Apple will rely on one of its old accessories to compensate for the iPhone 17 Air’s short battery life. It will launch a Smart Battery Case for the phone to help extend its runtime.

Reportedly, in Apple’s internal testing, the iPhone 17 Air does not last as long as other members of the iPhone 17 family. Given its focus on an ultra-slim design, this comes as no surprise.

Smart Battery Case for iPhone 17 Air will help boost battery life

Apple introduced its first iPhone Smart Battery Case in December 2015 for the iPhone 6 and 6s. If you could look past its butt-ugly design, the case extended the iPhone’s battery life by 25 hours. It last offered a Battery Case for the iPhone 11, featuring a dedicated camera button.

With the advent of MagSafe, Apple launched a compact MagSafe Battery Pack. It magnetically snaps on the back of the iPhone and boosts its battery life by more than 50%. Unlike the Smart Case, the MagSafe Battery Pack works with iPhone 12 and newer devices that support MagSafe.

The Information reports that with the iPhone 17 Air, Apple will again revive its Smart Battery Case accessory. This will help make up for the phone’s apparent lacklustre battery life.

“The percentage of users who can go a single day without recharging the thin phone will be between 60% and 70%. For other models, that metric is between 80% and 90%, one of the people said,” reveals The Information’s report. A Smart Battery Case will help users make it through a day of heavy use with ease.

Apple’s slim iPhone might force you to make a thick compromise

Ironically, while such a case will enhance the iPhone’s battery life, it will also add significant bulk, potentially negating the iPhone 17 Air’s slim design.

The report also suggests Apple will initially allocate only 10% of its production capacity to the iPhone 17 Air. Apparently, the company is unsure about the slim phone’s demand despite its new form factor.