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Battery Life Breakdown

S

sterl320

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 3, 2015
448
93
So I've seen a ton of people on here claim that the battery life on the :apple:Watch is too short. That it will be embarrassing if the Watch died on them.

My question is: What do you plan on doing with the :apple:Watch that would drain the battery before the day is up?

Since the Watch isn't out & no one has been able to post any full reviews on it, we can only go by the information that Apple has provided.

So for example, The watch will last up to 6.5 hours using any workout specific software. NO ONE works out for 6 hours straight, & if you do, you are definitely doing it wrong.

The watch will last up to 6.5 hours playing music. You can't even put 6.5 hours worth of different songs on the :apple:Watch, but you can on your iPhone, which you would most likely have on you anyway.

& the feature that I think has been extremely overlooked is Power Reserve, which the Watch will automatically switch to if the battery should ever get too low, & will keep the Watch on for an additional 72 hours so you can still use the Watch as a Watch, meaning it can still be used as a timepiece.

You have an issue with charging it every night? Why exactly? What will you be doing while you're sleeping that you must have your watch on your wrist?

I'm just looking for a rational reason why the 18 hours worth of general use is not enough.

Here's the link for the Battery info.
https://www.apple.com/watch/battery.html
 
Last edited:
I think power reserve mode lasts for 72 hours from fully charged, to be honest.
 
dylman said:
I think power reserve mode lasts for 72 hours from fully charged, to be honest.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make sense. Power Reserve only starts after the battery life is low, & the paragraph says it gives an additional 72 hours of battery.
 
They don't clearly state that at all. The page linked above says up to 72 hours.

Edit: you can choose to put the phone in power reserve mode as well.
 
sterl320 said:
You have an issue with charging it every night? Why exactly? What will you be doing while you're sleeping that you must have your watch on your wrist?
Click to expand...

Alarm

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dylman said:
They don't clearly state that at all. The page linked above says up to 72 hours.

Edit: you can choose to put the phone in power reserve mode as well.
Click to expand...

"If your battery gets too low, Apple Watch automatically switches into Power Reserve mode so you can continue to see the time for up to 72 hours."

Is that really unclear?
 
dannyyankou said:
Alarm

So Alarms only work for you if the alarm is on your wrist? They can't be, let's say, on the nightstand, or on your dresser, or even right next to you on the bed? It absolutely has to be on your wrist?
Click to expand...
 
dannyyankou said:
Alarm

So Alarms only work for you if the alarm is on your wrist? They can't be, let's say, on the nightstand, or on your dresser, or even right next to you on the bed? It absolutely has to be on your wrist?
Click to expand...

It will vibrate on your wrist. I'll recharge the battery before I go to bed and put the watch on when I sleep.
 
dylman said:
They don't clearly state that at all. The page linked above says up to 72 hours.

Edit: you can choose to put the phone in power reserve mode as well.
Click to expand...

Where was it stated that power reserve can be manually switched on the Watch?

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dannyyankou said:
sterl320 said:
It will vibrate on your wrist. I'll recharge the battery before I go to bed and put the watch on when I sleep.
Click to expand...

While a vibrating alarm is an... interesting thought, to say the least, what I'm asking is if its a must have? There have been many claims that people feel its too much to charge it every day/night, & i am just wondering if whether using it as an alarm is one of the reasons why having to charge it every night isn't ideal.
Click to expand...
 
dannyyankou said:
Alarm

----------



"If your battery gets too low, Apple Watch automatically switches into Power Reserve mode so you can continue to see the time for up to 72 hours."

Is that really unclear?
Click to expand...

I believe the statement is open to interpretation that's all. I also think if the last 10% (or whatever) of the battery lasts up to 72 hours in power reserve mode, then Apple would have mentioned that the watch lasts 720 hours (or whatever) in power reserve mode on a full battery.

Anyway, I hope you're right, an additional 3 days usage after using it normally for a day would occasionally be a lifesaver.
 
sterl320 said:
While a vibrating alarm is an... interesting thought, to say the least, what I'm asking is if its a must have? There have been many claims that people feel its too much to charge it every day/night, & i am just wondering if whether using it as an alarm is one of the reasons why having to charge it every night isn't ideal.
Click to expand...

It isn't a must have, but this person obviously wants it and has a reason too (perhaps s/he doesn't want to wake up others around them).

The watch isn't a must have full stop, so this is an entirely legitimate concern of battery life.
 
my problem with this watch is not only the battery life... but also charging time.

2 and half hours full is RIDICULOUS for a watch. I was hoping for 20 minutes to 80%. So I can put it off when I get ready for work. I kinda want to have a sleep tracker
 
dylman said:
I've definitely read it somewhere, although now all I can find is this piece, which I'll admit isn't exactly definitive:

http://9to5mac.com/2015/03/01/nyt-a...ows-only-the-time-but-conserves-battery-life/
Click to expand...

I think it will be cool to be able to manually put the watch in power reserve mode. I've always been a fan of more & more options, even if they aren't options I see any use for. I see use in this one though.

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kingofwale said:
my problem with this watch is not only the battery life... but also charging time.

