Review: iPhone XS/Max & XR Smart Battery Case - Is it worth $129? By 9to5Mac

The new smart battery case is it worth 130 bucks thanks for watching nine-to-five, Mac, be sure to thumbs up click the subscribe button and then enable notifications with the bill icon. So you won't miss any upcoming videos, how's it going, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. This is Jeff Benjamin with the nine-to-five mac. Here is the iPhone 10s max smart battery case. This is a third-generation smart battery case coming after the original iPhone 6s version in the iPhone 7 version, there was no iPhone 10 version, unfortunately, and that's been mapped with a little of controversy over this release. We'll talk about that a little later.

So here is the iPhone 10s max smart battery case. Let's go ahead and unbox it here. You just take off the little tab and pull up like that, and here it is here it is unboxed. This is the black version of the smart battery case for the 10 s max, there's also a white version, and it's also available for the 10s and the 10 R. So let's go ahead and pull it out of the box just like that.

I'll set the Box aside and if you're familiar with the smart battery case from the previous generations, then you will see that this one is a little different design wise for the better. It also provides a 10.1 wide hour battery, which is an upgrade over the iPhone 7 version unless to do how we always do for these unboxing and take a look at the documentation. So, first, you have a little tip card, basically just showing you how to place the iPhone inside the case, and then you have the smart battery case manual, and then you also have some regulatory information which is right here. That's a fun read alright, so let's go to the manual, and you can see basically tells you how to use the case, how to charge the case etc. But we don't need to go through all that, because I'm going to show you how to use it in this video.

So let's put the documentation aside and let's talk about some characteristics of this case. First, you have that nice microfiber lining inside to protect your iPhone and you place it inside. You have, of course, a lightning port and a lightning connector, and you have asymmetrical holes on the bottom of the case for speaker, output and micro in put that in and of itself, is a big change from the design of the previous generation. Smart battery case you'll also find a vertical camera cutout another first for the smart battery case and then all your buttons are there as well. Like previous versions, you also notice the same LED indicator right above the lightning connector, and you have that same elastomer hinge design at the top of the case for easily inserting and removing your iPhone.

So let's talk about some big changes to come to the smart battery case in generation, 3. First, you're going to notice that the battery on the back now meets the edges of the bottom left and right corners for a much more refined design than the previous iterations to keep it all the way. Real. The previous versions seem more like a prototype design wise, whereas this one seems like a real Apple product. The biggest change, however, is how the new case ditches that awkward, looking chin at the bottom of the older version, but one thing about that chin that was actually kind of cool is how it routed the audio from the speaker and made it essentially a front facing speaker with the new case, accentuating the all screen footprint of modern iPhones.

That, of course, is no longer needed. Now. You can charge this case with the iPhone in or with the iPhone out. It doesn't matter, but you'll see a little LED indicator if you're charging the case by itself like this. Now when using the USB-C to lightning cable with the USB-C 29 watt, adapter I was able to charge from 0% to 15% in 10 minutes, but when it comes to charging lightning is no longer the only way.

This case is now compatible with QI enabled Wireless charges like this Sophie charger, so I just sit it on there, and it starts charging I was able to get about 10% in 10 minutes. So the addition of wireless charging compatibility is a huge upgrade, but one thing you want to do is to resist the temptation of policing the smart battery case down on the wireless charger like that. You actually want to place it so that the case is right in the middle. Now this is challenging because you know you're generally tempted to place it right there on that little battery bump. But you don't want to place it right in the middle of the battery bump.

You actually want to place it closer to the middle of the keys itself, so it will charge. So let's go ahead and place our iPhone 10 s max inside the case. You can use that elastomer hinge to easily slide it in just like that and just apply a little of force, and then you can just pop the top portion of the case over the top edge of the iPhone, and we're good. So here we go now I think these all screen, iPhone designs, look great inside the smart battery case. It doesn't look nearly as busy on the front, there's no home button, no chin and the back of the device is much more refined with that battery.

That extends all the way to the edges of the case, so you can see that vertical camera cutout here it is turned it around. I think it looks good it's large, but it looks good, it's a little unwieldy, but it looks good. Actually, it's pretty comfortable to hold in the hand as well with that design on the back and the refined battery bump makes it a little more comfortable to hold a make. No mistake, though, this thing is still massive. It is a gargantuan and even though I have large hands, it is still like a huge device, because the iPhone 10s max was already massive.

This just makes it a little more massive. So keep that in mind. It's going to be unwilling in the hand in the pockets as well, but if you find yourself running out of battery life on a day-to-day basis, then this case with its 10.1 wide hour battery goes a long way towards fixing that and if you don't believe me, take a look at this chart, and you can see over the years how the smart battery case has helped add true, all-day battery life, to your iPhone and what's great about this case, is that it features a smart battery. So it's not just a dumb battery case, but it's a smart battery case. You get iOS integration, so you have that little battery widget.

It will tell you the status of your battery. You don't have to rely on some ambiguous LED indicators to tell how much charge is remaining and iOS will alert you a battery status for both the phone and the case right on the lock screen. So that's convenient as you can see there, but it goes beyond that. The smart battery case is truly smart. In fact, it works like an extension of your iPhone.

Therefore, you just insert your iPhone, and it starts working. There are no settings to configure, there are no buttons to interface with best, because it intelligently manages power distribution to your iPhone. In other words, the smart battery case doesn't wait into your iPhone is about to die before it begins to charge. Instead, the case is designed in a way that causes it to top off your iPhone's battery when needed and at times power your iPhone, even when it's sitting at a hundred percent. So in a nutshell, it doesn't rely on a user to manage wind to deliver power.

It does so itself, and it's tightly integrated with iOS. The smart battery case is great, but there are some downsides to consider. First, it's 130 bucks, so it's not cheap. Secondly, it's bulky, so it makes an already large device like the 10s max or the 10 are even more bulky and awkward and then, finally, for you, poor iPhone, 10 owners, Apple, basically dissed you guys. There is no iPhone 10 smart battery case and, while the iPhone 10s version does work, it's not a perfect fit.

To conclude, the smart battery case for the new iPhones is the best smart battery case Apple's made yet the designs better. It has an even more powerful battery, and it supports wireless charging. Now that said, I don't think most people need a smart battery case with today's iPhones, especially iPhone 10s max and 10 are owners chances. Are your phone already lasts all day as it is? But if you struggle to make your iPhone last throughout the day, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better solution than the smart battery case. What do you guys think? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Let me know down below in the comments.

This is Jeff with nine-to-five Mac. You.

Source : 9to5Mac