Last week, Apple dropped what they’re calling their slimmest phone so far—the iPhone Air—and right alongside it came this new MagSafe battery pack made just for it. I wasn’t shocked about the battery existing, you know? Rumors had been swirling for ages about this super-thin iPhone, and it made sense it’d cut some corners on battery life to stay that skinny. Pretty much everyone figured as much going into the announcement.
What did throw me for a loop, though? How hard Apple hammered on that battery during the whole reveal. They went as far as showing battery life numbers both with the pack attached and without it in the official specs. To me—and probably to most people shopping for one—that screams this add-on isn’t just nice to have; it’s basically a must on busy days, or at least strongly suggested even on chill ones.
So, if you’re dropping $999 or more on the iPhone Air, does that mean tacking on another $99 for their custom battery? Nah, I’m telling you straight up, skip it. There are way better deals out there that won’t hit your wallet as hard.
Look, I haven’t gotten my hands on the iPhone Air or tested this battery myself yet. But we reviewed the thing and he digs how it pairs up. Stuff like charging the phone and itself at the same time when plugged in, or even juicing up your AirPods Pro 3 wirelessly? Pretty clever, I’ll give Apple that. Still, he admits the price just doesn’t add up for what you get.
Breaking it down: That $99 Apple pack has 3,149 mAh stamped right on it, which shakes out to roughly three cents per mAh. Now, stack that against something solid from our roundup of good MagSafe chargers, like this Anker Nano one—it’s got 5,000 mAh for only $55, so about a penny per mAh. And the energy rating? Apple’s at 12.26 watt-hours, while the Anker hits 25. Plus, the Anker isn’t locked to the iPhone Air; it’ll stick to other iPhones or even non-Apple phones if they’re magnetic-compatible.
It gets worse—Apple’s battery maxes at 12W wireless unless you plug it in for passthrough with USB-C. The Anker? It’s got Qi2 certification for up to 15W, and since the iPhone Air can handle 20W wireless, you’d actually get that full 15 watts snapping it on. Basically, you’re scoring almost twice the capacity for half the cash, with quicker charging thrown in.
And hey, just for fun, imagine if Apple scaled this up—a 5,000 mAh version from them might run you $150, or a 10K one could be $300. You’d laugh if any other brand tried pulling that off, right? We shouldn’t give Apple a pass either.
Is this typical Apple, charging a premium for their gear? Totally. But unlike, say, a fancy $99 watch band or that $250 iPad keyboard, this battery feels tied right to the iPhone Air’s core pitch. You can’t really talk about the phone’s battery without it popping up, which is wild.
Anyway, I pulled that Anker as an example, but trust me, tons of other trustworthy brands have similar magnetic packs out there. Hunt around for Qi2 ones that play nice with the iPhone Air, and odds are you’ll land something smarter on the value front than Apple’s own. If you wanna splurge for that seamless look and ease, go for it—no judgment. Just don’t buy into the idea that it’s your only real choice.
