Apple’s Vision Pro Battery Isn’t Hot-Swappable, But the Cable Can Be Replaced

The Apple Vision Pro, set to be released to the public tomorrow, is powered by an external battery pack with a capacity of 3,166 mAh, compared to the 3,274 mAh battery that powers the iPhone 15 Pro, although it should be noted that the voltages are different.

As revealed by Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber, the Vision Pro battery is approximately the same width and height as an iPhone 15 Pro, but thicker. The battery is also heavier, weighing in at about 325 g, compared to 187 g for an iPhone 15 Pro.

“It’s closer in thickness and weight to two iPhone 15’s than it is to one,” says Gruber.

The weight of the battery was also noted by Marques Brownlee in his unboxing video, describing it as “pretty heavy.” Brownlee compared it to smartphones with larger capacity 5,000+ mAh batteries that feel “much lighter.”

The silver Vision Pro external battery pack is equipped with a proprietary connector for attaching it to the Vision Pro headset. It also includes a USB-C port for charging with the 30W wall charger that is included in the box. The connector attaches to the Vision Pro by rotating it a quarter turn to lock the power cord into place.

Apple says the Vision Pro boasts up to two hours of operation overall (up to 2.5 hours for 2D video playback). This means many users will likely decide to purchase an additional $199 battery pack to power extended Vision Pro sessions.

Gruber warns that there is no built-in power reservoir in the headset, meaning the Vision Pro will immediately power off when the power cable is disconnected. This means a manual reboot will be required to change batteries.

However, there is a bit of good news for Vision Pro when it comes to the device’s battery pack. While the cable that connects the battery pack to the headset appears to be fixed in place, it can actually be removed if necessary.

Journalist Ray Wong posted on X that he was able to use a SIM card pin to “unlock” the cable and remove it from the battery pack. A small hole located next to the cable apparently contains a locking mechanism.

While the battery pack to headset cable appears to be similar to a Lightning cable, it has too many pins to be Lightning (as seen in the tweet below). Instead, it is a proprietary cable that won’t be able to be connected to other accessories or used for another purpose.

Apple likely designed the cable to be removable, allowing it to be swapped out without needing to replace the entire battery pack should the cable be damaged.

The Vision Pro package includes a single battery pack, and as mentioned above, additional modules are available for $199 each. The battery includes a USB-C port that allows charging the battery with a USB-C cable. Passthrough charging is supported.

The Apple Vision Pro launches in US stores this Friday, February 2. Apple will launch the Vision Pro in additional countries later this year. The device is currently in the hands of developers and reviewers.