iPhone Air's MagSafe battery looks stylish — but there's a hidden catch

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It's the wrong shape to fit on other iPhones — even the gigantic iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Air hands-on
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

If you say the iPhone Air's new ultra-thin MagSafe battery pack and thought "that's the kind of battery I want on my iPhone," don't get too excited. According to the listing on the Apple Store, this accessory is only going to work if you buy the iPhone Air. Other iPhone's aren't invited to this show.

That's not hinted or alluded to; Apple outright states that this is a battery developed for iPhone Air that won't work with other iPhone 17 models. Or at least it won't work via MagSafe, because the battery is designed to neatly fit on the back of the iPhone Air. It's just too tall to snap onto the back of other iPhones. A limiting factor that means it probably won't be a contender for our list of best portable chargers.

It isn't clear if the battery can be positioned in such a way that it can recharge other iPhones, albeit in an awkward configuration. Nor do we know if you can charge those same phones with a wired connection. Not that you'd really want to, since the 3,149 mAh battery likely won't be able to fully charge the iPhone 17 — let alone the mammoth batteries we're expecting to see in iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.

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However, Apple has confirmed (via 9to5Mac) that it can be used to charge "smaller accessories via USB-C."

There's no strict definition of what "smaller accessories" actually means, but there shouldn't really be any limitations. As long as the battery has charge, and the device in question can be plugged in via USB-C, there's no sane reason why it shouldn't be able to draw power.

It shouldn't matter whether it's an Apple-made accessory, like AirPods or Apple Watch, or something totally different, like a fan or light. But how much use you might have for such gadgets when out is totally up to you.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure it's worth it. The iPhone Air MagSafe battery might be perfectly designed to try and maintain the phone's ultra-thin design, but it doesn't seem all that practical — especially for the $99 price tag.

There are significantly larger MagSafe battery packs out there for a lot less money. They're not as thin, but they're certainly a lot more practical.

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Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

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