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I want an extra thick model instead, let’s call it iPhone Travel (or Ultra?). Just thick enough so the cameras are no longer sticking out. Give me an all-week battery instead of an all-day one. Slim down the power usage and give a power saver mode that actually does make a difference. Let me go on a weekend trip in nature or festival without having to carry extra hardware or having to look for public charging stations.


Personally, I really like being able to use lightweight MagSafe batteries instead of having a thicker iPhone. I used to agree with you, but the tech has gotten ridiculously good the last couple of years.

With something like https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HRY02LL/A/anker-maggo-pow..., you get a magsafe battery that doubles the life of an iPhone and can be independently recharged, and is so slim that I can put it in my pocket attached to my iPhone and not notice.


The downside with these is that in scenarios where you need the extra juice, like say a guided tour all day where you'll be taking a lot of photos and putting it in your pocket, they tend to run hot and drain faster. Then you're carrying an dead extra battery. You get more mileage with a power bank + cord.


I have an Anker battery and a Peak Design case.

The wireless battery just slows the drain unless my phone is totally idle while charging. I really don't think wireless charging is very effective, at least it hasn't been with my 3yo phone and magnetic battery (even when both were new).


Isnt that just a replicable battery with extra steps?


fewer steps, actually. as a user, you reach into your backpack pull out the battery pack, and put it on phone, check that it's charging, and then move on with your life. Replaceable battery, there's the extra steps of powering it off, opening up the case, taking out the old battery, putting in the new battery, closing the case, powering it on, waiting for it to boot up. So many extra steps!


You could reasonably add a howswap battery with a few minutes of charge if the screen is off, so rebooting isn't an issue.

Granted old button phones booted so fast it wasnt that different from starting. So doing that was overkill.


Is slapping the MagSafe battery on once when you buy it such an extra step it bothers you?


Yes because inductive charging has a lot of losses, they are ~75% efficient, that means that you waste 1/4 of your battery capacity, and that is power that you also pay for in your electricity bill (for how it's small).

While a phone with removable battery, like it was normal back in the days, you just buy whatever number of batteries you want, when the battery is dead you replace it, and you instantly have a 100% charged phone in a matter of 10 seconds. It's surely better than a MagSafe, than a powerbank, etc.


Oh, I remember these days. For one of my early days smartphones — Motorola MPx — I had like three or four pieces. That was great, also I charged them with a universal battery. Remember similar times with Galaxy S3 and S4.


Between having 2x battery built into the phone and 2x battery that detaches, I’d like the built in option.

I don’t want to deal with losing it. I don’t want to deal with carrying around 2 chargers/cables or charging both at the same time. I want the efficiencies of everything built together and not transmitted through casings


...then buy the non-Air version if you want a thicker phone? That's not being discontinued, you know.

I genuinely don't know what you're complaining about.

You're not going to lose it. It's attached. You don't need 2 chargers or 2 cables. It reverse charges wirelessly via the phone when it's plugged in.

It's an option. People usually want options, but you're complaining you only want things the way you want them, and not let other people have different options...?


The non-Air iPhone still is unbalanced when putting it flat on a table.


That feels like a completely different conversation.


I read the original comment like ‘we’d love to have another phone, a thinker one, that has this huge camera system, and also similarly huge battery, so there’s no bump.’


They run hot, and don’t stick to the phone as well as I’d like. No, MagSafe batteries aren’t the solution for me, and I too would buy a thicker phone with more battery life.


Apple makes thicker ones. The Air isn't replacing their other phones.


This! This right here. It bothers me how someone can be bothered at the prospect of having to keep paying Apple more and more and more. Must an anti-extreme-innovation person. I am just waiting for the day when Apple makes a travelling generator to charge that MagSafe battery and of course those special plugs (don't forget the wire™) and stands that will be proprietary and mandatory with that (if you don't want to void the warranty or risk getting sued by Apple for publicly endangering tech made by them).


But that’s not like it’s an extra battery, it’s a gizmo that charges your original battery all the time, isn’t it? So technically it doesn’t make your battery bigger, but akin to keeping your phone on charge all the time. I expect it would just help you destroy that original battery, that is difficult and expensive to replace. Add some extra marketing, let them believe it’s some magical device, and kindly push them into buying a new phone when their battery dead.

