Almost every year at CES, a company claims to solve the No. 1 problem with our modern smartphones: battery life. 2025 is no exception to the rule with Swippit.
With its connected toaster appearance, the machine caused a sensation at CES. As Cnet, The Verge and 9to5Google note, the Swippit Hub sells the dream of a phone that never runs out of juice. No more 120 watt chargers or 7000 mAh batteries, the company modestly promises to “reinvent the way you charge your phone ».
Behind these well-established marketing arguments lies a very simple idea: that of permanently attaching an external battery to your smartphone. Battery which, once empty, is exchanged in two steps, three movements for a full one. So, no need to worry about your battery percentage anymore, you can change batteries whenever you want.
5 seconds for 3700 mAh
Concretely; The Swippit system is made up of two devices. A case containing an external battery that you must stick to your phone (The “Link“) and a machine containing replacement batteries that are always charged (the “Hub“). Once the external battery of your case is flat, simply install the phone in the hub slot so that the machine ejects the empty battery, puts it on charge and replaces it with a full one.
In just a few seconds and after what looks more like a stupid battery exchange than a real “revention» of our daily lives, the Swippit user leaves with a 3700 mAh battery ready to give a boost to their mobile.
The return of interchangeable batteries
But if, on paper, the idea may seem quite clever, it also comes with some technical limitations. First of all, you have to agree to add a rather heavy and imposing case to your phone. Secondly, the proprietary cases are only available in iPhone format for the moment, even if Swippit plans to develop its accessories for the Galaxy S and Google smartphones.
Finally, and this is not insignificant, the price of the device is high. A Hub + a shell costs around $330 (or €320 in gross conversion, the device is not sold in Europe at the moment). And this price takes into account a special CES discount since at its official launch, the total price will be around $450.
To go further
Removable or replaceable batteries on smartphones: what does the EU really want?
It’s a bit expensive to pay to solve such a small everyday problem. Especially when we remember a world where it was easy to directly change the battery of your phone without having to go through a complex and expensive machine.
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