Apple MagSafe Battery Pack hands-on: What do you get for 99?
The Apple MagSafe Battery Pack packs some perks of the Apple ecosystem, but it sure is pricey.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Doesn’t get noticeably warm
- Thinner than competitor
- Compatible with iOS 14 Batteries widgets
Cons
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Apple has replaced its iPhone charging cases with the new Apple MagSafe Battery Pack. It’s a.sized power brick that snaps onto any iPhone 12 model, and is basically meant to make sure your iPhone stays charged even through a long day.
But at 99 the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack is far from cheap. That’s more than twice as much as Anker’s competitor, which also has a higher capacity. This hands-on Apple MagSafe Battery Pack review will explain what you get in exchange for that difference, and my initial impressions of the pack.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack: Price and release date
The Apple MagSafe Battery Pack costs 99 and is available on Apple.com and Amazon. That’s a pretty mountain of pennies, especially when compared to the higher-capacity Anker Magnetic 5K pack costs 45.
Apple announced the MagSafe Battery Pack on July 13, 2021, and the release date was July 19.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack: Compatibility
The Apple MagSafe Battery Pack snaps right onto the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. For my testing, I’ve used it with my iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The MagSafe Battery Pack can also charge the Qi-enabled Airpods Pro and Airpods via their cases.
This means it’s primarily for those with the latest iPhone, and those who will buy upcoming iPhones, such as the iPhone 13 (which is expected to still have MagSafe).
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack: Design
The Apple MagSafe Battery Pack is made so simply that I can’t even feel annoyed with Apple for not including anything close to an instruction manual. It’s a thin, matte white rectangle with rounded corners on the outer side.
In my hand, the MagSafe Battery Pack feels a little bulky, but I’ve gotten used to it in the last 24 hours. importantly, it doesn’t warm up noticeably in my And compared to using my iPhone with a portable charger, it’s a lot more sleek and seamless.
On the inner side, the battery pack offers a soft-touch gray surface with a white ring to indicate the MagSafe connection. (You’re going to want to aim that for the Apple logo on your phone.) Finished with a gray Apple logo on the outer side, The MagSafe Battery Pack has achieved almost the platonic ideal of Apple’s minimalist aesthetic.
The MagSafe Battery Pack measures 3.7 x 2.5 x 0.4 inches and weighs 4 ounces, making it 33% thinner (and a tad lighter) than the Anker PowerCore Magnetic 5K (3.7 x 2.5 x 0.6 inches, 4.6 ounces).
Apple’s accessory features one Lightning port, which is the primary way to charge it. You can also charge the MagSafe Battery Pack from a Qi-based power charger.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack: How it works
As simple as it gets, the MagSafe Battery Pack snaps onto the back of an iPhone 12 (and, as I mentioned, all upcoming MagSafe iPhones), and just starts charging immediately. It’s delivering juice via a very slow 5W rate.
After snapping it on, you’ll then see your phone’s current battery charge amount on your screen, plus the percentage of remaining battery life in the MagSafe pack. The MagSafe pack’s charge amount will appear in the Batteries widget.
The magnetic connection of the MagSafe Battery Pack is acceptable when you’re using it snapped on the back of an iPhone 12. That said, when I was using it, I kept thinking it could be tighter, as it was a teeny bit looser than I’d like. I was excited to figure out that the strength of the magnetic connection increases when you’ve got a MagSafe phone case in between the iPhone and the battery pack.
When you connect a lightning cable to the battery pack and to a power source, you’ll get 15W charging, and you can get faster rates with a 20W power adapter.
This means, essentially, that you’re going to be keeping your iPhone afloat when it’s got a charge. This isn’t the kind of recharging speed for those trying to bring a dead iPhone back to 100% or close to that.
You can also refuel wirelessly-charging Airpods cases by placing them on the MagSafe Battery Pack’s magnetic side. It doesn’t snap on, but it works either way.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack: Battery Life
Herein lies the biggest potential flaw of the MagSafe Battery Pack. Apple doesn’t make any claims of how long it will extend the life of your iPhone 12. That may be because such data varies by model, but a range of battery life would have been nice.
