 Just when you thought Apple had wrapped up all possible product announcements for 2015, the company decided to release its one more thing for the year, a product that nobody was expecting. And it's a battery case. A stocking stuffer that they'll probably sell a ton of because it's something everybody needs. So what can you expect from Apple's own battery case? This is Apple's new smart battery case for iPhone 6 and 6s. Why did Apple make a battery case? Well that depends on how you look at it. On the one hand, Apple is looking to give iPhone 6 and 6s users a battery life experience that's comparable to the one you might get with a larger phone, like the 6 Plus. But this is also an acknowledgement that the iPhone 6 and 6s' battery life has been a serious pain point for power users. The first thing you're going to notice about this is its design. And I'm not even sure design is the right word here. It looks like my iPhone ate an iPod. It does feel nice at least. Other cases are hard plastic shells. This is an iteration on Apple's regular silicone cases for iPhone. The top part of the case is flexible here. You're supposed to bend this top part back, insert the phone there, and then slide it in to meet the lightning prong. Apple has even included an instruction booklet, in case you can't figure this out. Thanks Apple. Looks aside, how well does it work? Well I can tell you this right away. Even though the Apple smart case costs more than the Incipio off-grid express, and the same as Mophie's juice pack air, it doesn't offer as much juice as the other battery cases do. In fact, Apple's smart case won't even get you a full charge from 0 to 100%. One of Apple's feature boasts with this is that there are extra passive coupled antennas placed throughout the case to amplify cellular performance, just in case the battery case were to impact that. I can say that over this weekend I didn't have any issues at all with cell phone performance while using the case. The smart battery case can also be charged with a lightning cable, which means one less micro USB cable to carry around if you're already carrying around a lightning cable. And there is some integration between the battery case hardware and iPhone software. Basically the battery level of the case can be seen on the phone, either from the lock screen or when you swipe down from the top of the iPhone's home screen. And it's a good thing too, because for some reason Apple has built the smart battery case with a tiny LED indicator light inside the case, not on the exterior. Another strange design decision, you can't control when the case starts or stops charging the iPhone, unlike a Mophie, which has a standby button so you can save juice for later if you need it. Once you slip your iPhone into the smart battery case, it just starts charging. Is it great to have some extra battery life on the iPhone using the smart battery case? Of course! I got through a good part of a weekend from Saturday morning to Sunday evening without having to charge my iPhone 6s. And even if the case does have some junk in its trunk, I can definitely appreciate that the battery case doesn't look or feel like some sort of combat-ready case. But even from a pure performance perspective, is this the best iPhone battery case you can get for $99? I'd have to say no.