On many Androids, a quick press of a button can open up your camera application and snap a pic — for better or worse. But while Androids have had this capability for many years, iPhones have never given such simple access. Taking a photo or a video with an iPhone means either having to unlock your phone and tap the camera icon or swiping left on your lock screen to get to it. Either way, it takes a moment.
The Apple doesn’t seem to have any interest in changing the iPhone to add a button for quick camera access, but they did however offer an alternative.
With their new iPhone 11 Smart Battery Case, they affectively added that button to the iPhone 11. According to TechCrunch, is not a soft button that presses something on the phone. Instead, it’s exclusive to case. When pressed, it launches the iPhone’s Camera app even when the iPhone itself is locked.
If you press the button, which is on the bottom half of the case, a speedy press takes a picture. A longer press results in a QuickTake video. The battery case’s button helps you capture moments much faster, without having to fumble around trying to unlock your phone and missing out on the very moment you wanted to photograph.
The case’s biggest and most talked about feature is the camera button, but, as a battery case, there’s additional benefits. When it’s fully charged, Apple claims that it provides your phone with a fifty percent longer battery life. In order to make that happen, you can restore power to your case with Qi-certified and USB-PD-compatible chargers for a faster charge.
Is the iPhone 11 Smart Battery Case right for you?
There are currently three available versions of the case: the iPhone 11 Smart Battery Case, the iPhone 11 Pro Smart Battery Case and the iPhone 11 Pro Max Smart Battery Case. All of them feature the camera app button, but one is made for the iPhone 11, another for the iPhone 11 Pro and the last is iPhone 11 Pro Max. There are battery cases available for the iPhone 7, XS, XS Max and XR as well but they don’t have the camera button.
According to Apple, each version costs $129 so the question is if the extra battery life and the camera app button is worth the cost. If you’re a frequent photographer and struggle to snap photos with the current setup, it might be a worthwhile investment. If you’re often taking selfies or videos of yourself, having easy access to the button on the bottom of the phone might make things a bit easier as well.
It should also be noted that this battery case, like most power banks, is considered a lithium ion battery. That means that, in terms of air travel, you’ll have to be sure to either keep it on your phone and on your person or in your carry-on because lithium ion batteries can’t be put in a checked bag.
Still, if you are a frequent traveler or just always on the go, a battery case can make life a little easier, especially if you notice that you don’t often have access to an outlet when you need it most. And if you’re on the go, it’s likely that you’re seeing a lot of things you want to photograph swiftly. This case can help you do it so you’re not missing out on the things right in front of you while you try to get to your camera app.
Screengrab by the author.
—
JackieMichele is writer and marketer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work has appeared on Yahoo, Food and Wine and the Huffington Post. She’s been an editor, an influencer strategist and ghostwriter, a librarian and a teacher. Follow her Instagram at @jackie_gualtieri and contact her via jackie@ynotcam.com.
Background header image by Ylanite Koppens via Pexels.