Teardowns have revealed the MagSafe Battery Pack has a capacity of 1,460mAh. That’s less than 30% of the 5,000mAh Anker Magnetic 5K.
Based on how fast the MagSafe Battery Pack emptied, though, we’re guessing any claim might not have been that long. In the morning, I attached the two when both were charged, and by 4:30 p.m. I was at 16% on the MagSafe Battery Pack with the iPhone still at 89%. Normally, my iPhone would be much lower, probably in the 40-50% range.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack: Outlook
As I’ve noted in this hands-on Apple MagSafe Battery Pack review, Apple’s accessory comes with a lot less battery life than Anker’s competing brick, and it’s nearly twice as expensive. So, why would you buy this thing (which I did)?
Primarily, you’d buy the MagSafe Battery Pack because there’s a general assurance that Apple-made accessories may work better with the iPhone. You see that born out by the integration with the Batteries widget, and the home screen as well. It’s also got a thinner design, as well.
I look forward to reporting back once I’ve had more time with the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack, which I expect I’ll use all-day long on my upcoming trip to Las Vegas.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack Review: Our Top Pick, Despite the Price
Yes, it’s a touch expensive. But it’s also the by far the best MagSafe portable battery for your new iPhone.
If you own a late-model iPhone and burn through your battery on a daily basis, well, you’re lucky to be living in 2022. These days, there are quite a few portable batteries that work with MagSafe, many of which are made by renown third-party accessories makers like Mophie, Belkin, Anker and OtterBox.
However, in my experience, they all fall short in comparison to the MagSafe external battery that Apple makes.
So if you an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 and you’re looking for a portable power bank, get the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack. It’s the best way to charge your iPhone on-the-go, while still being able to use your iPhone. Here’s why.
It’s smarter than any other MagSafe portable charger.
The biggest advantage of the MagSafe Battery Pack is its tight integration with iOS — which means it works in ways with your iPhone that other portable batteries simply cannot. It’s the only portable battery that spurs the reveal of a big MagSafe icon on your iPhone’s display when connected. It’s only the portable battery that you can check its exact power level from the Control Center, just like you can from a connected Apple Watch or Airpods. And it’s Smart enough to stop charging your iPhone when it reaches 90 percent to preserve its battery life. (However, you can choose to let it top off your iPhone by adjusting the settings.)
You can check how much battery the MagSafe Battery Pack has any time it’s attached to your iPhone. Just open the Control Center.
It’s easy to use this MagSafe battery pack.
If you use any other portable battery pack with your iPhone, whether it supports MagSafe or not, you’ll realize that each requires you to press a button on the charger to start charging your iPhone; simply connecting to your phone isn’t enough. It’s annoying, because it’s another extra step that you can forget.
With the MagSafe Battery Pack, however, there’s no button to initiate charging. Once connected, it starts charging your iPhone automatically. It’s beautiful.
Right when you attach the MagSafe Battery Pack to your iPhone 12 or 13, it shows this graphic that tells you how much charge is both the iPhone and the battery have left.
Apple’s MagSafe pack supports fast-charging. but there’s a catch.
The big advantage to MagSafe charging in general is that it can wirelessly charge a compatible iPhone at 15 watts, rather than the 7.5-watt max of other Qi wireless chargers. And the MagSafe Battery Pack can also do this. but only when used as a wired MagSafe charger with a 20-watt wall adapter. Effectively, it can be turned into a regular MagSafe charger — which is cool.
Also, the MagSafe Battery Pack is capable of wireless charging your iPhone faster when not connected to power. In April 2022, Apple silently rolled out a firmware update that allows the MagSafe Battery Pack to fast charge your iPhone at 7.5-watts, which is up from the standard 5-watts that all other options are capable of. This means it can top off your iPhone pretty quick.
(Note: To get these faster wireless charging speeds, your MagSafe Battery Pack needs to be running the latest 2.7.b.0 firmware. To check this, connect the MagSafe Battery Pack to your iPhone open the Settings app select General select About and then select MagSafe Battery Pack. If it’s not running the latest firmware update, it will update on its own.)
This portable battery supports pass-through charging.