2 and half hours full is RIDICULOUS for a watch. I was hoping for 20 minutes to 80%. So I can put it off when I get ready for work. I kinda want to have a sleep tracker
Click to expand...

Do you bring your phone with you to work?
 
I see it says charges up in about 3 hours. Will it damage the battery if I leave it on charge all night whilst asleep? Around 8 hours every night...
 
dylman said:
I believe the statement is open to interpretation that's all. I also think if the last 10% (or whatever) of the battery lasts up to 72 hours in power reserve mode, then Apple would have mentioned that the watch lasts 720 hours (or whatever) in power reserve mode on a full battery.

Anyway, I hope you're right, an additional 3 days usage after using it normally for a day would occasionally be a lifesaver.
Click to expand...


After reading the battery stats page, I would agree with the above. I think its 72 hrs from a full charge, not from the time it goes into reserve.

The general battery information page shows various tests that Apple conducted to show how long the battery life lasted in different scenarios. If you read the battery reserve "test" it says they checked the time 4 times per hour and it lasted 72 hrs. Granted, there is some ambiguity and it could go either way....but reading the entire page leads me to believe that they ran that test from a full charge (like they did with all the other tests).
 
dannyyankou said:
It will vibrate on your wrist. I'll recharge the battery before I go to bed and put the watch on when I sleep.
Click to expand...

This is a capability I am hoping for....and actually some type of sleep monitoring that would wake you depending on the sleep cycle you are in (i.e. wake you at the best time so you are not groggy in the morning).

My plan is to do a full charge before I sleep (2.5 hrs needed) and then wear it all night as long as it does not feel too bulky, etc. I'll keep a second charger in my work bag, just like I do for my iPhone, and do a quick 80% charge sometime during the day while I am at my desk on a conference call / meeting, etc.

As long as I can get through the day and the gym after work I am happy. I take my watches off when I get home from the gym and jump into the shower anyway. By the time I shower, eat dinner, and get ready for bed...the watch should be charged to 100%.
 
As I wear my watch at night whilst asleep as well as during the day it looks like I will have to charge it twice a day, once in the morning before going to work and once at night before going to sleep. I don't really have an option to charge it at work as its not practical from a security point of view due to the office environment I work in which is basically open plan and no extra power sockets at my desk that I can use.
 
I don't see myself have any battery issues. I work all day so the most I'll be doing is checking the time periodically throughout the day. Might get more use in the evenings and weekends. I don't see myself having any issues and anyways I plan to have a charger at home and at work so if the battery drains at work I can always charge it at lunch.
 
I will buy an extra puck and charge it while sat at my desk at work. save me having to do it at night.

As long as one full recharge will be enough per day.
 
Tim7 said:
I see it says charges up in about 3 hours. Will it damage the battery if I leave it on charge all night whilst asleep? Around 8 hours every night...
Click to expand...

This is why when I get my Watch I'll start charging with an alarm for 3 hours later so I can unplug it and go back to sleep.
 
I think its a convenience thing. Once people get into the habit of taking it off, snapping the charger into place and going to sleep, they'll be fine.

With traditional watches, falling asleep with your watch on isn't an issue, or something you even think about.
 
I think people are getting paranoid about battery usage. I am sure that Apple have done enough testing over the last couple of years to be satisfied that batteries will stand up to constant charging.
If people are worried about battery drainage during the day then get one of those lipstick sized usb battery chargers. They supply enough charge to completely recharge a dead iPhone one and a half times.
 
sterl320 said:
So for example, The watch will last up to 6.5 hours using any workout specific software. NO ONE works out for 6 hours straight, & if you do, you are definitely doing it wrong.

The watch will last up to 6.5 hours playing music. You can't even put 6.5 hours worth of different songs on the :apple:Watch, but you can on your iPhone, which you would most likely have on you anyway.
Click to expand...
But what about working out and playing music at the same time? Don't get me wrong, I'm buying this Watch so fast, and I have very few concerns about battery life, but if I thought anything I did would be the cause of battery drain, it would be the workouts + music combo.

& the feature that I think has been extremely overlooked is Power Reserve, which the Watch will automatically switch to if the battery should ever get too low, & will keep the Watch on for an additional 72 hours so you can still use the Watch as a Watch, meaning it can still be used as a timepiece.
Click to expand...
I didn't know it was an additional 72 hours, and that's awesome.

You have an issue with charging it every night? Why exactly? What will you be doing while you're sleeping that you must have your watch on your wrist?
Click to expand...
As others have stated, an alarm. I do kind of wish I could have the silent alarm for waking me up. That said, I'll survive. I may try wearing it in my sleep some just to see if it would even be comfortable.

I'm just looking for a rational reason why the 18 hours worth of general use is not enough.
Click to expand...
For me, it definitely should be. Obviously, I won't know for sure until I'm wearing it though.

----------
hemolyzer said:
This is why when I get my Watch I'll start charging with an alarm for 3 hours later so I can unplug it and go back to sleep.
Click to expand...
Don't do that.

Tim7 said:
I see it says charges up in about 3 hours. Will it damage the battery if I leave it on charge all night whilst asleep? Around 8 hours every night...
Click to expand...
No.
 
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