Apple's mid-January release of its Smart Battery Case for the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR models wasn't entirely unexpected. Our video editor Harris Craycraft has managed to get his hands on the new battery case, this is his unboxing experience.
For starters, the case now looks sleeker than the previous version. While the hump is still present, the bottom chin is gone because this case was specifically designed for the Face ID-enabled iPhone models that feature a fullscreen design (except the notch, of course).
And now, watch Harris's video covering the unboxing experience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLPor9rHqMI
Subscribe to iDownloadBlog on YouTube
Aside from improved appearance, other innovations in this Smart Battery Case include support for Qi wireless charging, meaning you can now charge either the case’s battery or both your iPhone and the case via any Qi-compliant wireless charger.
The new case also fits last year's iPhone X though charging requires Apple's recently-released iOS 12.1.3 software update. See how it increases each handset’s battery life:
iPhone XR: 39 hours of talk time, 22 hours of Internet use and 27 hours of video
iPhone XS: 33 hours of talk time, 21 hours of Internet use and 25 hours of video
iPhone XS Max: 37 hours of talk time, 20 hours of Internet use and 25 hours of video
The new Smart Battery Case has a larger battery capacity than the previous version. With a pair of integrated cells at 1,369 mAh each, you’re now getting around 1.4 additional watt hours and almost 400 more milliamp hours than before. Even though the mAh rating is lower, the new case does have a larger capacity than the old version when taking voltage into consideration.
Harris will be playing with these cases for a bit more before publishing his complete hands-on video walkthrough so watch this space for his full review.
You can find the new Smart Battery Cases for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR on Apple’s website. It's available in Black and White and priced at $129 regardless of the version.
What do you think about the unboxing experience?
Let use know by leaving a comment below.
