Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Hands-On With Apple's New Smart Battery Case for iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The ugliest iPhone since the 6 gets the ugliest case in recorded history. I realise this is something for those who want utility over looks, but my goodness this is ugly to a staggering degree.
When I look at the car crash that is the 11 Pro Max Turbo Edition with its ridiculous camera boil and huge notch then I look at what's happening in the Android world I can't help but think that Apple are in a bad place. When you're paying a premium you expect premium design, and everything to do with the 11 line is utterly amateurish and ugly.
When I look at the car crash that is the 11 Pro Max Turbo Edition with its ridiculous camera boil and huge notch then I look at what's happening in the Android world I can't help but think that Apple are in a bad place. When you're paying a premium you expect premium design, and everything to do with the 11 line is utterly amateurish and ugly.
Using today as a case use.
Took the phone and case off charge 09:30.
Had some music playing via AirPods and went on a train journey. Music on constantly. Not streaming (from downloads). There’s also a bit of Instagram and other social media and WhatsApp. What I consider regular use. Also had a few calls and signal would have been hunting as I was travelling cross country.
It’s now 16:20 and the battery case is dead. I’m on phone power and it’s 96% left.
So the case has given me so far 7 hours approx more phone time with actually using it.
Get an external battery pack. I have several of different sizes (up to a 12000mAh monster, which is officially to start
a car
). They're cheap, light, add no bulk to a phone and can be used with any model of phone or tablet. I keep one in my backpack for emergency use when I'm out and about, and pack one for use when I'm away. You need a case for protection as well, but those are also cheap.Get an external battery pack. I have several of different sizes (up to a 12000mAh monster, which is officially to start
a car
I have both. When I’m working it looks unprofessional to have a wire hanging out of my pocket and it’s not as discreet.
For a company obsessed with thinness and making sleek, stylish products, that sure is one big, fat, ugly dog of a product. Ugh.
Apple on Wednesday unveiled new Smart Battery Cases designed for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, offering up extra battery life for its newest flagship smartphones.
The first Smart Battery Case orders are arriving to customers today and the cases are in stores, so we picked one up to give MacRumors readers a heads up on the features and the differences compared to last year's Smart Battery Cases.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Design wise, the Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models look identical to the prior-generation battery cases, with the exception of the square-shaped camera cutout to accommodate the dual and triple-lens camera systems in the new iPhones.
This year's case has the same bump at the back, which houses the battery that charges the iPhone, and it's about the same thickness as last year's model.
There are volume up buttons at the side, a power button, and, on the right side, a brand new button that's designed to be a camera control. You can press the button to automatically launch the camera app, regardless of whether the iPhone is locked or unlocked.
Pressing the button the first time opens up the camera app, but when the app is opened, pressing again takes a photo. Pressing and holding captures a QuickTake video, and the single press also works with the selfie camera.
Apple is offering the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max Smart Battery Cases in black, white, and pink sand, while the iPhone 11 Smart Battery Case is limited to black and white. The black shade of the new cases has shifted. Last year, Apple used a black case with a charcoal logo, but this year, the entire case is the lighter charcoal color with a deeper black logo.
There are two 1,430mAh battery cells inside of the iPhone 11 Pro Max version of the Smart Battery Case, up from the 1,369mAh battery cells used last year in the iPhone XS Max Smart Battery Case. The two battery cells are wired together into one battery, allowing the cases to offer 10.9Wh of energy (vs. 10.1Wh in the prior XS Max model).
Apple says that all of the new battery cases will add up to 50 percent more battery life to the iPhones, which translates to 9 hours of additional video playback for the 11 Pro, 10 hours of additional video playback for the 11 PRo Max, and 8.5 hours of additional video playback for the iPhone 11.
With the Smart Battery Case attached to an iPhone, the iPhone will drain the case first before using the built-in battery, and this is automatic and can't be shut off. Battery life of the case can be viewed on the Lock screen when placed on a charger or in the Today view of the Notification Center.
Charging the case can be done using a Lightning cable or a Qi-based wireless charger. The iPhone will always charge before the case when charging the two together. For those with Lightning-based headphones and accessories, the Lightning port on the Smart Battery Case does have passthrough capabilities.
The Smart Battery Cases can be purchased from the Apple online store or from Apple retail stores, and all three new cases cost $129.
Article Link: Hands-On With Apple's New Smart Battery Case for iPhone 11 Pro Max
Overpriced products: bad. Overpriced products with camera bumps: bad and ugly. Overpriced products with camera bumps and display notches: Bad, ugly and stupid-looking. Overpriced phablets With camera bumps and display notches: bad, ugly, stupid-looking, and unwieldy and uncomfortable to hold and difficult to use, especially one-handed.
Weirdly-shaped battery cases on bad, ugly, stupid-looking oversized phablets: Apple.
By contrast, just for reference, do you know what DIDN’T have a stupid camera bump, DIDN’T have a stupid display notch, DIDN’T have hard to hold onto rounded edges, DIDN’T cost an arm and a leg, DIDN’T lack a BASIC smartphone feature like a 3.5mm, 1/8” stereo headphone jack?
