Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

ajo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 28, 2006
682
24
Is there any advantages to the build in GPS on the Series 2 for someone who would not go out without their phone?
 
"who would not go out without their phone..."

Ah, ok. Lots of "..ots" to mix me up.
 
The advantage would be more revenue for Apple if you are a shareholder. No advantage to a user who always has their iPhone with them, turned on, and charged.
 
The built in GPS won't be of any use to you if you always have your phone around. It doesn't mean Series 2 won't make any difference though (it also has a brighter display, faster GPU, larger battery, and waterproof certification).
 
Brighter display is really only an issue outdoors as the both are about as bright indoors. The series 1 is about as bright as an iPhone outdoors, and the Watch screens are high contrast which helps too. I haven't seen any comparisons showing a difference in GPU performance between Series 1 and 2 besides the "turn crown to wake" feature. I'd be interested to see if there is any difference in GPU performance since the only difference between the two processors is the addition of GPS for series 2.
 
also if you use the Watch GPS without having your iPhone, the watch's battery will deplete very fast..
 
I use a golf app, without my phone, where the GPS on the watch tells me the distances on the course I care about. There is no dramatic battery drain on my watch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LiveM
also if you use the Watch GPS without having your iPhone, the watch's battery will deplete very fast..

With no actual quantitative information provided, this statement is rather misleading.

To be of any help to anyone, perhaps you might describe your specific situation where you're encountering an issue with battery life.

In my case, taking my watch off the charger when I get up in the morning, it goes all day long including a 40 minute run using GPS and still has lots of battery left when it goes back on the charger at bedtime. Enough so that there'd be no issue with a two+ hour run and no charging during the day.
 
With no actual quantitative information provided, this statement is rather misleading.

To be of any help to anyone, perhaps you might describe your specific situation where you're encountering an issue with battery life.

In my case, taking my watch off the charger when I get up in the morning, it goes all day long including a 40 minute run using GPS and still has lots of battery left when it goes back on the charger at bedtime. Enough so that there'd be no issue with a two+ hour run and no charging during the day.
ok I don't own the series 2 myself, but since I was considering it,I did a fair bit of research and whenever someone asked about using series 2 GPS WITHOUT iPhone nearby there was responses regarding battery life depleting faster in that situation.with some owners claiming battery life being reduced to 5 hours.
again I don't own the series 2 and haven't used the GPS without iPhone linked to the watch so no sure.
 
Under 3.0 battery life continually using just the Watch's GPS was said to be a little over 5 hours. I don't own a Series 2 either, but I wonder is some of the battery improvements from 3.1 would improve on that.

I don't think a golfing app that uses GPS occasionally would be a big drain, but a running app that is constantly accessing GPS data would definitely cause some battery drain.
 
  • Like
Reactions: deeddawg
My experience with GPS and HR battery drain on my AW2 seems to be about 20% per hour. This is based on over 250 miles of running since I got the watch on 10/7. Not using HR seemed to reduce drain from around 20% to about 15% per hour. That seems to track with the specs listing 5 hours of GPS/HR use.
I have the 38mm watch. Supposedly the 42mm watch has a bigger battery, yet the Apple specs list 5 hours GPS/HR for both.
42 mm folks please post your experience with battery drain running with GPS/HR.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tromboneaholic
I did a fair bit of research and whenever someone asked about using series 2 GPS WITHOUT iPhone nearby there was responses regarding battery life depleting faster in that situation.with some owners claiming battery life being reduced to 5 hours.

Yes, the stated battery life with GPS on is up to five hours. What may not be clear to those new to GPS watches is that the GPS function is only turned on when it's actively being used by an app such as Nike Run Club for an outdoor run. Otherwise the GPS is off and not consuming battery, even if your phone is out of range.

Net effect is that if you're planning a five hour marathon, you may not have sufficient battery life to last the duration. I wouldn't expect the watch to last for a six hour hike with a GPS app on tracking your path. If you're planning a a three hour long run, it'd be worthwhile to put the watch on the charger while you shower and dress after the run. Other than these types of situations, the battery life doesn't seem to be a problem for anyone.
[doublepost=1479129450][/doublepost]
I have the 38mm watch. Supposedly the 42mm watch has a bigger battery, yet the Apple specs list 5 hours GPS/HR for both.
The 42mm also has a correspondingly larger screen, drawing correspondingly more power. I suspect that's the basis for the approximate equivalence.

I've not paid close enough attention to battery life to state anything quantitative.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Long Run Nick
I use a golf app, without my phone, where the GPS on the watch tells me the distances on the course I care about. There is no dramatic battery drain on my watch.

Which golf app are you using, because this very use is something I'm hoping to get next year after winter disappears.
 
42 mm folks please post your experience with battery drain running with GPS/HR.

I've only had my Apple Watch (42mm S2) for 6 days now. I was finally able to use the GPS on a mountain bike ride on Saturday. We were on the trail for about an hour and a half, but only about 56 minutes of that time was the actual "workout." I paused the activity twice during the ride, at times when we were taking a breather.

I started the ride out at 87% battery, and by the time I had returned to the car and ended the workout it was down to 77%. HR was monitoring my pulse the whole ride as well. I was significantly surprised to only see a 10% drop in battery over that hour and a half. Results may be different from running with a set of different variables. I'm anxious to see how it preforms while snowshoeing. Hopefully we'll get some of the white stuff soon.
 
I'm waiting for a killer GPS op for the Iwatch for Golf----I use to wear a dedicated Garmin golf watch but would love to ditch it for a fully functional Iwatch golf app---I don't take my phone to the course--
 

I'm not sure if any of them can take advantage of the GPS build into to the Apple Watch 2. Thats why I continue to use a dedicated Garmin watch when I am on the course. Golfshot is a very good one--but again I think its needs to be tethered to your Iphone. I expect that in time, there will be plenty of them that can be stand alones with the Iwatch. Also, Fungolf requires that you are tethered to your phone.
 
Carry the phone in the golf bag.
I'm a runner not a golfer, but I imagine the thinking may be similar. By intentionally leaving my phone behind I set others expectations of my (un)availability. My runs are *my* time. It isn't that I can't carry it, it's that I want to NOT carry it.
 
I'm not sure if any of them can take advantage of the GPS build into to the Apple Watch 2. Thats why I continue to use a dedicated Garmin watch when I am on the course. Golfshot is a very good one--but again I think its needs to be tethered to your Iphone. I expect that in time, there will be plenty of them that can be stand alones with the Iwatch. Also, Fungolf requires that you are tethered to your phone.

FunGolf does NOT require you to tether it to your phone.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.