures for other iPhone 17 models are 80%-90%.
It is believed that the iPhone 17 Air’s battery capacity is one of the compromises made to achieve the supposed 5.65mm thickness of the device. The smartphone will also reportedly feature only a single rear camera, one speaker, and no SIM card slot. Due to uncertainties surrounding the demand for the iPhone 17 Air, Apple suppliers are dedicating only about 10% of their production capacity to the device.
(Source: GSMArena)