I want a think iPhone with week-long battery life and the battery being easily serviceable, replaceable and ideally some unified standard one that I can buy from any decent vendor. That would be great to have. I hope we’ll come there eventually, since today phones could serve till they physically dead. If you make batteries easily serviceable, plus no software cripple with planned obsolescence.


Not at the prices the MagSafe batteries are


Do you carry these extra batteries? Or leave them in a hot car?


Just get the MagSafe battery, then you've got your extra-thick. It already exists.

It's not going to last you all week though. That's not going to just be thick, it's going to be a cube heavy enough to double up as a weapon.


magsafe is not even close, wireless charging has terrible efficiency. Honestly the whole idea "wireless powerbank" is ridiculous. You are in need of energy; would you like to waste extra energy as heat?


The way it is currently yes. But hardware is way more efficient now. Why not sacrifice performance and optimize a bit more in that direction? It is plenty fast already for everyday life. I don’t like that we only focus on performance and we don’t see longer battery life that we could have based on advances in battery technology + more efficient processors.


Yes. Give me the iPhone 17 Pro Ultra. It's the Pro Max, but even more battery. Heavier duty case. Like I'm put the thing in a case that makes it big and bulky already, if you give me a heavy duty enough setup that I feel safe letting it go naked, people might actually see the status symbol... instead of the dbrand sticker.


This is why I mostly stick with the Moto G models which have easily multi-day battery and cost sub $250.


I’ve had a bunch of Moto G phones, I love them. This round I decided to try their upper midrange Edge line.

I found a deal on a Moto Edge 2024 and it’s fantastic. It’s so light and compact vs the Moto G Power, and still can go two full days no problem. The camera is excellent as well, which was my only real gripe with the G phones.

It can plug into my USB-C monitor and act like a Chromebook (more or less). I play Minecraft with my kids this way.


But do you get to hear First Time in A Moto G™ when they announce something? See! That is what you are missing. That is what you pay for. That's revolutionary. Take my money Apple!


Thick is easy. Get a battery case. I used to have one that allowed for swappable samsung batteries packs that was great.


Getting flashbacks to the HTC Evo era and having a thick ass battery case lol, before that i'd have to swap battery like twice a shift.


A battery case would work too. Was just hoping for a model that is trimmed and optimized for longer trips outside the city/with absence of reliable power sources. Cut some of the performance, only efficiency cores, bigger antenna and optimize hardware aggressively for low battery usage. Maybe use some of the bigger case for repairability…


Agreed. Give me a phone thick and durable enough that I don't feel the need to add a screen protector and case to it, or strap a battery to the back to make it last.

It seems they are often peeling away useful features, which then you have to replace - yielding a worse experience often.

Small screen, thick, durable, good battery. Would pay $


But that will rob people of those multiple extremely satisfying feelings across those one or two years, before they change the iPhone, of paying more to Apple for battery packs and then another and then another… etc. You should think of that as well.


I don’t think many people would like a phone that is twice as heavy all the time. At least battery packs can be taken off.

If few people would buy it, Apple won't produce it. I think the Air will flop for this reason.


I use a battery case, it is amazing. Gives the phone some weight and 2 days battery.


Back when replaceable batteries were a thing I got this beast for my Galaxy Note 4 - https://blog.gsmarena.com/zerolemon-offers-10000mah-extended... ... it was ridiculous but awesome.


Oh wow, so cool! Do you have some blog posts about that, YouTube videos, any line of journaling? Would love to learn about that experience.


will someone please make this? a phone with a browser, basic camera, large battery and a UI that doesnt suck ass? a phone for adults that is affordable? i want more and more each day to get away from apple


this makes absolute sense. most of the times when my iphone 14 is literally in life support. honestly would trade off the thickness to not have to charge everyday


Phones are tools, not fashion statements.


iPhone Thicc- body positivity!


iPhone Travel? Please. We don’t go on Craig-approved drug-fueled vision quests just to land on mediocrity like that. You’re close though.

It’s gonna be the iPhone Voyager.




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