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Durability of Apple Watches. - Should an Apple Watch last 5 years?
- Thread starter medicinejar
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I just bought my 4th Apple Watch (2 > 3 > 6 > 9).
My first watch (Series 2) lasted just over a year, didn't have AppleCare+, realised I was too used to having an Apple watch at that point in my life, so just went straight into the Apple store after work and bought my second one (Series 3).
The next 2 watches (Series 3 and 6) lasted pretty well for 3 years each, but started having minor but annoying issues (battery life, constantly stuck crown/buttons, issues with screen response) that were enough to push me to get a new one. I was really hoping that my Series 6 could have stuck it out until September 2024 but I just got too annoyed with it in the last month to hope that I would have been happy with it for another 9 months.
I do get a lot of use out of my watches though. Wear them for around 16-20 hours a day, and run a lot with them (and they get drenched in sweat as a consequence - I do clean them after each run). So this probably shortens their lifespan a bit.
So at this point, I guess I'm pretty happy if my Apple Watches make it to the 3 year mark...
My first watch (Series 2) lasted just over a year, didn't have AppleCare+, realised I was too used to having an Apple watch at that point in my life, so just went straight into the Apple store after work and bought my second one (Series 3).
The next 2 watches (Series 3 and 6) lasted pretty well for 3 years each, but started having minor but annoying issues (battery life, constantly stuck crown/buttons, issues with screen response) that were enough to push me to get a new one. I was really hoping that my Series 6 could have stuck it out until September 2024 but I just got too annoyed with it in the last month to hope that I would have been happy with it for another 9 months.
I do get a lot of use out of my watches though. Wear them for around 16-20 hours a day, and run a lot with them (and they get drenched in sweat as a consequence - I do clean them after each run). So this probably shortens their lifespan a bit.
So at this point, I guess I'm pretty happy if my Apple Watches make it to the 3 year mark...
Why only 4 years? My Apple Series 6 is more than 3 years old, but it has the same chip as the Series 8 and Ultra 1, so it is basically still a “last gen” model.
My 3-year old Apple Watch Series 6 should last more than 8 years.
That’s impressive. My four and three quarter year old Series 5 has taken a bashing it seems.
I'm bummed Apple is dropping the 4 off of future updates. But being as old as it is, I knew it was coming & surprised they kept including updates as long as they did. Just need it to to last as long as possible since I need to replace my 2016 MBP first!
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1st generation SE, rapidly approaching 4 years (September 2024). Battery health is at 80% and it is a bit annoying but it only really gets quite light use with step tracking and notifications. I will probably upgrade to the 2nd generation SE just to continue with software support and get a reset on the battery health. I'll just keep the lookout for deals / promos on Amazon or other resellers between now and watchOS 11 release date. I wasn't expecting it to last 4 years, to be honest, so it's served me pretty well.
I had the original watch about four years. By then the microphone did not work any more and I had to charge it twice a day. I then got a series 5 which did me well until I decided to trade it in for Ultra II. I really like the Ultra II. It lasts a good 2 days. I use it to monitor my daily workouts and 3 mile walks.
I have an AW4 that had its battery replaced 4 years ago (so basically a 4 yo AW). It's now at 68%. I did routinely allow it to completely discharge in the last year, and used a 3rd party QI certified (not MFI) charger which may have contributed to the problem.
I do use the watch throughout the day, with exercise tracking about 4 to 6 hours a week.
As far as physical durability, it's been good. I don't use screen protectors and don't take the watch off when doing manual work yet it stayed scratch free. I also used it in the ocean for a couple weeks every year, no issues.
I will wait until September to see if there's any reason to buy AW10, otherwise will likely get a refurbished 9.
I do use the watch throughout the day, with exercise tracking about 4 to 6 hours a week.
As far as physical durability, it's been good. I don't use screen protectors and don't take the watch off when doing manual work yet it stayed scratch free. I also used it in the ocean for a couple weeks every year, no issues.
I will wait until September to see if there's any reason to buy AW10, otherwise will likely get a refurbished 9.
My series 0 lasted until the Series 5 and Im trying to make this last to the series 10. I'm at 75% capacity and only get around 9 hours of battery life. I could send it in for a free battery repair but I'm not sure I want to be without an apple watch for 10 days.
My Series 6 Titanium is almost 4 years old. It acted up a few months ago when I changed from iPhone mini 13 to Pro 15 but I just got it back working this evening. Hopefully will last a little longer. It says 81% battery health. Apparently it's worth about €50 on trade in 
Heya thanks for the input though your experience with your Apple Watch Series 3. I also had my Apple Watch screen separated on my Apple Watch Series 1 38mm SG, which is my first Apple Watch and I upgraded to an Apple Watch Series 6, gold stainless steel case 40mm after I had a great seven years with my space gray series 1 aluminum.
Though budget Apple Watch models that derive from older models are still good for longevity, as a word of caution if you are worried about longevity get the mainline Apple Watch models like the Series 9, from my experience budget models like Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 1 are not all that. My S1 only had updates supported for about three years, but it held up well until it was time for it to go. The battery could not last an entire day even without using it for sleep tracking, requiring a charge every time I get home or overnight. Though it is out of battery every midday the screen started to gradually separate from the chassis on my S1 and the separation gets worse every month, which before I upgraded it was from October to now.
BTW I also heard that First gen Apple Watch SE owners were disappointed that they could not get watchOS 11, which explains another reason a budget model is not worth for long term use. The newer gen Apple Watch SE users get watchOS 11, just because it is a year and a half old since it came out with Apple Watch Series 8.
I’m nearing two years on my series 8 aluminum, and it still looks brand new with 99% battery health. Currently using it for sleep tracking and wearing one of my other Apple watches during the day.
Bought my S8 in late Oct ’22. I wear it 24/7 except for the 30-60 min charging time. Battery health is at 89%. Since Apple has seen fit to charge the iPhone 15 to 80% in order to maintain battery life I try to charge my watch to only 80% for same reason. I have no idea whether that is a valid choice or not.
Should it? yes. Will it? Possibly, but at best you will still likely notice serious battery degradation after 1.5 years (this seems to happen with nearly all Apple devices) as well as 50% likely or more to be annoyingly slower after 1.5-2 years of software updates. Just my experience of course, but reading this and other forums, others’ stories are not far off from that.
My S6 has no issues with speed at watchOS 10.5 nor 11 beta 4.