Apple Watch Ultra 2 Advertised With 72-Hour Battery Life in Low Power Mode, But There's a Catch

[MacRumors]

While the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is advertised with up to 72 hours of battery life in Low Power Mode, compared to 60 hours for the original Ultra model, there is a catch.

According to fine print on Apple's website, the testing parameters for the Ultra 2 in Low Power Mode were different than those for the original Ultra.

The fine print for the original Apple Watch Ultra said:

Multi-day adventure battery life is based on the following use while in Low Power Mode and with workout settings enabled for fewer GPS and heart rate readings: 15 hours of hiking workout, over 600 time checks, 35 minutes of app use, 3 minutes of talk, and 15 hours of sleep tracking, over the course of 60 hours.

The fine print for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 says:

Battery life in Low Power Mode is based on the following use: 360 time checks, 360 notifications, 180 minutes of app use, and two 60-minute workouts with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth, over the course of 72 hours.

Given these very different testing parameters, customers should keep in mind that the Ultra 2 does not simply offer 12 hours more battery life than the original Ultra in Low Power Mode, which is something that could be easily misconstrued.

It's possible the original Ultra would also get around 72 hours of battery life in Low Power Mode based on the new testing parameters, but this is not proven yet.

We've reached out to Apple with a request for comment, and we'll update this story if the company provides a response.

Article Link: Apple Watch Ultra 2 Advertised With 72-Hour Battery Life in Low Power Mode, But There's a Catch

 

[jayducharme]

I wonder if Apple looked at the metrics of how the Ultra was being used and revised their estimates accordingly.

 

[coolaaron88]

While the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is advertised with up to 72 hours of battery life in Low Power Mode, compared to 60 hours for the original Ultra model, there is a catch.

According to fine print on Apple's website, the testing parameters for the Ultra 2 in Low Power Mode were different than those for the original Ultra.

The fine print for the original Apple Watch Ultra said:The fine print for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 says:Given these very different testing parameters, customers should keep in mind that the Ultra 2 does not simply offer 12 hours more battery life than the original Ultra in Low Power Mode, which is something that could be easily misconstrued.

It's possible the original Ultra would also get around 72 hours of battery life in Low Power Mode based on the new testing parameters, but this is not proven yet.

We've reached out to Apple for request for comment, and we'll update this story if the company provides a response.

Article Link: Apple Watch Ultra 2 Advertised With 72-Hour Battery Life in Low Power Mode, But There's a Catch

Itll be misconstrued lol

 

[Jdusofbf]

So they went in their testing from 15 hours of hiking + sleep tracking to 2 hours of workouts without any sleep tracking? Of course they got 12 extra hours lol

 

[madmin]

They probably made the new battery out of recycled nickel and dimes

 

[nathan_reilly]

I wonder if Apple looked at the metrics of how the Ultra was being used and revised their estimates accordingly.

well it'd be nice if they went back and retested the first Ultra accordingly, right?

 

[apparatchik]

I wonder if Apple looked at the metrics of how the Ultra was being used and revised their estimates accordingly.

I think that's it, Apple is not known for artificially inflate testing metrics and their battery estimates are usually accurate, they might hype features and marketing but battery estimates are usually on point.

 

[nathan_reilly]

They probably made the new battery out of recycled nickel and dimes

<3 this with my whole heart

 

[tooloud10]

Turning off Always On Display and Raise To Wake improved my normal Ultra battery life to about 48 hours. I would much rather have the better battery life than either of those features. I do not use Low Power Mode on any of my devices.

 

[JosephAW]

If your checking the time 22 times per hour you need to find a better job. ⌚

 

[Anonymous Freak]

As an Apple Watch Ultra (1) user, I can confirm it’s possible to get 72 hours of use. I usually get 48-60 hours of use with normal use, and if I take a few power-saving precautions, can easily last a whole 3-day weekend.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I think the battery life in Apple Watch Ultra has been amazing. WatchOS 10 makes it even better and pushes the limits further.

 

[ignatius345]

If your checking the time 22 times per hour you need to find a better job. ⌚

I might obsessively check the time pretty frequently when I'm catching a train or something. Ten times an hour? Fifteen? I have no idea. It's sort of an ambient thing with a boring old quartz watch that knows not one bit how often I absentmindedly look at it -- as much a time security blanket as anything else.

But after four decades of having one, I feel like if I had an Apple Watch I'd find myself kind of weirded out by the blank screen and probably checking it more often than necessary just out of mystery. Does Apple Watch have an hourly chime or vibration or something? That could be useful.

 

[SteveJobs2.0]

Apple seems to be telling a whole lot of white lies these days.

 

[zinned]

I use Ultra gen 1 and I’ve since release date got around 55-60 hours per full charge without turning on off any functionality. Why shouldn’t 72 hours in low power mode be possible?

 

[JoEw]

They probably made the new battery out of recycled nickel and dimes

best comment I've seen on MR in awhile 😅

 

[dannyyankou]

Apple, usually under promises and over delivers when it comes to Apple Watch battery Life anyway.

 

[contacos]

When did they remove hours of „web browsing“ estimates for iPhone by the way? Noticed it this morning when I was comparing battery life of 15 Plus VS Pro Max. I swear it used to show it up until a certain generation

 

[sw1tcher]

The fine print for the original Apple Watch Ultra said:

Multi-day adventure battery life is based on the following use while in Low Power Mode and with workout settings enabled for fewer GPS and heart rate readings: 15 hours of hiking workout, over 600 time checks, 35 minutes of app use, 3 minutes of talk, and 15 hours of sleep tracking, over the course of 60 hours.

Alright, who does 15 hours of hiking workout over the course of 60 hours? That doesn't seem like real-world usage to me for your average Apple Watch owner.

 

[GraXXoR]

Plot twist: in order to get 72 hours in power saving mode, you have to switch the watch off.

 

[klasma]

With all the tech know-how Apple presumably has, they should be able to provide a formula or calculator site where you can enter your own usage parameters and get a battery life estimate. That way one could also easily compare different generations.

 

[cjgrif]

As an Apple Watch Ultra (1) user, I can confirm it’s possible to get 72 hours of use. I usually get 48-60 hours of use with normal use, and if I take a few power-saving precautions, can easily last a whole 3-day weekend.

I have been needing to charge every 3rd night, and even then it's usually just under 30% triggering the "charge before bed" message. I don't have cellular enabled and haven't been actively tracking workouts with it, AOD off, but no other low power mode options enabled.

 

[BornAgainMac]

If I ever had to go on a hike in the woods, I would switch to low power mode just in case.

 

[JosephAW]

Not an Apple Watch user but I'm cheap, have a$30 Walmart Wyze watch and it does the time and custom faces and view notifications and the ability to reject phone calls without breaking out the iPhone.

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

One full day of battery life is all I ask for. I’m rocking the AWU full throttle. I like living on the edge