*Image credit — Majin Bu
Perhaps the most interesting phone expected from Apple later this year is the super slim iPhone 17 Air. However users have had a very valid concern: will the iPhone 17 Air sacrifice battery life for a slimmer chassis? The answer is yes but apparently iOS 19 will help offset that disadvantage using Apple Intelligence.Apple Intelligence was the biggest marketing point for the iPhone 16 last year. However, in what might be Apple’s biggest blunder to date, the promised AI features remain either missing or incomplete. After countless delays the newest information we have is that Apple Intelligence won’t be complete until 2027.
Which is why the idea of Apple using its AI to offset a hardware disadvantage seems like wishful thinking to me for now. The company is clearly determined to get AI right and this is a pretty good use for it but I am a bit doubtful of how useful it will really be in practice.
Apple is apparently training its AI by analyzing the usage habits of iPhone users. The software will be able to control when it should reduce the power draw for certain apps or services. This feature is said to be a part of iOS 19, which will likely come out in September, and will be available to all iPhone 17 models.
All of the promised Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone 16. | Video credit — Apple
Apple may announce this AI-powered battery saving feature at its WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) event in June. However the company is also expected to be a lot more cautious compared to last year’s WWDC where it promised a ton of AI tools. If that is the case then Apple will likely refrain from mentioning any features (especially AI) that are still under development.
The iPhone 17 Air — a direct competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge — will be marketed to people who care more about aesthetics than practicality or the best hardware. But as Apple still hasn’t adopted silicon carbon batteries — denser batteries that hold more charge — the iPhone 17 Air will suffer because of its slimmer design.
AI-powered battery management is really cool but I have my fingers crossed that both Samsung and Apple adopt newer and better battery technologies soon.
