Apple Might Release an iPhone ‘Air’ Battery Case, But What They Ought to Release Is an Updated MagSafe Battery Pack

Wayne Ma, reporting last month at The Information (a paywalled website so obnoxious that they force $300/year subscribers to click through an article-blocking popover pitching them on upgrading to a $500/year subscription), and summarized here by MacRumors:

However, the smaller size of the new thin model will require compromises to its capabilities. The device will contain only a single speaker instead of the two speakers that Apple’s other phones usually have, one rear camera lens instead of the three in Apple’s flagship phones, and reduced battery life. Internal testing shows that battery life for the thin model will fall short of that of previous iPhones. The percentage of users who can go a single day without recharging the thin phone will be between 60% and 70%. For other models, that metric is between 80% and 90%, one of the people said.

To solve this, Apple is developing an optional accessory — a phone case meant for the thin model that also contains a battery pack, according to three people familiar with the matter.

It sort of goes without saying that the super-thin iPhone will have less battery life. How could it be otherwise? If 60–70% of users can still get through the day on a charge while using it, that sounds like it’s the right time for Apple to try such a phone. People who currently run their phones down to the red each day aren’t going to think “Hey, maybe I should try this crazy thin iPhone.”

What disappoints me is Ma’s reporting of an iPhone Air-only battery case from Apple. What I very much want Apple to make is a sequel to its amazing MagSafe Battery Pack with a Lightning connector that debuted in 2020 but was discontinued in 2023 (the year that the iPhones 15 switched from Lightning to USB-C). I’ve got two of these and they’re still, by far, my favorite iPhone battery packs. They’re the only Lightning devices left in my life and they’re so good I’m happy to still keep one Lightning cable in my travel bag to use them.

There are a zillion third-party “magnetic” (but not “MagSafe”) battery packs that work with iPhones, and most of them have larger batteries than Apple’s. But part of what makes Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack great is that it’s so small, and shaped so comfortably. I don’t need a magnetic battery pack that tries to double my iPhone’s battery life. I just need like 1.5× on occasional phone-heavy days (like next Monday’s WWDC keynote), and Apple’s does just that. No third-party magnetic battery pack I’ve tried comes even close to attaching as securely to the back of the iPhone as Apple’s. And Apple’s has special integration with iOS, which gives you a cool animation on the screen when it’s first attached, and updates the battery life of the pack in the Battery widget alongside the iPhone’s own battery. (Apparently some newer third-party packs do now show the full-screen animation when first attached, but none yet integrate with the Battery widget — someone better call the European Commission.) Most importantly, with Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack, iOS is smart, and doesn’t keep sucking juice when the phone has recharged up to 70% or so. By only slurping juice when it’s more efficient to do so, you get more effective battery life out of a noticeably slimmer battery back. It’s just so much better than any other battery pack I’ve tried.

This supposed iPhone “Air” seems like the perfect time to bring back the MagSafe Battery Pack, this time with USB-C — and unlike a model-specific case, it’d work with all MagSafe iPhones, not just the Air. (Sorry, 16e owners.) See also:

★ Wednesday, 4 June 2025