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

For me, on most occasions 18 hours will be more than enough. After some thought, I don't believe I even wear my current watch for that long.

With that being said, I am a little concerned that on days that I travel I will most likely run out of power. That is unfortunate, because those are the days in which the watch would probably be most useful.

I could be wrong... I guess I will need to test it out and see.
 
newagemac said:
My wife doesn't wear pants or pockets much. She carries her phone in her purse. I'm always frustrated when she's at home and I call her but she doesn't answer because she doesn't carry her purse around everywhere. With the Apple Watch that shouldn't be a problem.

Same goes for music playback. She works out a lot and it's much easier for her to control her music with a device attached to her wrist than having to stop her workout and dig through her purse to change the music on the phone.

A phone is great to have but it isn't the most convenient method for everything. Especially since the whole industry has gone to phones the size of small tablets almost.
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You misunderstood me. I want to do the same thing. I want to keep my phone in my backpack and control the music from the Watch. My question was: Why would the music then have to come from the battery-limited Watch as opposed to the phone, which also has more storage space? I can control the music from the Watch, but it would be streamed from the phone to the Bluetooth headset. It seems completely pointless to pair the Bluetooth headphones with the Watch instead.
 
ipedro said:
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.
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I personally would not say "18 hours is more than reasonable".

For a lot of people the :apple:watch will replace a traditional watch that usually lasts for years on the same battery power to an :apple:watch that won't even last a day before needing to be charged again.

I have to agree with a lot of people here and wait for the Second/Third generation of the Iwatch when significant improvements will have been made.
 
nutjob said:
There are other solutions to this problem than a $350 watch. You're reaching.
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For example?

I have my iPhone in my backpack. My bluetooth headphones are paired and on my ears. How do I control the music? Yep, works via Siri if the headphones have a microphone and if I remember the names of the songs or playlists I want to listen to. But that's the only option I can think of.

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Seanthesheep said:
I have to agree with a lot of people here and wait for the Second/Third generation of the Iwatch when significant improvements will have been made.
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I don't know where people get the idea from that a second generation Watch would have a longer battery time. Battery technology is not making huge jumps forward. I would be willing to bet a good amount of money that the battery time will not change in subsequent models.
 
fitshaced said:
They're obviously hiding the battery in the link bracelet.

I think the Apple watch price is going to be a long running joke.
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You have that right. Been holding back for a while 'til today. One big back-story here is why they went this instead of a Lightning connector. Story goes, one of the reasons why they went from the wide 30-pin connector to the Lightning connector was for the watch.
 
kstotlani said:
18 hours is reasonable if you didn't want sleep tracking. Apple doesn't have sleep tracking in the watch yet. If they had sleep tracking then 18 hours is not adequate. Also each battery has 500 cycles of charging that means you will need a battery replacement in less than 18 months. When a company says typical usage it means that your real world battery time would definitely be less than 18 hours. I am guessing the watch would get 12 hours on a single charge.
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I don't think we know how many cycles to expect from the Apple Watch Battery yet.

Apple has published battery cycle expectations for other devices here:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/service-and-recycling/
  • iPhone: 80% of original capacity after 500 cycles
  • iPad: 80% of original capacity after 1000 cycles
  • iPod: 80% of original capacity after 400 cycles
  • MacBook: 80% of original capacity after 1000 cycles
Apple Watch isn't listed yet.
 
MentalFloss said:
Battery technology is not making huge jumps forward. I would be willing to bet a good amount of money that the battery time will not change in subsequent models.
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It isn't the battery tech that makes the huge jump. It's the efficiency of the silicon (and software) that is powered by the battery that makes the huge jump allowing longer battery life.

And then on top of it more battery is crammed into the same amount of space as design improves and silicon shrinks.

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MentalFloss said:
For example?

I have my iPhone in my backpack. My bluetooth headphones are paired and on my ears. How do I control the music? Yep, works via Siri if the headphones have a microphone and if I remember the names of the songs or playlists I want to listen to. But that's the only option I can think of.
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What about pulling your phone out of your backpack? Maybe carry your phone in a shirt or pants pocket??!?

