Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Watch Battery Life: 18 Hours Mixed Usage, Up to 72 Hours on Power Reserve

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,633
38,052



Apple-Watch-MagSafe-Inductive-Charger-250x280.jpg
Apple has outlined specific information about Apple Watch battery life on its website, claiming that the wrist-worn device gets all-day battery life of 18 hours on a single charge based on mixed usage, and up to 72 hours in Power Reserve mode. The battery testing was conducted in March using a preproduction Apple Watch paired with an iPhone running preproduction software.

Apple claims that the Apple Watch has battery life of up to 3 hours for talk time, 6.5 hours for audio playback over Bluetooth, up to 7 hours during a workout session with the heart rate sensor on and up to 48 hours for timekeeping. Apple Watch charging times are listed as about 1.5 hours from 0% to 80% and 2.5 hours from 0% to 100% using the included MagSafe inductive charger.

Apple's claim of all-day battery life is based on using the Apple Watch for 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 30-minute workout with music playback via Bluetooth over the course of 18 hours. Apple used a 38mm Apple Watch for testing and claims that the 42mm will generally experience longer battery life. Additional magnetic chargers are available on Apple's bands and accessories page, costing $29 for a 1-meter cable and $39 for a 2-meter cable.

Article Link: Apple Watch Battery Life: 18 Hours Mixed Usage, Up to 72 Hours on Power Reserve
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/09/apple-watch-battery-life-power-reserve/
That's much better than I was expecting.

I am still concerned about skin oil and dirt getting in the charger port.

EDIT: port was the wrong word, but I'm worried about grime on the magnetic sensor. Probably it makes no difference, but it's still something I thought about.
 
Last edited:
They're obviously hiding the battery in the link bracelet.

I think the Apple watch price is going to be a long running joke.
 
I'm confused... How does "talk time" relate to the Apple Watch? I thought the device just alerts you to incoming calls. Why is the watch's battery life so affected when you're talking on your phone?
 
18 hours sounds reasonable. They will keep on working on battery life, so I will wait for at least 2nd or even maybe 3rd gen before buying one.
 
clukas said:
18 hours sounds reasonable. They will keep on working on battery life, so I will wait for at least 2nd or even maybe 3rd gen before buying one.
Click to expand...

So you're getting an Apple Watch in 3 years? Have fun waiting :cool:

18 hours is more than reasonable. How many hours a day are you awake? If you sleep just 6 hours, the other 18 hours of the day, you can have the Watch on.

Take it off at night, put it on in the morning. 18 hours is a very comfortable margin for regular use without having to ever worry about the battery.
 
That battery life is actually better than I was expecting. Apple's marketing has worked on me...I'm now interested in a purchase, but it's going to be the Sport edition for me! I loved the idea of the milanese loop band, but the premium price tag on that simply isn't worth it given the internals of the watch are exactly the same. Still, $10k for the Edition. That's almost as much as the Macintosh IIfx cost back in the day!
 
CedarPoint182 said:
I'm confused... How does "talk time" relate to the Apple Watch? I thought the device just alerts you to incoming calls. Why is the watch's battery life so affected when you're talking on your phone?
Click to expand...

Watch the keynote. You can talk through your watch (a la Dick Tracy), if you want to (of course an iPhone within Bluetooth or WiFi distance is required). Also talk time would include Siri, recording voice messages, etc.
 
Last edited:
The battery life is definitely a pleasant surprise and makes the device more functional, but I'm still not convinced on the product itself.
 
huh?

CedarPoint182 said:
I'm confused... How does "talk time" relate to the Apple Watch? I thought the device just alerts you to incoming calls. Why is the watch's battery life so affected when you're talking on your phone?
Click to expand...

Go watch the announcement.
 
That's the charger? Eep. I like how elegant the charger is for my Pebble, what with the magnetic stuff on the side so I can keep this on a stand when I'm not wearing it.
I guess they'll want to sell us a special dock.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back