Apple officially took the wraps off its iPhone Smart Battery Case, its answer to the iPhone battery issue.
This slip-on battery case offers up to 18 hours of 4G LTE Web browsing, with 1,877 mAh battery capacity. This is not just compatible with iPhone 6S; users of the iPhone 6 can take advantage of this device as well.
Let's do a round-up of people's first impressions on this smart battery case to check out if this product is a good item to grab.
Price
In the U.S., this case is priced at $99. Meanwhile, it has a price tag of AU$165 in Australia and it costs £79 in the UK.
CNET believes that it is a bit pricier than other rival cases. At $40, one can already buy Anker's Ultra Slim Extended Battery Case, for instance, which garnered positive reviews among buyers on Amazon. The Mophie Juice Pack Reserve is also less expensive ($60), but touts equally remarkable quality.
"With a third party case, you can get twice as much power for half the cost," writes The Wall Street Journal.
Design
The battery case's shape does not impress some of its buyers.
"[T]he back of the case has [an] odd bulge where the battery pack lives, making it seem like a normal iPhone case somehow ate a battery for lunch," says CNET.
The Wall Street Journal, too, thinks that the protruding battery on the back is awkward, "as if your phone will soon give birth to a rectangular alien."
Lightning Port
What's good with the Apple Smart Battery case is that it has a Lightning cable pass-through. This allows users charge the iPhone and case together by using the default cable.
No LED Lights
What's great with this case is that it has no flashing LED lights which notifies the user of how much power is left in the case and phone. Instead, the percentage of power remaining is shown off on the lock screen of the phone. The user can also check the battery levels of the phone and case, by heading over to the notification center.
Headphone Jack
While Apple's headphone fits in the 3.5 mm headphone jack opening with no problem at all, the headphone jack is not accessible to some other headphones.
Battery Capacity
Compared with other battery cases, the Apple Smart Battery Case is packed with a smaller battery pack. The Mophie Juice Pack Air, for example, rocks a 2,750 mAh battery while the Incipio Offgrid Express comes with 3,000 mAh battery.
"In fact, Apple's Smart Case won't even get you a full charge, from 0 to 100 percent," says The Verge.
The Bottom Line
Apple's battery case from Apple is comfy and comes packed with Lightning cables. However, one can buy other cases with more affordable prices and the capacity to deliver more power elsewhere.