The iPhone SE, the last REAL, ACTUAL iPhone Apple made that was worth even looking at. Take a look back at the last time Apple made a quality iPhone. Because they’re basically overpriced garbage now.
My
As far as the looks go, all my husband and I have heard is excitement that we got the new iPhones and questions about how we like the photos we get. Everyone seems interested in getting one of their own at some point. It has been years since anyone looked twice at our iPhones, so it was a bit of a pleasant surprise to get such positive reactions to our phones.
The new cases are indeed frumpy looking. There's no getting around that. All battery cases add a bit of bulk and this design is especially lumpy and awkward looking. They remind me of LL Bean snow pants: you're not going to want them on to look stylish, but nothing else will do for their intended purpose. Similarly, these cases are not something we will be using all the time. But we each put one on our holiday wishlist because who doesn't like a little extra battery capacity when they are traveling? These are fug but they look really practical and great for a sightseeing trip!
The only thing I don't like about the new triple lenses is that they are very hard to keep clean.
As far as the looks go, all my husband and I have heard is excitement that we got the new iPhones and questions about how we like the photos we get. Everyone seems interested in getting one of their own at some point. It has been years since anyone looked twice at our iPhones, so it was a bit of a pleasant surprise to get such positive reactions to our phones.
The new cases are indeed frumpy looking. There's no getting around that. All battery cases add a bit of bulk and this design is especially lumpy and awkward looking. They remind me of LL Bean snow pants: you're not going to want them on to look stylish, but nothing else will do for their intended purpose. Similarly, these cases are not something we will be using all the time. But we each put one on our holiday wishlist because who doesn't like a little extra battery capacity when they are traveling? These are fug but they look really practical and great for a sightseeing trip!
I have the same experience but a ton of kool-aid drinkers here swear these phones last for “3 days” which leads me to believe they don’t actually use their phones as intended, even the ones who upgrade every year but would probably have the exact same experience with their X as they would their 11 pro.
i woke up today at 8am. It’s 11. I didn't use my battery case today and im already at 67%. Made a few calls. Some texts, some online shopping and streamed xm this morning to my airpods while i took my dog on a decent walk. Nothing too crazy. No movies or video games.
also, the case isnt that ugly in person. Nothing like those hideous otterbox and spaceship looking monstrosities I see people post with pride in the case threads. At least this provides a function. The bump everyone seems to criticize actually makes the phone easier to grip as well.
Who has the time to worry about all that? I understand the basic chemistry behind LiPo batteries and best practices for things like charge cycles, charge/discharge rates and storage charge but with a device like the iPhone I don’t want to be constantly second guessing the battery management system. Yes, if you carful you might be able to extend the lifetime of the battery by 15%-20% if you are vary careful with your charge/discharge cycles and make sure you don’t run apps that tax the battery and use the lower milliamperes chargers.
However I don’t have the time or desire to constantly be thinking when I can and can’t put the phone on the charger or worry that it is going to sit on the charger for a few hours after it reaches 100% or worry that some new iPhone app is to taxing on the battery.
I am willing to take the hit on the overall battery lifetime, let the iPhone handle battery management and just use the device as I like.
Well. Off the cool aid and now the phone has been used 12 hours. Pretty much as constantly as possible. Loads of calls and watched some football etc etc. Case died ages ago. Phone battery 40%.
How does the white version hold up? Does anyone have one from last year that can post some pics?
The fugliest Apple product (which doesn't mean - as I naively thought "functional but ugly" lol) ever.
My separate battery charges my phone faster than my wall unit, and keeps the unit in my hand ready to optimally use as designed. For a fifth of the price.
But I can see niche use cases for a few uses. Just none of mine.
My separate battery charges my phone faster than my wall unit, and keeps the unit in my hand ready to optimally use as designed. For a fifth of the price.
But I can see niche use cases for a few uses. Just none of mine.
I personally think the battery case design is rather functional. The key here is that Apple often leaves subtle clues in the design of their products as to why they do certain things the way they do, which might seem downright unorthodox to the uninitiated at first glance.
My take is that you have a hump to prevent the battery from covering the NFC chip and inconveniencing the use of Apple Pay. This also leaves the top part of the case flexible to make it easier to put on and take off the case. The end result is a battery case which serves its purpose while still being slim enough to slip into your pants pockets.
Apple has even managed to squeeze in wireless charging and a lightning port, so you don’t use your iPhone any differently than you normally would.
The amount of extra battery is likely based on feedback and aimed at getting those heavy users through a full day where they previously couldn’t. So the battery capacity doesn’t have to be too big. Just big enough for its intended purpose.
It’s quite clever when you think about it.
I would assume so. My Apple battery case still shows up on my iPhone's battery status widget even after it becomes empty so presumably there is still communication between the case and the phone.
[automerge]1574555043[/automerge]
International flight usually come with a USB charging port though.