You’d think that most portable batteries that support MagSafe would also support pass-through charging — meaning you could charge both devices while connected to each other — but that isn’t the case. The MagSafe Battery Pack is one of the few options that, when connected to any iPhone and a Lightning cable, it’ll charge your iPhone first, then refill the MagSafe Battery Pack. No need to disconnect the two devices.
There are other MagSafe-compatible portable chargers, like this one from OtterBox, which are higher-capacity and more affordable, but they lack the same Smart features as the MagSafe Battery Pack.
Apple’s MagSafe battery pack is the best. but it’s not perfect.
I’ve had the opportunity to test a lot of different portable batteries that support MagSafe, and Apple’s own is definitely my favorite. However, it’s far from ideal — just ask the YouTube videos condemning it. At 1,460mAh, it’s one of the lowest capacity chargers out there. It costs 99 (or 88 on Amazon), making it one of the most expensive options. And it’s only available in white, so you’re going to have to buy a skin if you want it to match your iPhone case.
Maybe the biggest annoyance for me is that it can’t wireless charge itself when not connected to an iPhone; if you put it on another MagSafe wireless charger, like the MagSafe Duo, it won’t charge. It’s stupid and frustrating, especially from the company that pioneered the philosophy of it just works; that said, many other options also can’t wireless charge themselves, so it’s nowhere near a deal breaker.
The bottom line is that MagSafe Battery Pack is very similar to Apple’s Airpods — it works with your iPhone in ways other options simply cannot. And ultimately, that’s why you should pick it. Even it’s a touch more expensive.
First impressions: Apple’s MagSafe battery pack isn’t perfect, but you’ll probably still want to get one
When Apple first unveiled the iPhone 12 and MagSafe back in October, it immediately hit me that the perfect use case was for battery packs. Finally, nine months later, an official Apple MagSafe battery pack is here. We’ve got our hands on one and have plenty of thoughts to share.
Design and finish
First and foremost, the battery pack isn’t silicone like Apple’s previous Smart battery cases. It’s a soft-touch plastic that feels unlike any other existing Apple product. In fact, it feels almost like the inside of the original 2006 white MacBook. The white soft-touch plastic is also an entirely different shade of white than Apple’s white silicone case. It’s much lighter and much more explicitly white. So if you were planning on using the MagSafe battery pack with a white MagSafe case, just know that they don’t quite match. It won’t look as seamless as the old white Smart battery cases.
The battery pack itself is thicker than the iPhone 12 inside of a MagSafe silicone case. It’s pretty chunky. It’s also fairly heavy and certainly adds a bunch of weight to your light iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 mini. It certainly will make the stainless steel pro models feel even heavier than they already do. But keep in mind that this battery pack is easily removable — that’s the main benefit of MagSafe. Unlike the old battery cases, you can keep a case on and remove the battery when you don’t want the extra weight.
On the other side of the battery pack, there’s a smooth silicone gray pad that prevents the back of your iPhone from getting scratched up. On the bottom of the battery pack, there’s a lightning connector that lets you charge the battery on its own or charge both your iPhone and the battery pack together. There’s also a small LED next to the connector like the one on the Airpods charging case that indicates the power status.
The MagSafe battery pack fits nicely on the back of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Max sizes, but it can feel a bit awkward because of how thick it is. On the iPhone 12 mini, though, it feels more natural. This is because the MagSafe battery pack is just as wide as the iPhone 12 mini, so it feels flush with the case. One concern I have is that you can see the thin white edges sticking out from the front of the iPhone 12 mini. This is because the magnets let the pack shift around a bit.
Charging
The MagSafe battery pack snaps right onto the back of your iPhone 12 like the MagSafe wallet, although the magnets are significantly stronger. While charging both the battery pack and the iPhone together, you can feel the battery get warm. This shouldn’t be surprising given that the battery is using Qi charging coils.
When the battery is connected to an iPhone, you can connect a lightning charger directly to the battery, or you can plug it into the iPhone. As we’ve written about, when you plug your lightning connector into your iPhone, you can use it to wirelessly charge the battery pack in reverse.
