Exploring the Apple Vision Pro’s External Battery. The Apple Vision Pro introduces an external battery feature, distinguishing it from other devices in Apple’s lineup, including the iPhone 15 Pro. With a capacity of 3,166 mAh, the Vision Pro’s battery showcases unique characteristics in terms of size, weight, and usage. Despite having a slightly lower capacity than the iPhone 15 Pro’s 3,274 mAh battery, direct comparisons are challenging due to differing voltages.
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John Gruber from Daring Fireball notes that the Vision Pro’s battery shares the width and height dimensions with an iPhone 15 Pro but is considerably thicker. Weighing in at about 325 grams, it significantly surpasses the iPhone 15 Pro’s 187 grams, likening its heft and thickness to carrying two iPhone 15s.
In his unboxing, Marques Brownlee also remarked on the battery’s notable weight, especially when contrasted with smartphones housing 5,000+ mAh batteries that feel considerably lighter. The inner workings and components contributing to this added weight may only be revealed upon disassembly.
The Vision Pro’s external battery is finished in silver and features a proprietary connector for headset linkage, alongside a USB-C port for charging via an included 30W wall adapter. This connector employs a quarter turn twist for a secure connection to the Vision Pro.
An important consideration for potential buyers of an additional $200 battery pack is the non-hot-swappable nature of the Vision Pro’s batteries. As highlighted by Gruber, the absence of an internal backup battery means that disconnecting the power cord results in the device immediately powering off, necessitating a manual restart for battery changes.
Interestingly, the power cable linking the Vision Pro to its battery can be detached when needed. This is achieved by using a SIM card pin to release the cable from its lock, located next to a small hole acting as the locking mechanism.
This proprietary cable, while resembling a Lightning cable, contains too many pins to be categorized as such, rendering it incompatible with other accessories or alternative uses. This design choice underscores Apple’s approach to ensuring a dedicated and unique ecosystem for the Vision Pro experience.