Apple Watch Series 2 is Slightly Thicker and Heavier Due to Larger Battery

[sterno74]

Apple blew it on this one. I was one of the people who preordered the original Apple Watch as soon as I could get it. I've been looking forward to the second generation thinking they'd refine a few of the things I didn't like as much about it.

Overall I like my watch. The activity tracking is good, the apps are useful and I'm glad I got it. The one thing, the ONE thing I don't like about it is how thick it is. It's not horrible, but it is bulky, and I assumed that one of the first things Apple would do is look to make it thinner when they upgraded. Like keep battery life and overall performance about the same but make it a much nicer fit on the wrist.

Then they go and make it THICKER? Are you insane? And it's not a small difference. It's about 1mm, and that doesn't sound too bad but that's actually a 10% increase in something that was already too big.

What's worse is they made it thicker for no good reason. Yeah I get a GPS to track my outdoor activity when I don't have my phone which would be nice if I EVER did that. So they added weight and thickness so they could add more battery power to drive a feature that I have no use for.

Apple's been sliding off the rails for a while and this is the clearest evidence of that.

 

[Fall Under Cerulean Kites]

Aren't Glocks made of ceramic? You'd think it would have to be pretty durable to fire a bullet. I doubt you'd be hitting it against anything with that much force.

Glocks are polymer, not ceramic. That said, I think you’re right about the durability. Think about ceramic tile that you likely walk on each day. They hold up fairly well.

 

[GaryLasereyes]

Apple blew it on this one. I was one of the people who preordered the original Apple Watch as soon as I could get it. I've been looking forward to the second generation thinking they'd refine a few of the things I didn't like as much about it.

Overall I like my watch. The activity tracking is good, the apps are useful and I'm glad I got it. The one thing, the ONE thing I don't like about it is how thick it is. It's not horrible, but it is bulky, and I assumed that one of the first things Apple would do is look to make it thinner when they upgraded. Like keep battery life and overall performance about the same but make it a much nicer fit on the wrist.

Then they go and make it THICKER? Are you insane? And it's not a small difference. It's about 1mm, and that doesn't sound too bad but that's actually a 10% increase in something that was already too big.

What's worse is they made it thicker for no good reason. Yeah I get a GPS to track my outdoor activity when I don't have my phone which would be nice if I EVER did that. So they added weight and thickness so they could add more battery power to drive a feature that I have no use for.

Apple's been sliding off the rails for a while and this is the clearest evidence of that.

It's literally impossible right now to do what you wanted them to do. You want it to maintain the same battery life and performance (with a more taxing processor) and somehow make the battery smaller so they can slim it down? You understand why that isn't possible, right? And by watch standards it's not even that thick. If you've ever worn a watch before and it was comfortable then this shouldn't be an issue at all.

 

[69650]

It's literally impossible right now to do what you wanted them to do. You want it to maintain the same battery life and performance (with a more taxing processor) and somehow make the battery smaller so they can slim it down? You understand why that isn't possible, right? And by watch standards it's not even that thick. If you've ever worn a watch before and it was comfortable then this shouldn't be an issue at all.

If it had a sim card so I could use it to make and receive calls without my iPhone then I would buy one because I could put up with having something heavy and bulky on my wrist for the added benefit.

 

[clayek]

I cant remember the last time Apple released a product that was thicker and heavier than the previous model.

You still have to carry your iPhone to make it work so I don't see the point in wearing one.

I can remember an apple product that was thicker and heavier than the previous model - iPad 3rd gen. That was when they switched to retina and that added weight and thickness. Same for the iPad mini.

As to your second comment - there's lots of things the watch can do without an iPhone, mainly the health tracking features. Also it's still a timepiece without the iPhone

 

[mattopotamus]

I sold my SS on eBay 2 weeks ago. Will get the new model next week.

Out of curiosity, how much did you get for the SS?

 

[MaulRx]

Some places are saying it has a barometer but Apple tech specs don't mention one.

 

[mattopotamus]

I can remember an apple product that was thicker and heavier than the previous model - iPad 3rd gen. That was when they switched to retina and that added weight and thickness. Same for the iPad mini.

As to your second comment - there's lots of things the watch can do without an iPhone, mainly the health tracking features. Also it's still a timepiece without the iPhone

I would hardly call that a lot. Music and health data. I really wish it worked independently. For example, water proof is a great feature, but when you are around 15 feet away you see the "disconnect phone" icon and nothing really works. This past weekend I was at the lake and the phone was on the boat a few feet away and it kept losing connection. Would be nice to be in the water and still get text or not have to follow the boat around when it is anchored. The same is true for pools. If your phone is under an umbrella and you are in a pool it is pretty much too far away.

