Cyclists - should the Apple Watch have a better operating temperature than the iPhone?

[TJ82]

Not a problem that most people will in any way relate to but worth a try..

Basically every winter my iPhone (doesn't matter what model) will be useless within an hour of cycling around or below 0 degrees (celsius). I keep it in my back jersey pocket. It pops back up to almost full charge when I get back home. Simply the nature of how these batteries perform at extreme temperatures.

The watch would be on your wrist however so do you think it'd do better in colder temperatures? On the other hand it would be be getting blasted with cold air, whereas the phone has some wind protection being in the back jersey pocket.

Long shot but anyone have any experience with this? Was thinking to get an LTE Apple watch for myself and use it for emergencies. Would be lighter and less expensive too if I wiped and trashed it.

 

[profets]

Good question. I think there's a good chance the Watch stays warmer, especially since it'll be pressed against your skin.

I do know that when I do long outdoor runs in the winter I definitely run into that issue with the phone, though never happened to me with the watch.

 

[PTVMan]

Good question. I would also like for Apple to add auto-pause to the Outdoor Cycling activity.

 

[sean000]

I had the exact same issue with my iPhone 6 last Winter. On cold days it would sometimes die on me whether I was cycling or walking... even if I have it in my jacket pocket. This could sometimes happen within 15 minutes of being outside. Once I would get home and plug it in, it would wake up and still report plenty of battery life. I have never had this issue with my Apple Watch Series 0. I have the 38mm Aluminum Sport and I started wearing it in July, 2015. It has never died on me unless I completely ran the battery down (even then it doesn't die... it just switches to low power mode). So I don't think the watch should have any issues in cold weather (at least not for an hour or so). Wearing it against your skin probably helps. Mine is usually covered up by a jacket and/or gloves as well.

Sean

 

[mk313]

I agree with Sean. I haven't used it cycling that cold but I have gone on sub zero degree runs and had no issues with the Watch dying.