Why and How Did Apple make an “Ugly” Smart Battery Case for iPhone 6S
Apple has tried to make its new Smart Battery Case for iPhone 6 and 6S “smarter” and “sleeker”. But this $99 slip-on case, is not the case which Apple design enthusiasts would love. Apple’s challenger to Mophie is reminiscent of similar battery cases but still not up to the mark with the design.
The new battery case is also touted to be Apple’s own admission that the battery performance on the new iPhones is a pain point.
Does it Stand Out?
Apple’s new iPhone 6S Smart Battery Case does not provide as much extra battery life as its competitors do. The $99 price point is steep and Apple has managed to just integrate the battery case with the iOS system.
In design terms, the case includes a bump which is a major deterrent for many users and analysts. The top and bottom of the Smart Battery Case does offer a comfortable grip when using the phone, though most will always prefer the solid curved back of a Mophie product.
The case is Apple’s extension on the regular silicone case for iPhone with soft pass-through buttons, cut-outs for the ring and small space for acoustic port for the speaker. The case top is flexible, to get the iPhone to ease in, unlike some hard-to-fit battery cases.
Battery Life Offered and its Comparison with Competitors
- Apple Smart Battery Case costs 99$ which is double than the $50 Incipio Offgrid Express which is one of the best iPhone 6 battery cases around. The price is comparable to the Mophie’s Juice Pack Air.
- The Apple Smart Battery Case includes a smaller 1,877mAh battery pack, while the Mophie Juice Pack Air includes a stronger 2,750mAh battery while the Incipio Offgrid Express includes a much higher 3,000mAh battery.
- It uses a Lightning cable to charge the iPhone.
- It uses extra antennas to boost the overall cellular connectivity and performance.
- One can even check how much juice the case has too.
Apple’s Smart Battery Case doesn’t allow the users to choose which mode they need. They are by default controlled by the phone which will use the case’s battery, and then switch to the cell juice.
An iPhone 6S with the Smart Battery Case can now help the users with 25 hours of talk time, a staggering 20 hours of video playing, and even 18 hours of web browsing if one opts for LTE. Although other cases can push the battery for more hours at lesser cost, the Smart Battery Case does work efficiently.
The case’s Lightning port will be a major connector for users as they can forget about it all with their iPhone 6’s or 6S’s battery life. Apple has now delivered a good case for the holiday season but one can surely express their disappointment with the design and its pricing.
Patents might be the Reason after all!
Apple understands patents better than most companies and maybe because of those issues, it offered a design that was unlike any other case in the market. So with the new Apple Smart Battery Case, Apple might be looking to avoid any patent troubles with accessory makers in any form.
Mophie carries a number of patents of battery cases and with Apple’s battery case out, it could have invited comparisons as well as a court case since Mophie’s design of the battery and sides with internal and external power connectors, and a removable upper case might have got Apple to stay away from using a snap-on bezels design.
Although Apple can surely battle out a smaller company, it would not want to do it in any case, for a battery case!
Nisarg is the Business Development Manager at Nimblechapps, a top mobile game development company and has been with the organisation since its inception in 2014. He likes to update his knowledge on changing trends in technology and marketing and pens his thoughts regarding the same on various blogs and LinkedIn.