 

[macduke]

Battery life being the same .. I'm sticking with the pebble.

I almost didn't buy the first gen Watch because of battery life but it hasn't been a big deal at all. I plug in my iPhone every night, and right next to it is my Watch charger. Most people take off their watches at night anyway, so it's not difficult to just set it on the charger next to the iPhone. I'm glad I didn't listen to myself when it came to that concern. If I'm tethered to power every day anyway for my phone then it really doesn't matter. I've got a little 10,000mah battery in my bag that can charge up both several times if I really need it for whatever reason. I've hardly ever used it—mostly to charge up cameras over USB and one time to charge up my iPad before a meeting when I forgot to plug it in the night before.

 

[ifarlow]

in this case, Apple watch is too thick, I know, i own one from day 1. Feel free to disagree but millions of others agree with me

Millions? Are you sure it isn't billions? Related: I feel free to disagree with you without your explicit permission, but thank you for it anyway.

 

[jonnysods]

1mm is not a big deal to me. I can't even quantify how much the extra grams would feel on my wrist.

 

[Sonmi451]

I just want a watch that looks like a watch, not a mini iPhone. Samsung can do it, why can't Apple?

What? It looks totally fine. I wasn't a fan of the square face but I'm used to it now it looks pretty elegant.
[doublepost=1473356717][/doublepost]

Apple blew it on this one. I was one of the people who preordered the original Apple Watch as soon as I could get it. I've been looking forward to the second generation thinking they'd refine a few of the things I didn't like as much about it.

Overall I like my watch. The activity tracking is good, the apps are useful and I'm glad I got it. The one thing, the ONE thing I don't like about it is how thick it is. It's not horrible, but it is bulky, and I assumed that one of the first things Apple would do is look to make it thinner when they upgraded. Like keep battery life and overall performance about the same but make it a much nicer fit on the wrist.

Then they go and make it THICKER? Are you insane? And it's not a small difference. It's about 1mm, and that doesn't sound too bad but that's actually a 10% increase in something that was already too big.

What's worse is they made it thicker for no good reason. Yeah I get a GPS to track my outdoor activity when I don't have my phone which would be nice if I EVER did that. So they added weight and thickness so they could add more battery power to drive a feature that I have no use for.

Apple's been sliding off the rails for a while and this is the clearest evidence of that.

Everyone knew Apple Watch 2 would be the one to have. While that is almost true you are right it needs to be thinner but that is going to take a couple more years. GPS is more important than 1 mm so I'm glad they included it. Speed is also lacking in v1 so v2 is a welcome update.

 

[Makosuke]

Apple did not confirm that Apple Watch Series 2 models have a larger battery, but it is likely considering that battery life is equal to original models despite the Series 2's inclusion of a faster S2 chip and GPS.

GPS yes, but the S2 part of this sentence makes no sense--if the S2 actually did draw more power than the S1, then the revised Series 1 (which presumably has the same battery as before) would get less battery life than the original Apple watch, since it's getting an S2 as well.

Which I doubt, and in general I would be surprised if the next generation watch-targeted processor had a higher power draw than the original, and that's certainly not a given. If anything, I'd expect it to be lower. Performance is important, but power consumption must be the most important design factor in a chip like this.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Perhaps, but perhaps not. Also, is there any indication that the Series 2 will use the iPhone's GPS in lieu of its own if the opportunity arrises? Defeats the purpose of having on-board GPS, doesn't it? I don't know, but my belief is that the watch will always use its own GPS regardless of a connected iPhone. I'm happy to be wrong, however, if anyone knows otherwise.

It would be the most basic of functions for an AW S2 to default over to its internal GPS the moment it loses connective with the iPhone. Why would it always use its own GPS? That makes about zero sense, not to mention it uses battery faster.

 

[RoboCop001]

Not listing a better GPU here lets me think that chip-wise, there is no difference at all besides of the GPS ...

http://www.apple.com/watch/compare/

It might not be there, but they definitely mentioned that the GPU is improved in the keynote for Series 2, and when they spoke about updating Series 1, they specifically mentioned adding the dual core CPU and no mention of the GPU.

Unless I'm remembering incorrectly? Anyone else confirm?

