Apple is reportedly making a magnetic battery pack accessory for iPhones

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar

Looks like Apple is finally ready to milk the benefits of fitting a magnetic ring inside the iPhone 12 series. Yes, I am talking about the MagSafe hardware, which allows the new disc-like charger to snap magnetically at the back of your iPhone and also makes the pricey phones wanting to stick to your refrigerator. As per a Bloomberg report, Apple is developing a magnetic battery pack attachment for iPhones that will charge the phone by just magnetically clinging to the rear panel.

Apple has reportedly been at work on the neat magnetic charging accessory – which by the way will sell like hot cakes – for over a year now and had plans to launch it in the months following the iPhone 12 quartet’s release. The battery pack, as mentioned above, will rely on the MagSafe hardware to stick to the back of your iPhone 12 for juicing its battery. One of the prototypes of the upcoming charging accessory from Apple is said to rock a white exterior made of rubber. 

However, it must be noted that the battery pack is only meant for, well, charging. And thus, it wouldn’t serve as a full-frame protective gear for the iPhone 12, unlike the third-party battery cases out there in the market. The battery pack has reportedly proven to offer a strong magnetic coupling during internal tests, but not everything is rosy for Apple’s upcoming accessory. 

“In internal testing, the magnetic attachment system has proved strong enough for the charging unit to stay in place, but the accessory’s development has been slowed by software issues such as the iPhone erroneously indicating that the pack is overheating,” adds the report.

The concept of Apple’s upcoming accessory is similar to Mophie’s Juice Pack connect

In the light of the aforementioned development challenges, there are chances that the magnetic charging battery pack might be delayed, or even scrapped. The mention of Apple’s upcoming battery pack has also been spotted in the code of iOS 14.5, indicating that the product might be launched soon. Moreover, Apple has also discussed making an in-car MagSafe charging mount for iPhones.

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Alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power keeps you rolling way too long in developing markets

Posted on by Jules Wang

Let’s be frank: there are quite a few options for phones with a 5 amp-hour battery. It’s a sweet spot as a number and it’s also where you could pull through a good chunk of a second or maybe even a third day. The price and specification compromise also seems fitting at this precipice.So, what does the Alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power bring to 3G markets? Maybe a cool-looking dot-matrix design on the back ...

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The US Cellular LG G5 may be yours on April 1

Posted on by Jules Wang

When LG teased an “early April” release, we didn’t think it’d be as early as early could get. Then again, with US carriers early-birding the Galaxy S7 before the calendar could even flip over from February, we might be catching some signals on this side of the Korean divide.A close source ...

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Bumpy batteries and Star Wars Droids | Pocketnow Weekly 178

Posted on by Michael Fisher

Update: BB-8 is overr8’d. See you next week!An Android tablet that doesn’t quite belong. HTC news on both sides of the good/bad divide. An ugly-as-sin Apple accessory. And a Droid Turbo 2 that looks like Star Wars’ own BB-8! Where are you going to find talk like this anywhere else on the internet? If you answered “anywhere I look,” you’re right indeed … but you ended up here so welcome to the party. All of the above – plus your listener mail – awaits on episode 178 of the Pocketnow Weekly!Watch the video broadcast from 1:30pm Eastern on ...

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The era of great smartphone battery life has come – and gone

Posted on by Michael Fisher

Editor’s note: In the gulf between iPhone releases and in the run-up to the next Windows Phone resurrection, the ratio of Android to non-Android phones in our review inventory continues to rise. As a result, this piece is written from a predominantly Android-centric perspective.Everybody wants awesome smartphone battery life. Whether you’re addicted to the latest power-draining augmented reality game or just trying to get through a day of texting and talking, the panic moment is a familiar ...

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HTC One max extended battery case hands-on

Posted on by Joe Levi

After you’ve made your decision and have picked up your very own smartphone, phablet, or tablet, you’re going to want to pick up a couple accessories. First off you’ll want a case, next you’ll want some way to charge it while you’re on the go. Cases come in all shapes and sizes, but your recharging options usually require a power outlet of some sort, whether it’s in the wall or in your car. What if you could combine the two? That’s the idea behind HTC’s extended battery case, the HTC Power Flip Case for the

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How to Become a Real Road Warrior

Posted on by admin

As mobile experts, we do everything we can to look at every new device subjectively. You may hear us cracking jokes on a live show or voicing our personal opinions in editorials. But when it becomes time to get serious, when it’s review time, we look at a phone (or tablet) from not only our own perspective, but as many others as possible – the perspective of the target demographic, the perspective of the general consumer, the standpoint of a power user, a modder or even a first-time buyer. We all look at a new phone differently. When we pull it out of the box and tear the plastic ...

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