AirPods Wireless Charging Case an add-on, release date and pricing unknown

While there is a Qi-compatible AirPods Wireless Charging Case coming, it does not appear to be included with the default SKU of the AirPods for the foreseeable future — and the pricing of the peripheral is unknown.

Phil Schiller said on stage during the Sept. 12 release event that the "optional new AirPods Wireless Charging Case" could be placed on the forthcoming AirPower charging dock. Little is actually known about the Apple's charging pad, or the AirPods accessory.

AppleInsider staff examined both following the release event. The AirPods Wireless Charging case is functionally identical to the one that comes with the AirPods now, but with the green charging light on the exterior of the case instead of under the lid. The existing AirPods case has exposed metal on the back — which appears to be absent on the pre-release versions of the new case.

Beyond the AirPods Wireless Charging Case, the AirPower pad itself will enable wireless charging for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, and the Series 3 Apple Watch. At this point, it is unclear if any combination of the three can be used on the pad, or how precisely the devices need to be placed on the pad.

Not only is pricing on the AirPods Wireless Charging Case unknown, so is any specific availability date. Presumably the case will be available around the same time that Apple's AirPower pad is shipping — but should Apple decide to ship sooner, it would be compatible with an array of third party charging accessories available now.

AppleInsider spoke with sources inside Apple not authorized to speak for the company, and was told that pricing on the peripheral had not been decided yet. Our sources declined to provide us a range of prices that were being considered, nor did they discuss even a vague timetable for release.

For comparison, Apple services venues currently charge $69 for a lost AirPods charging case.

Also unclear is if the Qi spec that Apple has implemented will support beyond 7.5W. The Belkin Qi pad revealed on Tuesday is limited to 7.5W for one device, but the newest version of the Qi spec allows for 15W.

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15 Comments

doozydozen 539 comments · 11 Years

About 7 years ago

"iPhone X, the future of smartphones," says every media outlet. While I agree, limiting wireless charging to 7.5W cannot be consider future-proof.

Soli 9981 comments · 9 Years

repressthis said:

"iPhone X, the future of smartphones," says every media outlet. While I agree, limiting wireless charging to 7.5W cannot be consider future-proof.

1) Isn't that what other common Qi pads max out at today?

2) Isn't the iPhone still shipping with a 5W charger?PS: I wonder if this fine print means both new phones still come with a USB 2.0/USB-A cable and PSU.

"Testing conducted by Apple in August 2017 using preproduction iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus units and software and accessory Apple USB-C Power Adapters (29W Model A1540, 61W Model A1718, 87W Model A1719)."

"Testing conducted by Apple in August 2017 using preproduction iPhone X units and software and accessory Apple USB-C Power Adapters (29W Model A1540, 61W Model A1718, 87W Model A1719)"

StrangeDays 12959 comments · 8 Years

repressthis said:

"iPhone X, the future of smartphones," says every media outlet. While I agree, limiting wireless charging to 7.5W cannot be consider future-proof.

What is this future-proof of which you speak?

eightzero 3145 comments · 14 Years

This is an example of something from the Event that smells a little like a last minute addition so that they had something other than the leaks to announce. Kind of un-Apple-esque to announce things so nebulously.

StrangeDays said:

repressthis said:

"iPhone X, the future of smartphones," says every media outlet. While I agree, limiting wireless charging to 7.5W cannot be consider future-proof.

What is this future-proof of which you speak?

Well, for starters, Qi already bumped their specification to 15W prior to the new iphones' release. So it's behind before it even hits the streets. (I know there could be technical reasons limited by thermal regulation, as wells as the iPhones may have been finalized before the bump in Qi specs, etc.) I'm just pointing out the issue in calling something "the future of smartphones" when currently it lacks what's available today. Sometimes Apple includes tech, like MacBook Pros getting early access to Intel chips which helps enforce the product's future-proofing. Apple gets the freedom to dictate the state of future-proofing by sheer volume of sales. 3rd party companies do not give up on certain standards prematurely, like stop producing 7W Qi wireless chargers when they could just produce 15W models instead because the larger user base of iPhone 8, 8 plus and X customers will drive the market to keep producing a inferior product because the consumers need them. Yes, I know, 15W Qi standard is backwards comparable, but the poor user experience of 7.5W will fall out of vogue quickly with consumers, thus lack future-proofing from a UX perspective.