Smart Battery Case for iPhone XS Appears to Be Compatible With iPhone X

Apple yesterday debuted new Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, and review units are in the hands of members of the media and some lucky people who received early deliveries.

Many ‌iPhone‌ X users have been wondering if the ‌iPhone‌ XS Smart Battery Case will work with the older model given that the two devices are nearly identical in design, and the answer appears to be yes, though there is some uncertainty.

iphone xs max battery case
This morning, iMore's Rene Ritchie put an ‌iPhone‌ X running iOS 12.1.2 in an ‌iPhone‌ XS ‌Smart Battery Case‌ and received an error suggesting the ‌iPhone‌ X was not compatible with the case.

He updated the ‌iPhone‌ X to iOS 12.1.3, however, and was able to get the ‌iPhone‌ X to charge in the ‌iPhone‌ XS ‌Smart Battery Case‌. He also now says that the ‌iPhone‌ X will charge with the Battery Case if the incompatibility popup is dismissed.


A MacRumors reader was also able to get the ‌iPhone‌ X to charge in an ‌iPhone‌ XS ‌Smart Battery Case‌, and Chris Welch of The Verge said in his testing, the ‌iPhone‌ X was able to charge an ‌iPhone‌ X running iOS 12.1.2 in an ‌iPhone‌ XS Max ‌Smart Battery Case‌.


So it appears, based on this limited amount of testing, that the ‌iPhone‌ X is going to charge in an ‌iPhone‌ XS ‌Smart Battery Case‌, though there could be some compatibility issues on iOS 12.1.2. If the case doesn't charge the ‌iPhone‌ X, as Ritchie suggested, you can restart the ‌iPhone‌ or update to iOS 12.1.3 to get it working.

It is worth noting that while the ‌iPhone‌ X may charge in the ‌iPhone‌ XS Battery Case, the fit is imprecise. The speaker and microphone holes do not line up, and the camera cutout is a bit off.

Apple's Smart Battery Cases for the ‌iPhone‌ XS, XS Max, (and presumably XR), feature 10.1Whr batteries that extend the life of each ‌iPhone‌.

The ‌iPhone‌ XS Max normally offers up to 25 hours talk time, 15 hours of internet use, and 15 hours of video playback, which is extended to 37 hours of talk time, 20 hours of internet, and 25 hours of video playback with the ‌Smart Battery Case‌.

The ‌iPhone‌ XS alone features up to 20 hours of talk time, 12 hours of internet use, and 14 hours of video playback, which is extended to 33 hours of talk time, 21 hours of internet use, and 25 hours of video playback with the ‌Smart Battery Case‌.

The ‌iPhone‌ XR features up to 25 hours of talk time, 15 hours of internet use, and 16 hours of video playback, which is extended to 39 hours of talk time, 22 hours of internet use, and 27 hours of video playback.

The Smart Battery Cases are priced at $129 and can be purchased from the Apple website.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
iphone air concept weis

iPhone 17 Air Could Look Like This in Real Life

Friday February 14, 2025 3:41 am PST by
There have been several alleged leaked details of the iPhone 17 Air, Apple's rumored new slim iPhone, but images have been limited to grainy shots taken in component factories. However, this hyper-realistic concept created by WEIS Studio gives us the best idea yet of what Apple's thin device might actually look like. The concept design is inspired by recent leaks indicating that the device...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...

Top Rated Comments

beerfish89 Avatar
80 months ago
As someone who owned the X (upgraded to the XS), this is unbelievable.

I cannot understand the rationale for the software block of this. If someone is willing to spend $129 on it and they’re a X owner, I just cannot fathom why this makes any sense.
It does work and charge on an iPhone X. Working perfect on mine. Sound is just as loud as before.


Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RamGuy Avatar
80 months ago
Just buy a mophie then
The issue with non-Apple Battery Cases is the fact that they work as glorified battery packs and chargers. Your phone has no real clue that you are utilising a Battery Case.

Why is this a issue? Well because there are numerous things your iPhone will do only when it's connected to power. It saves a lot of power hungry tasks by default to only be done when it's connected to a charger.

Your phone is automatically in a more power hungry state by default when you are connected to a charger. This is not a issue with the Apple Smart Battery Case because it's directly integrated with iOS. With this case your phone knows it's just a secondary battery and it will behave accordingly.

When utilising battery cases from Mophie and other brands it will simply behave like a regular charge. Those cases have become smarter so they won't completely overload your iPhone's battery by continuously provide charge/power as long as the case's battery still have juice let of it but it will still trick your phone into believing you are connected to a wall outlet and behave accordingly reducing the potential battery life of the case drastically compared to have it all behaves with the Apple Smart Battery Case.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rti92391 Avatar
80 months ago
As someone who owned the X (upgraded to the XS), this is unbelievable.

I cannot understand the rationale for the software block of this. If someone is willing to spend $129 on it and they’re a X owner, I just cannot fathom why this makes any sense.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
80 months ago
So a guy on Reddit cuts off an iPhone 7 case and plugs it into the X and it works - Apple releases a case that fits and should work, but add software to make it not work.

The days of my patience with Cook and Co's new Apple are running thin.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiensoy Avatar
80 months ago
The iPhone X set the path for the next 10 years, said Tim Cook, but discontinued it a year later and seems to not support it anymore. Early adopter issues.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ryanwarsaw Avatar
80 months ago
Out of luck? This saves X users from buying junk.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)