iPhone Air charging speed tested: slower than iPhone 17

Apple’s new iPhone Air, the ultra-thin model in the iPhone 17 lineup, has been put through real-world charging tests by ChargerLAB, revealing noticeable differences in speed compared to other iPhone 17 models. While Apple officially claims the iPhone Air can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W or higher USB-C charger, the tests show that its peak charging performance is more limited than the rest of the series.

Unlike the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which support higher wattages, the iPhone Air is capped at 20W wired charging. This restriction mirrors the previous iPhone 16 series and seems to be a design trade-off to maintain the Air’s ultra-thin profile. The smaller battery capacity and tighter thermal limits likely contribute to Apple’s decision to keep the power draw lower to reduce heat and preserve battery health over time.

ChargerLAB’s testing found that the iPhone Air peaks at around 18W to 19W wired charging, while the iPhone 17 reaches 27W to 28W and the iPhone 17 Pro Max hits up to 36W. Interestingly, MagSafe wireless charging speeds on the iPhone Air can reach 21W, slightly faster than its wired speeds, though this comes with the typical inefficiencies of wireless power transfer.

In real-world terms, this translates to slower charging compared to other models. The iPhone Air manages just over half a charge in 30 minutes, while the standard iPhone 17 charges significantly faster. The full charging benchmarks highlight this difference clearly:

For buyers, this means that while the iPhone Air offers the thinnest and lightest design in the iPhone 17 lineup, it sacrifices charging performance compared to the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro models. The slower charging speeds are unlikely to be a dealbreaker for casual users, but power users who rely on rapid top-ups may prefer one of the faster-charging models.

Check out the full video from ChargerLAB below: