Apple Smart Battery Case Teardown Is "Rudimentary"

The folks at iFixit have done a rather simple teardown of the new iPhone Smart Battery Case by Apple. Inside they've found... well... just some basic parts, basically. They suggest that "for such a Smart battery, it looks like most of the brains probably live in software on your iPhone." They go on to suggest that they've only found "some rudimentary ICs inside." Let's have a peek at what they've found.

As we've seen earlier this week, the Smart Battery Case by Apple works with what they suggest is 25 hours of talk time, 18 hours of internet use on a 4G LTE connection, and 20 hours of video playback. You'll connect to the battery by slipping the case around your iPhone and connecting at the bottom with a standard Lightning Connector.

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Inside is microfiber softness, outside is silicone. This connector also has port at the bottom which makes it Lightning Dock compatible.

Inside you'll find an NXP NX20P3 load switch, a piece you'll also find in Apple-approved Lightning to USB cables. Alongside that, there's a lovely NXP 1608A1 charging IC, the same sort found in all of Apple's most recent "Magic" accessories.

As iFixit explains, "Apple uses a soft, reinforced elastomer hinge design to accommodate all that bump in the trunk."

You'll find that this accessory accommodates the whole Apple collection of bits and pieces, actually – the top part is lower than the battery to make way for the camera having optimum space and flash lighting. The bottom is lower so you can use most iPhone docks.

The end result is a battery case that, while it costs about the same as a Mophie case and has notably less battery power, is made to work in a variety of situations, regardless of its aesthetic handicap.

You can read more about the full teardown of this battery at iFixit if you do so wish.