Apple Launches $129 Smart Battery Cases For iPhone XR, XS and XS Max
Apple has just released Smart Battery Cases for its 2018 lineup of smartphones, which include the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max. The cases are available in either white or black finishes and aren't exactly aesthetically pleasing with a rather large "hump" on the back that houses the battery. Existence of the cases was first leaked in early December.
The new Smart Battery Case will cost you $129 regardless of which iPhone model you have. The Smart Battery Case for the iPhone XR will give you a maximum of 37 hours talk, 20 hours internet, and 20 hours of video. The iPhone XS paired with its Smart Battery Case will return figures of 33 hours, 21 hours, and 25 hours respectively. Finally, the iPhone XS Max Smart Battery Case provides 37 hours of talk, 20 hours of internet, and 25 hours of video playback.
Thankfully, wireless charging (Qi Wireless is supported) is retained with the new Smart Battery Cases, although you can recharge a lot faster with the bottom-mounted Lighting port (USB-PD support). Users will also be able to see the charge status of the Smart Battery Case from both the Lock Screen and Notification Center.
One thing that we should mention, however, is that although the iPhone XS and iPhone X are remarkably similar in dimensions, there is enough of a variance around the rear camera pod that the latter will not work with the new Smart Battery Case. That's a bummer for those want an Apple-backed, integrated solution for extending battery life.
Apple's iPhones may be relatively popular with consumers, but they aren't exactly known for including batteries comparable in size to their Android counterparts. For example, the current iPhone XS Max has a 2,658 mAh battery while the iPhone XS Max has a 3,174 mAh battery. Compare that to something like a Samsung Galaxy S9 which has a 3,000 mAh battery or a Galaxy S9+ which has a 3,500 mAh; the Galaxy Note 9 has an even larger battery at 4,000 mAh.
Earlier this week, we reported that Apple’s battery replacement program for iPhone X and older smartphones was wildly more popular than the company anticipated. Apple had expected between 1 to 2 million batteries to be replaced under the program in 2018, but the number actually ended up exceeding 11 million.
