It looks like the new $129 Smart Battery Case for the iPhone XS will support last year’s flagship iPhone X after all.
Apple’s iPhone XS battery case actually works with the iPhone X
Even though Apple says it isn’t compatible
Even though Apple says it isn’t compatible
Photo by James Bareham / The Verge
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
Yesterday, it seemed like Apple was leaving its most dedicated customers out in the cold when the company announced the new battery case for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR but not for the iPhone X that early adopters snapped up in late 2017.
Worse, even though the iPhone X and the iPhone XS are practically the exact same size and shape, Apple told us point blank that the XS case wouldn’t be compatible. It even says so on Apple’s support page.
But iMore editor-in-chief Rene Ritchie has now confirmed that the case not only fits, but it seems to charge the older iPhone X just fine, though you may need to swipe away a “This accessory is not supported by this device” notification before it’ll work.
If your friends or family tell you differently, you might want to note that Ritchie was the one who originally spread the word that the case didn’t work with iPhone X. He’s since deleted his original tweet, but it’s possible that some bad information may still be spreading around the web and social media:
It’s not just Ritchie, either: MacRumors forums user beerfish89 reports that the case works just fine with his iPhone X as well. And though The Verge hasn’t yet received the iPhone XS version of the battery case, we found that the iPhone XS Max version would also charge an iPhone X. It’s obviously a very loose fit, though.
The iPhone XS case isn’t a perfect fit for an iPhone X, either. Ritchie notes that the case doesn’t have the right cutouts for the speaker and microphone on the iPhone X since Apple tweaked the phone’s bottom design. The iPhone X’s smaller camera module means you’ll see a slight gap in the iPhone XS case’s coverage, too.
But if your expectations were low and you were hoping that the case would at least charge last year’s $1,000 iPhone, it sounds like that’s true. There’s also Mophie’s iPhone X battery case to consider.
We’ll be testing more soon.
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