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glowplug

macrumors 6502
Jun 22, 2017
328
449
Cool idea: make the internals as if you were going to make a thinner phone, but then make the same-sized phone and put a bigger battery in.

How Apple Thinks: Hey, we dropped power consumption by 11% ... let’s trim the battery 17% and make a thinner phone!
 
Last edited:

nycgeo

macrumors regular
Apr 12, 2005
236
375
NYC



It's been three years since Apple first debuted the $99 Smart Battery Case for iPhone 6, 6s, and eventually 7, which included a rear-facing protrusion that held a 1,877 mAh battery. Apple may be working on a similar accessory for newer iPhone models, according to a discovery made by 9to5Mac in the second beta of watchOS 5.1.2.

smart-battery-case-for-iphone-xs-maybe.jpg

In previous versions of watchOS, Apple Watch had an icon that displayed a battery case with a bottom chin and horizontal camera, indicating this as the Smart Battery Case for iPhone 6, 6s, and 7. In the latest beta of watchOS 5.1.2, things have been changed and this icon now displays a battery case with no bottom chin and a vertical camera.

new-battery-cases.jpg

Image via 9to5Mac


While far from a confirmation, this suggests that Apple could be working on a Smart Battery Case for the latest set of iPhones with vertically aligned cameras, which would include iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. For previous generations, Apple never made Smart Battery cases for "Plus" iPhones, presumably because a major selling point for those devices was increased battery life sans battery case.

Unless Apple changes tune, this means we'd likely see a Smart Battery Case for iPhone X/XS. Still, the launch window for such an accessory -- if there even is one -- remains unclear.

Article Link: Apple Potentially Working on Smart Battery Case for Latest iPhones
How would a case like that be technically possible, if the lighting plug is a female? Wouldn’t you need room for another male component on top to plug into the lightning jack on the phone?
 

onepoint

macrumors 6502a
Aug 3, 2010
857
556
USA
The question isn’t whether the battery case is necessary to get through the day; some power users will always struggle. The question is whether customers find it useful and worth the price.

I loved the Apple battery case I had for my iPhone 7 - I kept it in my work backpack and used it as necessary on the road. I would buy one for my iPhone X in a heartbeat.
 

glowplug

macrumors 6502
Jun 22, 2017
328
449
How would a case like that be technically possible, if the lighting plug is a female? Wouldn’t you need room for another male component on top to plug into the lightning jack on the phone?

Easy, just add a notch to the bottom of the screen.
 

2GoldFish

macrumors regular
Feb 1, 2012
138
134
Apple has been making them thicker every year since the iPhone 6.

iPhone 6: 6.9 mm
iPhone 7: 7.1 mm
iPhone 8: 7.3 mm
iPhone X: 7.7 mm
iPhone Xr: 8.3 mm

If they don't do that, it wouldn't be possible for the marketing team to say things like;

"Our new iPhone is X% slimmer than previous iPhone... We achieved this by..."
 

tpham5919

macrumors regular
Mar 21, 2016
131
129
chandler, az
I just wish Apple would make these damn iPhones a tenth of a millimeter thicker so that they can have a longer lasting battery in them to begin with...
but then they wouldn't be able to charge the consumers for the add-on for an extremely low price of $99. a sizable source of revenue given the numbers of iphones in the wild.
 

arvinsim

macrumors 6502a
May 17, 2018
809
1,128
Instead of relying on charging cases, why not make the phones a little bit thicker to contain a larger battery?
 

C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
51,390
19,458
Instead of relying on charging cases, why not make the phones a little bit thicker to contain a larger battery?
Seems like that's already been brought up and talked about earlier.
 

Luis Ortega

macrumors 65816
May 10, 2007
1,139
329
You know, Apple, a little cortisone cream would clear that welt right up.
View attachment 808936
Lol...You gotta love the interminable ******** from apple.
First they castrate their phones by making them so thin that they can't hold a battery to last the day then they suggest slapping on a huge bulge on it that makes it twice as fat as any other phone on the market.
The vain stupidity is incredible.
 

j_wong59

macrumors newbie
Nov 7, 2017
20
21
They better make separate ones for X and Xs. I don’t want that unsightly 1mm gap under the camera because of having to use a Xs one on my X.
 

Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
19,562
22,023
Singapore
Instead of relying on charging cases, why not make the phones a little bit thicker to contain a larger battery?
The battery case is an optional accessory, and not everyone is going to need it.

In the same vein, why penalise those who don’t need so much battery lift with a thicker and heavier phone?

I can’t rip off half my battery the same way I can remove the battery case if I decide that I don’t need that much battery life in a single day.
 

MrGunnyPT

macrumors 65816
Mar 23, 2017
1,313
804
Do it Apple! I'll gladly take the Product (RED) version.. I'm sick of having to charge the phone at work because I know I'm going to have dinner out or something.
 

AirunJae

macrumors 6502
Apr 14, 2008
486
1,104
Indianapolis, IN
Wouldn't need this very often, as the battery on my Xs Max easily makes it through the day. However, it could be nice to have on trips/vacation... although if I want to snap a bunch of pictures, I'll probably want to be able to use my Moment Lens'... hard pressed to say that I would have a lot of use for this. That said, I do think it would be a nice option for those that need it.
 
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Mac 128

macrumors 603
Apr 16, 2015
5,360
2,930
How would a case like that be technically possible, if the lighting plug is a female? Wouldn’t you need room for another male component on top to plug into the lightning jack on the phone?

I’m thinking they have to move the Lightning port. If this battery can be charged via wireless methods, then they can move the Lightning port anywhere, as it becomes a backup method to charge and transfer data.

The graphic suggests this still connects using the Lightning port, but the chin is not thick enough to provide a Female port pass through below it — unless Apple has come up with a new way to accomplish this.
 

Frehley

macrumors regular
Sep 1, 2012
204
190
I loved the original smart battery case...and the "bump" was very comfortable when holding. Hope that they make this for the X and it is released soon.
 

Sasparilla

macrumors 68000
Jul 6, 2012
1,962
3,378
The new design looks fine. Give me the extra capacity please, color matching for the Xr's oh and wireless charging to!

How Apple Thinks: Hey, we dropped power consumption by 11% ... let’s trim the battery 17% and make a thinner phone!

If only that were true - in some Android manufacturers dreams.

Apple's new Xs Max outlasts their previous battery life champion the 8 Plus and the new Xr outlasts the Xs Max by another hour or two. Apple's adding better battery life to their latest phones and have been making their phones thicker for years now.
 
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