Apple released its thinnest phone yet last week, the iPhone Air, and revealed the new iPhone Air MagSafe Battery alongside it. The existence of a specially-made battery pack wasn’t a big surprise to me, because there had been rumors of the iPhone Air for months leading up to the event. Everyone was prepared for the thinnest iPhone ever to make some battery life sacrifices to achieve its svelte design.
However, what was a surprise to me was how much Apple leaned on the new battery during the iPhone Air launch presentation. The company even lists battery life estimates with and without this optional battery pack in the iPhone Air specs. That tells me — and regular consumers — that the battery pack is a highly-recommended purchase on a good day and downright necessary on a bad day for all iPhone Air owners.
So, folks spending $999 (or more) on an iPhone Air should plan to pony up another $99 for this specially designed battery pack? I’m here to tell you that’s a ridiculous notion and that you shouldn’t do it, especially when there are so many other options available at lower prices.
To be clear, I personally haven’t tried out the iPhone Air with this battery pack. My colleague Sam Rutherford has (check out his iPhone Air review), and he thinks it’s a great fit for the iPhone Air. In particular, he likes some of the (admittedly) smart features Apple included like the battery’s ability to charge itself and the phone simultaneously while the phone is plugged in, and that it can wirelessly top up a pair of AirPods Pro 3. However, he does acknowledge that the math simply ain’t mathin’ on this one when it comes to value for money.
The $99 iPhone Air MagSafe Battery has a 3,149 mAh, according to the information written on the power bank itself. That comes out to about $0.03 per milliampere hours. Let’s compare that to one of the top picks in our guide to the best MagSafe power banks, this Anker Nano battery: that 5,000 mAh pack is priced at $55, which comes out to $0.01 per milliampere hours. Even the watt-hour rating (Whr) on Apple’s pack is lower: 12.26Whr, as compared to 25Whr on this Anker option. And don’t forget, the Anker pack isn’t exclusively made for the iPhone Air — it, like other magnetic power banks, can be used with other iPhones and smartphones.
To add insult to injury, Apple’s Air MagSafe Battery tops out at 12W wireless charging unless it’s plugged in while powering the phone up and can employ help from passthrough USB-C charging. The Anker pack is Qi2-certified for up to 15W of wireless charging, and since the iPhone Air supports up to 20W of wireless power, that means Anker’s accessory could deliver its full 15 watts when snapped to the back of the Air.
Not only are you getting nearly double the mAh capacity for half the price with the Anker option (and faster charging to boot), but the numbers become even more ridiculous if you consider (hypothetically), what a larger Apple-made battery pack could cost. With those numbers, a 5K Apple MagSafe battery would cost $150 and a 10K bank would set you back $300. Imagine paying those prices for any other power bank made by any other company — it’s laughable, and we should treat it as such.
Now, is this out of character for Apple to make an overpriced accessory? Absolutely not. But this is different from a $99 Milanese Loop band for Apple Watch or even a $250 Magic Keyboard for iPad. This battery pack is so important to the overall iPhone Air story that the handset’s power specifications can’t be examined properly without it. That’s insane.
I used one of the picks from our guide as an example, but rest assured, there are plenty of other MagSafe battery packs available now made by reputable manufacturers with similar specs. Just look for any Qi2-compatible magnetic power bank that works with the iPhone Air, and you’ll probably have a better value on your hands than Apple’s in-house made pack. Those who want to overpay for sleekness and convenience can certainly do so, but don’t let anyone convince you it’s your best or only option.
