iFixit has once again performed that teardown voodoo, that they do, so well, this time on the new Apple Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6s. The teardown reveals a brushed aluminum inner shell, rechargeable lithium-ion battery and tiny logic board boasting two Lightning connectors.
The new battery case funnels the sound forward from the iPhone’s downward-facing speaker, doing the same for the device’s built-in microphone. The case includes a big enough opening around the headphones connector to allow Apple’s stock EarPods to easily plug-in, but users of other types of headphones may run into trouble getting hooked up.
An inner aluminum plate acts as a door to the battery compartment, where iFixit found a 1,877 mAh battery (7.13 Whr), which more than doubles the battery capacity of the iPhone 6s’ 1,715 mAh power source. The battery is “very strongly adhered in place” with a connector, contributing to the accessory’s low 2 out of 10 reparability score.
The “smart” part of the new iPhone 6s case amounts to a NXP NX20P3 load switch, also found in Lightning to USB cables, and a NXP 1608A1 charging chip.
As we mentioned above, iFixit gave the Smart Battery Case a low 2 out of 10 repairability score, due to the following:
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Non-proprietary T3 Torx screws make repairs more accessible, but are covered by strongly-adhered microfiber liner.
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Battery replacement is possible, but will likely destroy the microfiber liner.
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The only possible repair—replacing the battery—is made difficult by very strong adhesive.
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No other repairs are possible without destroying the device.
