Want the Best iPhone 17 Pro Battery Life? You Will Have to Buy It in the US

Apple introduced the iPhone 17 series globally during its “Awe Dropping” event on Tuesday. Despite launching globally, these iPhone devices have the same specifications, except for one. In some regions, including in the US, the Cupertino-based tech giant is only offering an eSIM-only variant of its smartphones. In comparison, in countries like India, Apple's phones have a physical SIM card slot, and support a second line via eSIM. This small change reportedly impacts the battery life of iPhone 17 Pro models in regions where the eSIM-only version is available.

Apple's eSIM-only iPhone 17 Pro Offers Better Battery Backup

First spotted by 9to5Mac, there are a couple of differences in the tech specifications of the iPhone 17 Pro models listed in the US, compared to other regions. One of them has been mentioned above; the other is the battery life of the handsets.

In the US, the iPhone 17 Pro offers up to 33 hours of local video playback and up to 30 hours of video streaming. Similarly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max listing in the US mentions up to 39 hours of video playback and 37 hours of streaming video.

In India, the iPhone 17 Pro is listed with 31 hours of video playback and up to 28 hours of video streaming for the iPhone 17 Pro, and up to 37 and 33 hours of video and streaming time for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Another minor difference between the Pro models is the weight. The Indian counterparts weigh 2g more than the US versions. While this isn't a considerable difference, the discrepancy is interesting.

The publication states that this difference is due to the eSIM-only configuration of the Pro models manufactured to sell in the US. It is said that due to saving a bit more internal space due to the lack of a SIM card slot, Apple has equipped these devices with a bigger battery.

As a result, the best battery life possible with an iPhone 17 Pro model will not be available in regions where the company is not selling eSIM-only variants. These eSIM-only models are only planned for Bahrain, Canada, Guam, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US, and the US Virgin Islands.

Meanwhile, regions like Australia, Europe, India, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea, will continue to get Pro models with a SIM card tray and an eSIM option. This means the only option an individual in India has to get the best quoted battery life on an iPhone 17 Pro device is to import it from the US, or any of the abovementioned markets.

Notably, we previously reported that, based purely on currency conversion, the US-selling iPhone 17 models are cheapest to buy. With the added benefit of longer battery backup, it might make sense to purchase your device from the US, as long as you do not mind using an eSIM.