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0 pointsmbirth6mo ago0 comments

The previous MagSafe battery has the size of the MagSafe wallet and thus fits onto all the iPhones that have MagSafe down to the "Mini" variants. It's the perfect emergency power backup. But Apple discontinued this a while ago.

Selling a thin phone with half a battery where you have to buy the other half and keep it attached to get a proper battery runtime (turning it into a normal-sized phone) can't be the solution Apple intended. At least I hope so. And that battery doesn't fit other iPhones as the camera bump of those other phones is in the way.

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hombre_fatal6mo ago

Well, swappable batteries has the UX advantage of being able to swap in full charges.

I don't really understand all the complaining since it's merely a variant of the iPhone for people who prioritize thinness over battery.

For over a decade, HNers have complained that they don't want thinness to be forced on them and that there should be a separate SKU for it. Yet when it finally happens, HNers complain about the trade-off.

bee_rider6mo ago

If the outcome is that non-air iPhones are allowed to get a little thicker now, that’d be super cool.

mathgeek6mo ago

Consider that the folks complaining about one thing can be different groups from the ones complaining about another.

petersellers6mo ago

Either way, people have options now. If one doesn't like the compromises of the thin phone, they can buy the thick phone. Seems silly to complain about the thinness if you're not the target demographic.

wlesieutre6mo ago

Magsafe battery has also been a great fix for a 5-year old built-in battery for 1/3 the cost of a battery replacement, and when I finally replace this phone I'll still have the magsafe battery for travel/emergency.

3rd party versions of course, the official one was much more expensive than that.

chrisweekly6mo ago

"half a battery" yielding 27h seems kinda harsh criticism

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