 

[ScooterComputer]

It might not be there, but they definitely mentioned that the GPU is improved in the keynote for Series 2, and when they spoke about updating Series 1, they specifically mentioned adding the dual core CPU and no mention of the GPU.

Unless I'm remembering incorrectly? Anyone else confirm?

That's what I saw and heard as well.

 

[Boatboy24]

interesting. I wonder how many AW1 owners will upgrade, especially those with SS models.

I thought I would automatically. Have had the Sport for about 10 months now and figured I'd upgrade to SS when AW2 came out. Now I'm not so sure. I may stick w/ the Sport (upgrading to v2). I'm having a hard time justifying the price difference between the Sport and SS.
[doublepost=1473358525][/doublepost]

0.9 mm THICKER?!

Literally unwearable.

My left arm is going to get HUGE!

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

It's all crazy non-sense when people demand more, they get more, but won't accept the tiniest of compromises. 0.9mm? People talk as if they doubled it in size. Being the most technically challenging of products, I'm sure Apple won't be unset if people walk away because of it being 0.9mm thicker. I'm happy with my Series 1 watch and hope WatchOS 3 at least gives it a lease of life until 3rd/4th series appears.

They wouldn't have even noticed the difference if not for the tech specs.

Seems so many are always looking for a reason to cry and complain. They're never happy with anything in life.

 

[samcraig]

This might be why Jonny Ive wasn't on stage. He's in the hospital after having seizures and a heart attack

 

[9512tacoma]

.9mm is less than the thickness of a dime.

 

[ksnell]

I just want a watch that looks like a watch, not a mini iPhone. Samsung can do it, why can't Apple?

I have said this on here before. I assume you are wanting a circular display but I just have to ask, why?

Watches were only ever round by necessity due to analog functionality.

If you were making a watch from scratch and it were to be a smart watch, a circular display offers no advantage. There is a reason phones and computers and TVs and books are not round.

 

[jblagden]

I wish they would ditch the 2mm convex buldge for sensors. I mean I love the watch but it's painful to wear; that sensor buldge felt like a single point of pressure after a week of wearing. Tried everything to make it work but had to sell.

Besides, most folks don’t need all of that health monitoring. Maybe they could lower they price by $50 by removing the health stuff.
[doublepost=1473365108][/doublepost]

Maybe they’re changing their mind on their thinness obsession. Fixed your typo.

Yeah!

 

[sos47]

GPS battery life is a pathetic 5 hours max. That's not nearly good enough. I have a Suunto Ambit3 Vertical that is considered poor in the battery performance arena (compared to the Ambit3 Peak, for example) because it gets only 10 hours with GPS in its best performance setting and 100 hours in its worst performance setting. The Ambit3 Peak goes from 20 hours to 200 hours, depending on GPS performance. 20 hours. It also goes an entire month on a single charge when using it like a watch. At best I got a day and a half with the first Apple Watch when I had it. Series 2 will be no better.

Out of curiosity, I just checked my recent activity and found where I hiked Yonah Mountain. The entire round-trip took 5 hours and 4 minutes to complete including stopping at various landmarks. That means that if I didn't top off the Apple Watch right before setting out, it wouldn't have lasted the entire hike. That also means that if I did top off the Apple Watch right before setting out, it still likely wouldn't have lasted the entire hike considering that I would have received notifications, activated the screen, interacted with the watch, etc.

A 5 hour hike is nothing. I have been on bike rides that last longer than that, and once again, the Apple Watch wouldn't be able to keep up. Maybe one day it will, but right now... nope.



My Ambit3 Vertical is 15mm. The Ambit3 Peak is 18mm. The Garmin Fenix 3 is 16mm (and that doesn't include the HR bump on the HR model). The Garmin Epix is 17.8mm. The 42mm Apple Watch is average at best and not something I would call "one of the thickest watches out there."

AW is a fitness watch not a sport watch. no change in future, i believe.

 

[Tech198]

ok,, bigger battery, but not really a big deal, since we will be just using is more..

 

[bpcookson]

You are actually the first person I have heard mention that.

Yeah... I've mentioned it to Apple staff at the store, Best Buy staff, I've googled for it and scoured Apple forums, but I seem to truly be a special snowflake in this regard.

Maybe someday someone will chime in to agree.
[doublepost=1473373187][/doublepost]

Besides, most folks don’t need all of that health monitoring. Maybe they could lower they price by $50 by removing the health stuff.

Yeah, I mean is all that buldge just for the heart rate sensor? Cuz if so that's crazy.