Fresh leak suggests new Apple Smart Battery Cases are indeed on the way

Some rumors in the media point to the release of the next generation of Smart Battery Cases, which are Apple-branded solutions to restricted iPhone screen-on time. These products are most likely to be directed at the iPhone XS, XS Max or both, as they are the current flagships from this company. On the other hand, the Smart Battery Case was conspicuous by its absence during the iPhone 8 and X eras.

The primary source of its putative return is the discovery of an icon in a watchOS beta, which somewhat matched the style of that for the pre-existing Smart Battery Case. Now, however, the site Appleosophy claims to have secured more convincing evidence of the existence of versions that are compatible with the XS and XS Max. It comes in the form of a document that the website describes as an internal primer for Apple retail staff about the next round of new iPhone cases. 

Two of these cases (one each for the XS and XS Max), which are finished in black leather, do appear to resemble a Smart Battery Case. In a departure from the indications of the watchOS icon, they appear to have a raised hump that starts from the upper half of the case.

This feature, which housed the battery pack in the old Smart Battery Cases, appeared to have been distributed over a wider area of the iPhone's back panel in the icon. Either way, customers may have to shell out as much as US$99 to find out for sure, should this purported case become available soon in reality.

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