Since the MagSafe battery pack is basically just a Qi charger with magnets, it can charge any other Qi-compatible device. For example, you can plop your Airpods or Airpods Pro on the MagSafe battery pack if you remove it from your iPhone. Technically you could also charge Android phones, older Qi-compatible iPhones, and other wireless earbuds with Qi charging cases. This is a really great bonus that comes with the battery being easily removable.
Software
The MagSafe battery pack integrates with iOS 14.7, so you’ll see its charge in the battery widget and on the Lock Screen. Unfortunately, iOS 15 beta 3 doesn’t include the necessary components to correctly show the battery pack’s status. Although you can see the charge with a different icon. Hopefully, we’ll get beta 4 soon. In the meantime, you can see what the MagSafe battery pack looks like in the battery widget below from an image on Apple’s website.
When charging your Airpods on the MagSafe battery pack, you’ll see their charge status in the battery widget as well. This is expected behavior, of course, since they already do that when on another Qi charger.
The MagSafe battery pack is far from perfect. It’s thick, and it’s heavy, but it provides necessary utility. This is an Apple product that absolutely tackles function first and form second. There are surely plenty of reasons behind Apple’s decisions with this accessory, particularly due to limitations and safety concerns that come with Qi technology. The battery itself weighs about a quarter of a pound, so it’s not particularly light. It’s 2.5″ x 3.75″ and just under half an inch thick.
Lots of folks were wondering if the MagSafe battery pack would work when you have a case on your iPhone. The answer is yes! At the moment, we’ve only been able to test the MagSafe battery pack with Apple’s first-party cases or approved third-party MagSafe cases. It likely won’t work well with cases that aren’t Apple-approved.
If you charge your iPhone using an iPad Air or iPad Pro, keep in mind that you cannot charge it when the MagSafe battery pack is connected. You can charge them separately, but not together.
If you were a fan of Apple’s most recent Smart battery cases and frequently used the built-in shutter button, you’ll be sad to know there isn’t one on the MagSafe battery pack. Instead, you’ll just have to use the volume buttons.
In terms of battery capacity, we expect that the MagSafe pack can recharge an iPhone 12 mini entirely while it can likely recharge the other three models enough to save you in a pinch. We’ll be back in a few days to let you know how the battery performs, but it’s too early to tell.
Conclusion
The MagSafe battery pack is available for pick up at Apple retail stores starting today for 99. You can also order one online and have it shipped to your home. The battery pack is available in one color, white. So you can’t pick one up to match your red or black MagSafe cases.
Are you picking up a MagSafe battery pack for your iPhone 12? Let us know in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев below!
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OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe review: Magception — charge this magnetic battery with MagSafe
Bottom line: OtterBox’s magnetic wireless power bank comes in 3000mAh or 5000mAh capacities, has two colors and has dual-sided magnets. It has a USB-C port to charge other devices at 5W and magnetic charging caps out at 7.5W.
Pros
- Comes in 3000mAh or 5000mAh capacities
- Has USB-C for charging other devices at 5W
- Magnetic wireless charging with 7.5W output
- Small and compact, dual-sided magnets
- Two colors to choose from
Cons
- – Plastic housing feels cheap
- – No stabilizing line below magnetic ring
- – Magnetic hold is not very strong
- – Doesn’t automatically charge upon attaching
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When Apple introduced MagSafe with the iPhone 12 lineup, I was intrigued but unsure if it would be a huge deal for me. After all, the first accessories were just wallets and chargers, essentially. But as time passed, more MagSafe accessories came out, including PopSockets and even battery packs. Once these kinds of accessories made their debut, I became hooked — MagSafe is now something I simply cannot do without.
While Apple has its MagSafe Battery Pack, many other brands are coming out with their own versions. Brands like Anker, mophie, RAVPower, and others have magnetic battery packs; though they aren’t officially MagSafe-certified, they work well. OtterBox, a brand known for tough and durable cases, has been branching out into power products recently. The latest addition is the OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe.
How does the OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe stack up with all of the other options out there? Let’s find out.
OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe: Price and availability
While OtterBox products are usually found at multiple big-name retailers, the OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe is only available directly from the OtterBox website. It comes in two capacities: 3000mAh or 5000mAh and both versions are available in either black or white. However, the white version is currently out of stock, but you can sign up for email notifications of when it’s back in stock. The 3000mAh version costs 50, while the 5000mAh version is 70.
OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe: One of the only dual-sided magnetic battery packs
OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe comes in two battery capacities: 3000mAh or 5000mAh. It also comes in two colors: black or white. For my testing unit, I got the black color in 5000mAh.
The OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe is made of a lightweight plastic material that serves as the housing for the battery. Since this is OtterBox, the plastic is supposed to be tough and durable, designed to survive accidental drops. The side that attaches to your phone has a magnetic circle with all of the regulatory information underneath it. The side that faces outward simply has the OtterBox logo towards the bottom. On the bottom edge, you’ll find four LED status indicator lights, a USB-C port, and a button to turn the battery pack on and off — this one does not automatically start charging once you attach it to your iPhone.
On my iPhone 13 Pro, the OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe fits decently, leaving a bit of space at the bottom. I don’t have an iPhone 13 mini, so I can’t test it out myself, but there should not be an issue with that device. However, due to the large camera bump on the iPhone 13 Pros, the fit can vary depending on the case that you choose to use.
With the OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe, you have 7.5W charging speeds via MagSafe, which is a little more than even Apple’s own MagSafe Battery Pack. However, since this is not an official MagSafe certified charger, you will not get 15W output, nor do you get the MagSafe charging animation on your best iPhone with iOS 15. Still, it’s faster than Apple’s and comes in larger capacities, so that’s a plus. And there is a USB-C port, so you can also use this to charge other non-MagSafe devices with the appropriate cable.
OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe: Magnetic hold is weak, no stabilizing line
One of the most significant issues with the OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe is that there is no stabilizing line underneath the magnetic circle. Because of this, the battery pack itself is quite prone to sliding around, especially if you put it with your phone in a
While MagSafe launched with the iPhone 12 and only had a few supported accessories, there is no shortage of great MagSafe battery packs nowadays. One of my personal favorites is the Anker MagGo 622. This portable little power bank packs in 5000mAh of power and charges at 7.5W speeds. It also has a USB-C port to charge other devices, and it even doubles as a portable stand for your MagSafe iPhone. Plus, the price is pretty good at just 60 for a double-duty product.
Another preferred MagSafe battery pack I’ve been using is the Anker MagGo 633 Magnetic Wireless Charger. While this acts as a MagSafe stand and wireless charger first and foremost, the stand itself has a removable MagSafe battery pack. The detachable battery pack has a 5000mAh capacity, and since it charges up while it’s in the stand, it should always be topped off and ready to go with you. It even has a USB-C port to charge other devices, and it’s quite slim. Honestly, I never go to Disneyland without this in my bag. While the price is a little high at 120, it is basically a 4-in-1 product, which is well worth it.
Of course, we can’t forget about the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack. This is the official one from Apple, but it’s a smaller capacity and, oddly enough, only charges at 5W speeds. It’s also much more expensive at 99 for what many consider an inferior product than third-party offerings. But it does integrate with iOS 15 to tell you how much juice is left, which is nice, and the only MagSafe battery pack to have such a feature.
OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if.
- You want a dual-sided MagSafe power bank
- You want options when it comes to capacity and color
- You want something that charges faster than 5W
You shouldn’t buy this if.
- You want strong magnets
- You want a battery pack with more grip
- You don’t have an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 device
The OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe is a small and compact little battery pack, making it perfect for throwing into your bag or slipping into your And it attaches magnetically to your iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 device, which is convenient for wireless charging with 7.5W output speeds. Plus, OtterBox made it in two capacities, 3000mAh or 5000mAh, so you can pick the size that fits your needs best. It also comes in white or black, which is nice. OtterBox’s Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe is also unique in that it has dual-sided magnets, so you can even mount this battery pack onto a MagSafe stand or even charge it with another MagSafe charger or battery.
However, the number of issues with this magnetic battery pack, especially for the price, keep me from fully recommending it over competing products. It tends to move around a bit because of the hard plastic housing (it’s slippery) and no stabilizing line under the magnetic ring. It’s also a little thicker than other products, and honestly, the plastic makes it feel cheap. For the same price, you can find better magnetic battery packs out there.
