Apple’s New iPhone Accessory Could Solve a Big Problem

Even with all of the enhancements Apple has added to the iPhone over the past several years, there’s one area that can always stand to be improved: battery life.

Now, Apple seeks to do just that with its latest accessory. The Smart Battery Case gives the iPhone 6 and 6s an extra 18 hours of battery life while using wireless data and 25 hours of extra talk time, the company says. The Smart Battery Case, which will compete with similar offerings from third-party accessory companies like Mophie, is priced at $99 and comes in white or charcoal gray options.

Without a battery accessory, Apple says both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 offer 10 hours of battery life when using LTE.

One nifty feature: When using Apple’s new case with an iPhone running the latest iOS software, an indicator in the iPhone’s Notification Center will reveal how much juice is left in the case.

While this type of integration is appreciated, Apple’s battery case does fall short in some ways when compared to similar products made by third parties. Anker’s $40 Ultra Slim Extended Battery case only costs $40 and features a 2,850 mAh battery, while the $99 Mophie Juice Pack Air contains a 2,750 mAh battery. Apple’s case, by comparison, includes a smaller 1,877 mAh battery, as both The Verge and The Wall Street Journal acknowledge in their reviews.

Plus, some of those battery cases feature some type of button or switch that allows you to turn them on at your discretion, which allows you to use the backup battery more strategically when your phone needs the power. Apple’s accessory lacks this capability.

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