iPhone Air could struggle in this key area—even Apple seems to admit It
The iPhone Air is one of the most exciting devices Apple has brought to the smartphone market in years, but there's a dark side to the ultra-thin iPhone
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
The iPhone Air is one of the most exciting devices Apple has brought to the smartphone market in years. Not only is it super thin, but the company also managed to cram in the latest A19 Pro chipset (minus one GPU core) in the phone's 5.6 mm body and a battery that, as Apple says, offers one full day between charges.
Many industry insiders, MKBHD included, voiced some concerns regarding this claim, and I can see why. Apple itself kind of admitted you might need some help with this one particular area. How so? The company announced an external MagSafe battery specifically designed for the iPhone Air.
The resurrection of the MagSafe battery brings back some 2021 memories, and they're not particularly positive.
The first MagSafe battery and the case of the iPhone Mini
The iPhone 13 Mini and the original MagSafe battery pack, a perfect fit
Apple released the first generation of the MagSafe battery pack back in 2021 alongside the iPhone 13 lineup. Now, this might be just a theory of mine, but I think the main reason for the existence of this particular accessory might be the poor battery life of the iPhone 12 Mini.
The iPhone 12 Mini launched in 2020, and as much as I was a fan of it (I rocked the model for about a year), I must admit the battery life was far from adequate. I needed to charge it twice a day (sometimes even more often), and the slow charging didn't help either.
Fast forward to the iPhone 13 range. Apple continued with the iPhone Mini and offered a slight upgrade to the battery capacity while launching the aforementioned MagSafe battery.
One might argue that the battery fits and works with all iPhone models, but just take a look at the perfect fit on the iPhone 13 Mini, and you might see how this accessory has been designed with this particular model in mind.
The new MagSafe Battery for iPhone Air
This one's made specifically for the iPhone Air
Apple writes on the new MagSafe accessory official page: "The iPhone Air MagSafe Battery fits comfortably in your pocket, even while charging—for up to 65 percent more battery life." The price of the accessory is the same as the first model from 2021 (now discontinued)—$99.
Our colleagues from AppleInsider already tested the MagSafe battery pack for iPhone Air and found out that the accessory doesn't fit iPhone 16 or iPhone 17 series devices. It’s just too tall and the only way it can somehow fit is if you place it perpendicularly to the phone, which of course is absurd.
So, this one is clearly designed with the iPhone Air in mind. Ring any bells? Yep, it reminds me of the iPhone mini times, even if that version of a MagSafe battery worked perfectly fine with all other models from the range).
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MagSafe battery pack for iPhone Air specs
The new MagSafe battery doesn't fit the Pro models
The iPhone Air MagSafe Battery is relatively slim and light while also packing a substantial amount of power. According to Apple, when attached to the iPhone Air, it provides 65% additional charge, which gives you a total of 40 hours of video playback time.
The battery is rated at 3,149 mAh (according to Reddit users, who got the pack), and if we compare that to the original MagSafe Battery Pack, which was 1,460mAh, it has more than twice as much capacity at the same price.
While having more capacity is great, Apple resurrecting a discontinued accessory just for the iPhone Air and offering twice the capacity of the original model also is clearly admitting that the battery life of the Air is going to be… well, underwhelming.
iPhone Air battery capacity
To get to the Pro range battery life the Air must first get to its thickness...ironically
Apple doesn't share the exact battery capacity of its models, at least not on the US site, but the company is bound by European law to share energy labels on its European product pages. Our colleagues at MacRumors have deduced the capacities from that.
The iPhone Air comes with a 3,149 mAh battery. That's the exact same capacity as the new MagSafe battery pack, which essentially doubles the battery capacity of the iPhone Air.
What does that mean for the Air battery life? According to Apple's strange battery life metrics (video playback), the iPhone Air can do 40 hours with the battery pack attached, which is similar to the 39 hours the iPhone 17 Pro Max gets.
But then again, attaching the MagSafe battery pack to the iPhone Air doubles the thickness (the phone becomes an 11 mm thick device) and defeats the idea of the Air. Plus, the price creeps to $1,100—the same as what you would pay for an iPhone 17 Pro.
The iPhone Air—proof of concept that no one would buy?
Do we really need super-thin phones anyway?
At the end of the day, the iPhone Air looks amazing in real life and also on paper, but it might not be the most practical device. It seems that the MagSafe battery pack Apple resurrected to complement the Air is almost a must-have accessory, making the phone thicker than the rest of the lineup and as expensive as the Pro. That's a tough sell!
What do you think about it? Would you buy the iPhone Air with or without the MagSafe battery pack?
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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