Why Would Anyone Buy Apple’s Expensive MagSafe Battery Pack?
Charlie Sorrel has been writing about technology, and its effects on society and the planet, for 13 years.
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Key Takeaways
- Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack sticks to the back of the iPhone 12 and charges it.
- The iPhone can reverse-charge the battery pack.
- Deep integration makes this pack more convenient, and more battery-friendly, than the competition.
Apple’s new MagSafe battery pack offers a fraction of the capacity of alternatives, while costing at least twice as much. So, why would anyone pay 99 for it?
The new battery pack may be light on capacity, but it’s long on features third-party makers can’t add, thanks to Apple’s exclusive access to the depths of the iPhone’s brain and guts. Add to that the fact that this is a supremely convenient charger, and that MagSafe makes it more future-proof than Apple’s previous efforts, and you may have a winner.
I guess the big advantage this battery pack has is that it’s a genuine MagSafe charger, traveling businessman and Filter King-founder Rick Hoskins told Lifewire via email. From what I can tell, the other battery packs on the market use Qi charging coils. They’re significantly less efficient. The MagSafe battery pack can charge a phone roughly twice as fast. That means less time with your phone attached to a heavy battery pack.
MagSafe and Reverse Charging
MagSafe is the name Apple has given to the stick-on magnetic induction chargers and accessories it makes for the iPhone. It’s a kind of souped-up version of the Qi chargers that work with most phones. Some makers sell Qi-enabled battery packs, as Hoskins mentions. Others, like top-tier third-party accessory house Anker, make MagSafe-compatible chargers, but as they’re not certified by Apple, they cannot charge at the full rate. Which brings us to the first advantage of Apple’s new pack.
When used as a battery pack, it charges at the same 5-watt speed as the competition. This keeps things cool. But you can also plug the unit into a power outlet, where it can then charge the phone at a speedy 15 watts. For this, you need to hook it up to a USB-C power brick that is capable of supplying 20 watts or more.
I guess the big advantage this battery pack has is that it’s a genuine MagSafe charger.
Its line of MagSafe wireless chargers are the only ones that can fast-charge an iPhone 12 at 15 watts, while all other wireless chargers charge an iPhone 12 at a max of 7.5 watts. And it has given some similar powers to its first-party MagSafe Battery Pack, Nigel William, CEO of Cream Charger Warehouse, told Lifewire via email.
The iPhone also can reverse-charge the battery pack. Usually, you’d plug the battery pack into power, and it would charge itself and the iPhone. But if you instead plug the iPhone into power, the same thing happens. The iPhone charges itself, and charges the pack via MagSafe.
This reverse charging is more useful than it sounds.
I drive a lot, says Hoskins. If a battery pack goes dead while I’m on the road, it’s basically useless. But with the Apple battery pack, I can charge my phone using CarPlay, and my phone will charge the battery pack. For someone who’s always on the road, this functionality is invaluable.
It’s possible that this reverse-charge feature could come to other gadgets in the future. Imagine charging your Airpods by laying the case on the back of the iPhone. Or charging your iPhone from an iPad.
Secret Apple Sauce
The battery pack beats the competition in some other ways, too. One is that the iPhone shows the battery level of the pack on its lock screen and in the battery widget. This lets you keep an eye on levels without any effort—the info is in the same places you already look.
Another advantage is the iPhone can optimize its charging patterns to better preserve its own battery. Any rechargeable battery has a finite number of charge/discharge cycles—as you use the battery, its capacity shrinks. Because it controls the whole chain, Apple uses a few tricks to protect your iPhone at the expense of the battery pack. For instance, when in an Apple battery case, the iPhone will deplete the external battery first, instead of discharging and recharging its own battery.
These packs also can use Apple’s optimized-charging feature, which pauses charging before the iPhone’s battery is full, again to prolong its life.
Many folks won’t know about these excellent features, but they’ll enjoy their benefits nonetheless. And for those in the know, this deep integration, and the convenience it brings, are definitely worth paying extra for.