And I'm trying to imagine people on the go who have their phones stashed away in their backpacks ( and can't pull out their phone) and yet have plenty of time to monkey with a tiny 2" screen on their wrist as they move about.
 
trip1ex said:
It isn't the battery tech that makes the huge jump. It's the efficiency of the silicon (and software) that is powered by the battery that makes the huge jump allowing longer battery life.

And then on top of it more battery is crammed into the same amount of space as design improves and silicon shrinks.

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What about pulling your phone out of your backpack? Maybe carry your phone in a shirt or pants pocket??!?

And I'm trying to imagine people on the go who have their phones stashed away in their backpacks and yet have plenty of time to monkey with a 2" screen on their wrist as they move about.
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I think a compromise solution for this is super fast wireless charging with universal charging stations at accessible locations. So, fully charging your watch, phone, camera could be done in minutes at a convenience store or parking lot or an airport departure gate. Batteries will run down even if they last a year.
 
Dagless said:
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.
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I have to say, I hate the pebble charger (I love the pebble btw). I feel like I spend 3 minutes fiddling with the cord for it to say and if I even bump it, the cord falls out. Still, I will use my pebble for another year and buy gen 2 Apple Watch (which will hopefully be more waterproof!)
 
CarlosQG said:
If I were to get one, battery wouldn't be a big issue for me as I wouldn't use any social stuff and just look at the time and track my fitness. And since I train 2 hours and do yoga 1 hour, battery would last!
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Each to their own, but wouldn't a fitness band/watch be just as useful? You're missing a trick not using notifications, they really are useful once you get used to them :cool:
 
Don't install too many apps or you're probably going to burn plenty of juice just looking for an app. :p

apple-watch-dial-crown.jpg
 
Evmanw said:
I have to say, I hate the pebble charger (I love the pebble btw). I feel like I spend 3 minutes fiddling with the cord for it to say and if I even bump it, the cord falls out. Still, I will use my pebble for another year and buy gen 2 Apple Watch (which will hopefully be more waterproof!)
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Maybe it's because I keep mine in a dock I've never had it fall out. It is quite a weak grip, definitely no Mag port!
 
foodog said:
That may be, I'll take your word for it... I only saw where it automatically does so @ 10%
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Both are accurate. It automatically turns on at 10% or you can switch to that mode manually at any time.

I wish my iPhone had this somehow. Cut all processes except texts to my favorites list...
 
Seanthesheep said:
I personally would not say "18 hours is more than reasonable".

For a lot of people the :apple:watch will replace a traditional watch that usually lasts for years on the same battery power to an :apple:watch that won't even last a day before needing to be charged again.

I have to agree with a lot of people here and wait for the Second/Third generation of the Iwatch when significant improvements will have been made.
Click to expand...

Despite the name, this is not a watch. It's a wrist computer. Maybe in 30 years we'll have a wrist worn computer that lasts a year on a charge.
 
OllyW said:
Was that the iPhone that had it's price reduced by $200 just three months after it launched? ;)
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Probably worth considering that and holding out for a price drop. Not likely for the Edition or Sport but those bands would need to see a big drop in price.
 
Seanthesheep said:
I personally would not say "18 hours is more than reasonable".

For a lot of people the :apple:watch will replace a traditional watch that usually lasts for years on the same battery power to an :apple:watch that won't even last a day before needing to be charged again.

I have to agree with a lot of people here and wait for the Second/Third generation of the Iwatch when significant improvements will have been made.
Click to expand...

For a lot of people, the cell phone replaced a traditional phone that never needed to be charged.

For a lot of people, the laptop replaced the desktop, which never needed to be charged.

People adapt. And most people take their watch off at night anyway. Just charge it while you're sleeping - or don't get one. 18 hours of battery life is the weakest argument for not buying an Apple Watch. There are plenty of reasons why it may not be something of interest to you, but complaining about all day battery is really asinine.
 
Notice the brief paragraph at the bottom of the Apple Watch battery page?

