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Apple Watch Life Expectancy
- Thread starter Bl0ckHe1d
- Start date
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itsmemuffins
macrumors 68040
Original battery will give out before anything else. 18 to 24 months. After that the battery won’t hold a charge as well.
Was expecting a better life expectancy than that! Any idea if the battery is replaceable?
Good to know that the older watches can run on the latest OS, thanks.
tromboneaholic
Suspended
I don't know about the original Watch, but my second generation watch was 2 years old when I traded it in and the battery seemed just as good as when I bought it.
Cowboy1629
macrumors 6502
My S0 watch is still going strong, battery last me all day with a 30 minute exercise each day. Granted it is the slowest of all the Watches and can’t run the newer software but it is still going. It isn’t as fast or do as much as my S4 Watch but it’s still usable.
Newtons Apple
Suspended
I think it should go 2-3 years before needing a new battery. If it is a sport model it may not be worth getting a new battery due to cost.
cjgrover
macrumors newbie
Two year Series 2 owner here. I get between 1.5 and 2 days out of one full charge.
Mlrollin91
macrumors G5
Apple Watch includes a 1000cycle/80% health battery, meaning with heavy use it will last for 3+ years. iPhones have a 500 cycle battery.
OP: I currently have an S3, but my S0 still works - it's just very slow.
The term ‘Planned obsolescence’ is really misunderstood on these forums quite frequently. As Technology progresses, that means processor improvements, software features, etc, older Gen devices like the Apple Watch that are not optimized or sufficient to support certain enhancements with new technology, generally become slower over time, that doesn’t mean that it’s ‘Planned’, it means it’s progressive where dated technology is superseded by something else, That does not apply just to Tech, that applies to many other aspects., as technology is consistently evolving. However, Apple products tend to be some of the longest lasting products, but none of it’s planned with the intent to force the consumer to do anything.
Reference the Apple Watch, now with the 64-bit S4 dual core, it’s far more capable (And powerful) than the first Gen watch ever was.
Reference the Apple Watch, now with the 64-bit S4 dual core, it’s far more capable (And powerful) than the first Gen watch ever was.
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I have an almost 3year old AWO. It gets through most days. Where it has trouble is when I use the exercise app for more than 3 hours - then I charge it while taking a shower.
But several friends have purchased newer watches, and they report that the battery life is much, much better.
But several friends have purchased newer watches, and they report that the battery life is much, much better.
Momof2.1107
macrumors demi-goddess
I have a launch day S2 (release September 2016) and it can last almost 1.5 days with light use. I have a S4, that I use during the day and the S2 at night just for sleep tracking.
Mac'nCheese
Suspended
My Series 2 is already annoyingly slow on some apps (the Strong workout app is nearly unusable). Battery has gotten worse but still lasts more than 1 day
BigMcGuire
macrumors G4
My S3 GPS I've owned for a year now. Going strong and not slow at all. I hope to get at least another year of usage out but I imagine 2 years more (3 total) would be fairly easy. Like Relentless Power said, the latest watch is far more future proof.
artfossil
macrumors 68000
My three year old Series 0 Watch refuses to die . . . . Even the battery life is unchanged. But I finally got a Series 3 in June.
I was pleasantly surprised at the longevity of the Series 0. I'm confident the Series 3 will last me for 3 years and also confident I'll want a newer model before then. 😎
I was pleasantly surprised at the longevity of the Series 0. I'm confident the Series 3 will last me for 3 years and also confident I'll want a newer model before then. 😎
rdillon2008
macrumors 6502
In my opinion, I do not think I will be accepting updates on my watch. I think it these things slow down when you get updates. Same thing I am doing with my phone; staying on the ios 12 and not taking incremental updates unless it is ios 13
tromboneaholic
Suspended
When I bought my Series 1, the first update actually improved my battery life.
If you are worried about it, you can always wait a few weeks to see what the reports are. Just keep in mind that with every new update like clockwork there will always be someone saying it killed their battery life. I tend to take those reports with a grain of salt unless it seems widespread.
iVegas
macrumors 6502
I replaced my launch day series 0 the day the Series 4 came out. I wore it every day from when I woke up to when I went to sleep. The battery lasted all day, every day up to it's retirement. Probably would have gone another year easily.
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I just traded in my original 3.5 year old 42mm SS Apple Watch it was working great. Battery lasted all day but it was running slow and could no longer accept phone calls and it wasn’t eligible for Watch OS 5. I still have a 38mm SBSS it it works fine other than being slow.
When the Apple Watch first launched, I was a bit of a fanatic, I actually owned four of them, and fortunately I never had any of the battery expanding issues, and they are all stainless models, but they really were well-made and I primarily only used it for fitness and notifications, which is all I could ask for. (Especially being I didn’t want to carry my iPhone Plus with me all the time.)
My series 0 worked pretty good except that subsequent updates slowed it down. When I upgraded to the Series 4 I gifted the Series 0 to a family member. Goes to show you how strong it was going.
I plan on holding my Apple Watches til Apple stops supporting the model. I plan to do that with all my Apple products going forward. It's getting to expensive to buy products every other year or even every three years.
I plan on holding my Apple Watches til Apple stops supporting the model. I plan to do that with all my Apple products going forward. It's getting to expensive to buy products every other year or even every three years.
For those who have replaced the battery on their own doing (If that is what you’re referring to), seemed to experience issues with the Force Touch not working properly or consistently.
BornAgainMac
macrumors 604
What about the original Gold watch Series 0? Do people just put it in a drawer? Even with a new battery, the tech is super slow and useless.