Does Apple's Smart Battery Case come with a charging cable?

How-to
By Joseph Keller
last updated

Apple iPhone charging
Apple iPhone charging (Image credit: iMore)

Does Apple's Smart Battery Case come with a charging cable?

The Smart Battery Case is the only thing in the box

Since first launching the Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6s, Apple hasn't included a charging cable in the box for the accessory, instead instructing customers to use the Lightning cable that came with their iPhone. This makes sense, as it saves Apple a little money, and if you have an iPhone, you'll have at least one charging cable.

You can also charge your Smart Battery Case faster by using a Lightning-to-USB-C cable plugged into Apple's USB-C Power Adapter, which can provide 18 or more watts of power.

Do you even need a charging cable?

The new Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all feature support for Qi wireless charging. This allows you to charge both your case and the iPhone in it at the same time. Just place your iPhone in its Smart Battery Case onto your wireless charger as you normally would, and you should be good to go.

Black iPhone Smart Battery CaseiPhone XR
iPhone XR Smart Battery Case

Keep your iPhone XR going and going

The Smart Battery Case adds to the iPhone XR's already impressive battery life, giving you up to 39 hours of talk time, 22 hours of internet use, and 27 hours of video playback.

iPhone XS
iPhone XS Smart Battery Case

The power boost you need

Give your iPhone XS a battery boost with the Smart Battery Case, which extends your talk time to up to 33 hours, internet usage up to 21 hours, and video playback for up to 25 hours.

iPhone XS Max
iPhone XS Max Smart Battery Case

Power for an already big battery

With the Smart Battery Case for the iPhone XS Max, you'll have more than enough power to get through your daily set of tasks, with up to 37 hours of talk time, 20 hours of internet use, and 25 hours of video playback.

Joseph Keller
Joseph Keller

Joseph Keller is the former Editor in Chief of iMore. An Apple user for almost 20 years, he spends his time learning the ins and outs of iOS and macOS, always finding ways of getting the most out of his iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.