Given how ubiquitous the iPhone is, there are always new rumors swirling around. From waterproofing the iPhone 7 to a third handset called the iPhone 6C debuting in early 2015, you never know whether these murmurings hold any water. But every once in a while, the tech giant throws you a curveball that you don’t see coming. And today, once again, Apple proves that they are always full of surprises.
Quietly and without fanfare, Apple rolled out their official iPhone 6/6S battery cases ($99) today, and already people are going nuts. The new case is a big departure from other battery cases currently on the market, given that it’s Apple’s first official battery case and includes a Lightning charge port (where most others have a micro-USB port). The case is also made of silicone rather than hard plastic. And the differences don’t stop there.
The case, which comes in White and Charcoal, also registers with the iPhone to display an “intelligent battery status” (the juice percentage on the case) on the lock screen and in the Notification Center. Also, the case boasts it will give you up to 18 hours of surfing with LTE, up to 20 hours of video or even 25 hours of talking with the iPhone’s preexisting battery. But who really needs 25 hours of phone convo time?
Not all of the news is awesome. Early reviews from The Verge and other sources have concluded that the case is actually not the best one you could get for the price point. Critics argue that because it doesn’t provide a full 100 percent charge, nor can you turn the battery case on or off like the Mophie, competitors might actually have a leg up.
Apple releasing an official battery case is totally an acknowledgement that their handset’s battery life, which has been a point of contention amongst users for quite some time now, is kinda… lacking. All in all, Apple, we all need more juice, but paying an extra $99 for it seems like a less-than-ideal solution.
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(Photos via Apple)
