My father has been wearing a Series 4 aluminum daily since it came out. No issues. Still going strong. He doesn't do much with it but look at the time and the Stocks app, but otherwise it's still ticking!
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Durability of Apple Watches. - Should an Apple Watch last 5 years?
- Thread starter medicinejar
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I think my battery would have had it too by now if I hadn't disabled the AOD early on. How much did Apple give you on a trade in if you don't mind me asking? I do ask this and then realise Apple are more generous in other countries with this sort of thing. Last time I looked it was £70.
I've used my Series 2 for 6 years. Only the last months the battery dropped and couldn't last a day but only when I did activities. Maybe lucky I don't know, but I have a series 9 now and hope to have the same durability.
Sounds about like the US offer of $90. By the way, I was all set to buy an AW9. Looking at them on the display made me think the Ultra was huge. Actually trying on an Ultra changed my mind.
I just checked mine through Apple and they very kindly offered to take mine off me for free to recycle it for me lol.
My cousin has an Ultra and its too big for my wrist, but my tastes prefer the classic watch. I will wait now until the Series 10 and hope it is a new design for the tenth anniversary.
Also still using the series 5. Funny thing. I had the battery replaced earlier last year when its health dropped to 76% and now I feel like I can wring one more year of use out of it, in part to justify the cost of the battery swap.
Aside from being limited in the number of widgets I can have, my series 5 feels like it is still going strong and can still make it through a day. Now I wonder if there is going to be an ultra watch 3 next year?
Also still using the series 5. Funny thing. I had the battery replaced earlier last year when its health dropped to 76% and now I feel like I can wring one more year of use out of it, in part to justify the cost of the battery swap.
Aside from being limited in the number of widgets I can have, my series 5 feels like it is still going strong and can still make it through a day. Now I wonder if there is going to be an ultra watch 3 next year?
I resisted a battery swap as there was no way I was spending £90 on a service for a watch that was barely worth that in total. Luckily my original battery scrapes through an entire day from 6am to 11pm, just.
My father has the same one. Bought it at launch. He's pretty active with it, multiple workouts per day, etc. He's holding off with upgrading until they add that rumored diabetes blood sugar monitor (is that what they're working on?). I told him it might be a few years still.
i think that 5 years is the longest that could be "expected" by a lot of users.
but by "expected" i mean "hoped for".
a product with only around 10 years since introduction is just getting to the stage where we can begin to understand what apple's intentions are as to product life.
you mentioned battery swelling. that's a good example of a problem that can and does happen even after just 3 years.
but other than battery issues, 5 years is what i hope we can begin to expect for the Watch going forward.
above is in terms of build quality. not in terms of later software releases making the product run slowly.
in terms of that, for me, currently i can only get to the 3rd year point before i feel there are too many software and feature reasons why i want a new model.
im happy with my Series 8 until non-invasive glucose monitoring comes along (in 3 or 4 years).
Expect? No. It MIGHT last 5 years, but anything over 3 is bonus time.
I have a AW S3 where the battery has lasted longer and in better condition than my AW S5. S5 battery lasted about 2.5 years before replacement was required (battery health below the prescribed 80%)
That being said a couple of things have stuck with me over "time" (ban pun I know)
That being said a couple of things have stuck with me over "time" (ban pun I know)
- I have not seen a major difference in the new iterations since S5 to warrant the purchase.
- Battery life has been affected by new versions of Watch OS. In particular OS 10- much worse the OS 9.
After owning many Apple Watches, as well as getting several for my immediate family, I have full confidence they can last 5+ years with normal care. However, it's the battery that really determines the lifespan. IME, 3 years is pushing it. Sure it still works after 3 years, but it's unlikely to get you through a full day without a charge.
I am have a s5 bought in 2020. Still works fine and functional, a few scratches on screen and a bump on right up on the case. I bought s9 last month. Only reason ibought new one is that battery life was below 80% and it was not completing a whole day when i do activity. I had to keep my charger with when i go out for night time walking.
I say 4-5 says it should work fine. Buy the cheapest one cuz even if you buy the stainless steel version or ultra you will not gain extra years. After all this is not the rolex watch you will present to your grandson. Its just a fitness gadget with some comfort addons.
I say 4-5 says it should work fine. Buy the cheapest one cuz even if you buy the stainless steel version or ultra you will not gain extra years. After all this is not the rolex watch you will present to your grandson. Its just a fitness gadget with some comfort addons.
AW S3 over 5 years old... still going strong with battery health in the 90s
AW S5 battery had to be replaced after 2.5 years ( battery health was below 80%). 1.5 years later the battery health is 85%.
The battery is the weak link in the Apple ecosystem...
I also believe that WatchOS is also a culprit in the demise of the battery.... reference the current WatchOS 10 for sure
AW S5 battery had to be replaced after 2.5 years ( battery health was below 80%). 1.5 years later the battery health is 85%.
The battery is the weak link in the Apple ecosystem...
I also believe that WatchOS is also a culprit in the demise of the battery.... reference the current WatchOS 10 for sure
IIRC Apple had a sort of recall/replacement program in place for Series 2 & 3 watches back when they were only a year or so old. A defect in the design would cause the battery to swell abnormally and crack the screen or pop it off completely. The Apple support rep who told you yours wasn't covered probably just didn't want to cover it. I'd bet it was covered.
This was a pretty big thing for Series 0 through Series 3 watches. It still happens, but it's far less common on the newer ones. I hadn't personally heard of a Series 6 and up doing it, but then again I don't seek those stories out.
My Series 1, which I wore daily for about 2 or 3 years, still holds a charge and works fine to this day, though I don't use it. I have plenty of Series 5 watches which have years of use behind them still comfortably holding a charge throughout the day, though I've retired those too. I currently rotate through 3 Series 7 watches, and they all hold a stable charge. I'd expect them to last 5 years easily, though it's worth mentioning that rotating through multiple watches will certainly extend your watch's lifetime.
If you're concerned about cost vs. expected use, grab a used watch on eBay. You can get a watch that has only ~10% battery degradation for 1/3rd the retail price. That's how I got my watches. Currently wearing a Series 7 Hermes with 94% battery health that I purchased for $300.
Series 10. Not "Watch X."
I had a s0 that lasted 4 yrs. The microphone quit working and the battery need charged twice a day. Still works. I now have an S5 that works fine battery starting not to last all day. I getting an Ultra tonight and trading the 5 in. My wife 5 battery is still good but she doesn't hammer it as much as I do with exercise
Agreed. My S3 is still going strong as a hand me down and my S5 needs a new battery.
I don't need the Always-On Display and I'm keeping it off going forward.
My Series 5 is lasting through a day, just. Can’t use AOD though but turned that off after the first year due to battery not lasting.
I have the first Apple Watch from I believe 2015 and still use it daily and battery still lasts an easy 15-16 hours with between 15 to 20% battery remaining.
I have a series 7 which is about 18 months old and is still perfectly useable. I would imagine I could use it for another 18 months before it would start annoying me. I am skeptical about using an Apple Watch for 5 years. I had the original Apple Watch (Series 0). I used it for 2.5 years before I upgraded to the series 3. After a year the battery life had tanked and it was horribly slow.