"Apple Watch battery performance claims are based on test results from the 38mm Apple Watch. A 42mm Apple Watch typically experiences longer battery life."​
...that's something I admire about Apple - - they take the classy marketing route.

A lesser company would boast the specifications of the bigger one, and then say the smaller one typically experiences shorter battery life.
 
18 hours of dedicated use isn't unmanageable. It's not ideal, but also not horrible. I'm sure that if you manage the amount of tasks you delegate to the watch you could make that stretch a bit more. Incessantly, send voice memos or set up to receive a notification when the sun pops out and you'll drain that thing in a jiffy. Would have loved to have something that can match my Ambit at 2 weeks or so with regular HR monitoring but that's asking a lot for such a slim appearing device. IMO once people get over the new factor they all figure out ways to manage the battery. It's not a stand alone device, but one that is supposed to be a phone accessory. Once people figure out what things are critical and what things are distractions better done on a larger device they will make things work.

IPX7 isnt bad for an electronic device. IMO it's weak for a watch designated as a sport watch. But that's my hang up based on my experiences with watches and outdoor activity. I think this rating will serve well for the intended audience. You can do lots of things without fear of making a paper weight. The fear of being caught in a storm or tipping a kayak/canoe killing your high dollar watch are minimal.

The kicker left to be shown is the HR functionality. Both Fitbit devices with the led based monitoring suck. If Apple can make the HR function work through a wide range of activity either through variable power led's, better software or whatever they might take some serious market share from Garmin, Suunto and others in this market of fitness watches. The idea of not needing a chest straps to track your workout is a nice one. A 42mm sport is less than an Ambit3 HR by about $100. If you're a swimmer you're SOL, but runners bikers and gym rats are in.

Im definitely not going to be in line for one or get on the preorder list till real world reports come back, but it's looking better as of today.

Either way I wish Apple the best on a successful launch and profitable product family. I want more innovation in his arena. If the flop it will be a long time before someone else's jumps in.
 
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.
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And what do you think Apple will get the battery life up to. 30 hours? 40 hours? Who cares? My Navy Seals Watch battery lasted five years before I replaced it, as did my Movado battery. And these watches will last a lifetime or more and the technology will not be outdated in a year when a new model comes out, like the iWatch.

I simply have no need for a watch that I have to plug in at least once a day. I already have my iPad and iPhone. And everyone I have spoken to feels the same way. i don't get it. Why would I replace one of these for my Navy Seals Watch, which I can wear in the woods and on vacation, where I might not have electricity to plug it in?

The nicest thing about the iWatch, is the metalurgy technology put into the gold edition. But I am not convinced this is a product I will ever want.
 
18 hours? what a joke
18 hours doesn't really mean 18, it's up to 18. In reality you'll get 10-12 tops. After a year (and 300+ charge cycles) the battery life will be 7-8 hours at best.
That's like the worst battery life of all watches ever made lol.

I'll wait till 3rd gen. You guys have fun paying to be beta testers and make sure i'll have a nice watch in 2 years!
 
foodog said:
Sleep monitors are wildly inaccurate, in my experience.
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I have no idea wether the sleep monitor function in my Up band is accurate or not, I'm always asleep when it's being used.

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MentalFloss said:
Out of curiosity, if the Watch had sleep tracking, when would you actually ever charge it? You'd wear it at night for sleep tracking and during the day for timekeeping, notifications, etc. People are asking for water resistance, so you wouldn't even take it off when you take a shower. So when would you attach it to the charger?



I am not trying to applefanboyishly claim "They didn't give it sleep tracking so you can charge it!" But I guess at some point you HAVE to take it off, and the most obvious time for that is the night. Or if it had a three day battery life, would people accept to skip sleep tracking every third night?
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If it does sleep monitoring, I've not found any statement that it will, I'll charge it in the evening when I'm watching shows streamed to my Apple TV.

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nutjob said:
So when you forget to charge it, it turns into a "weight band" for working out your forearms. (It won't work as a door stop.)
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Do you have a lot of problems remembering to charge your devices? Have you seen a doctor? It might be a medical problem?
 
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