iPhone 17 Air Battery Won’t Last Long—But 2026 Model May Change That

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air could be a stepping stone in the company’s vision for an all-screen smartphone. But while it could entice enthusiasts waiting for Apple’s slimmest phone, the biggest challenge of its form will likely be battery life. A slimmed-down iPhone could aggravate battery life problems that regular iPhone users have repeatedly flagged. Perhaps Apple knows about that compromise and has reportedly planned a fix that could arrive on the iPhone 17 Air’s successor in 2027.

According to Korean publication The Elec, Apple is working on a new display technology that will need less power to run. This technology could help extend Apple’s next iPhone Air’s battery life.

The chances of this technology working in favour are good because the Apple Watch models already use it to save battery by consuming less power. The iPhone 18 Air, expected in 2026, may use a new low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistor (TFT) organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with increased oxide proportion for less power consumption. In simple words, applying more oxide to all the transistors will significantly reduce power consumption.

However, implementing this change to OLED panel technology could take more time than what is left for the iPhone 17 Air launch. Thus, Apple is reportedly targeting a 2026 timeline to implement the new technology on the next Air model. The report added that Apple may have to add other equipment necessary for the manufacturing of new TFT OLED technology. Apple may decide when to go ahead with the plan in the third quarter, based on which the production will likely start next year.

That rules out any possibility of better battery life on the iPhone 17 Air, so if you are anticipating how Apple’s thinnest model would turn out to be, you can skip it in favour of better battery life on next year’s iPhone Air.

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