Redesigned Apple Watch Series 7 Could Prioritize Longer Battery Life Over Additional Sensors

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Apple didn't win the smart watch game by trying to chase the same specs that every other smart watch out there is going after and constantly one-upping each other on. They did it by focusing on giving it market-leading health sensors and a great set of general specs and unparalleled iOS integration.

Whatever upgrades the next chip will offer will surely be used primarily to add even more new advanced features and health sensors. Additional battery life might come as a byproduct from a faster chip, but I don't see it as a feature Apple would rely on to market the next model.

I only see Apple touting extended battery life on Apple Watch 7 as a selling-point if they can give us all the features of the S6 plus additional sensors AND one or two more days of battery life. Otherwise it'll look too small of an upgrade compared to the competition.

Apple Watch owners have learned to adapt to the size of the battery and make it work as an (almost) all-day smart watch and most are more excited about new sensors than battery life.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I actually see Apple making charging faster before they do significant upgrades to battery life. Maybe doubling down on the whole MagSafe branding and adding it to the Watch while giving it new "fast charging" capabilities.

I feel this is much more likely than getting a significantly larger battery or a chip that consumes much less power.

 

[SFjohn]

I’m perfectly fine with the Apple Watch battery life as is. I usually buy a new aluminum one each year for the new features. I also keep 2 years of watches on hand so when one battery runs down I switch watches on the charger and keep going. I’m able to wear the Apple Watches 24/7 then year round. Super easy & I get all the rich features that i love. If they only add battery life I can skip this year, but if the display is larger then I’ll get the 7, sell the 5 and keep my 6 to rotate as needed.

 

[PaladinGuy]

If they improve the battery life substantially and bring faster charging, it’ll be an instant buy for me. If there’s a cool redesign, that’s just icing on the cake.

 

[jerrah]

For me, the battery life advertised by Apple means I’ll be playing Russian Roulette regarding battery life and sleep tracking is basically a non starter.

This is the exact reason I've never purchased an Apple watch. Ever so often I flirt with the idea of buying one but when I see 18hr battery life I realise it wouldn't work for me with sleep tracking. Sleep/breathing/HR tracking, exercise (swimming, cycling, running etc) and always on my wrist is the appeal of a watch. I currently use an Amazfit GTR2e which does all the above and lasts for more than a week with AOD. If Apple could match that I'll buy one. 18 hours seems so impractical for the way I use a watch. But I can plan around charging once per week.

 

[name99]

Unless their chip drains minuscule amount of power (20mW or less) during “heavy” loads, any claim by apple or full day battery life is going to be exaggeration of varying degrees.

Honestly it's EXTRAORDINARILY variable depending on how you use your watch.
I use most of the watch features, glance at it frequently, have it feeding me map directions maybe an hour a day, have it controlling my AirPods maybe two hours a day, do maybe an hour of exercise, have it tracking sleep (via AutoSleep) etc etc. I'd really appreciate a longer battery life, for me right now is uncomfortably tight. I'd prefer something that's theoretically 36 hours, so that if I miss an opportunity to recharge it's not a catastrophe.

But other people (including those I know) use their watches pretty much purely as watch+notifications. They don't even know of all the other functionality and never hook it up. And of course their battery lives are twice mine or more!

 

[justin0712]

Unless their chip drains minuscule amount of power (20mW or less) during “heavy” loads, any claim by apple or full day battery life is going to be exaggeration of varying degrees.

I have turned everything off and it still drains. I shut off all notifications outside of messages and phone calls of course. I turned off monitoring my heart rate. I can walk out the door with 100% battery on the SE and come back 2 hours later with 84%. Mind you I might have responded to 3 texts and asked Siri to change a song since my Mustang is a 2000 without CarPlay. ( gotta go the old fashioned bluetooth way). LOL

 

[Geurt]

Apple could skip adding new health sensors to this year's redesigned Apple Watch Series 7 in favor of improving the battery life of the device, based on rumors and recent reports.

According to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Series 7, expected to drop in September, could feature the first significant redesign the Apple Watch has had in several years. As part of the redesign, which could include a flat-edged case that's similar to the iPhone 12 or the iPad Pro, Apple is also said to be adopting new double-sided System in Package (SiP) technology to reduce the size of the processor.

A new report from the Economic Daily News notes that the smaller "S7" chip will free up internal space for a larger capacity battery or additional health sensors. However, Apple is expected to delay the introduction of other sensors until 2022 at the earliest, according to multiple reports from sources with a high accuracy for predicting Apple's plans.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is working on a way to bring blood glucose monitoring capabilities to the Apple Watch using a non-invasive optical sensor, but it will not be ready for commercial launch for several more years. Apple was also considering adding a body temperature sensor in the 2021 Apple Watch, but Bloomberg says it is instead likely to be introduced in the 2022 update.

With the redesign expected to allow Apple to either retain the size of the current generation model or slightly thicken it – albeit not in a way noticeable to the user – this could leave ample room for Apple to increase the battery capacity inside.

The 44mm Apple Watch Series 6 uses a 1.17Wh battery that's 3.5% larger than the battery in the Series 5, while the 40mm Apple Watch Series 6 includes a 1.024Wh battery that's 8.5% larger than the battery in the Series 5. However, despite improvements in charging speed, the addition of new features and sensors in successive Apple Watch models has seen battery life stay relatively constant over the years.

Apple advertises the Series 6 as offering all-day battery life up to 18 hours. Apple bases "all-day" estimates on 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute workout with music playback via Bluetooth. Unlike other Apple products like iPhones, however, this claim has been consistent since the Apple Watch Series 1 through to the latest model.

One rationale for prioritizing increased battery life in the Series 7 is that Apple could heavily promote the improvement in order to lure owners of older Apple Watch models to upgrade. This could be particularly attractive to users whose Apple Watch battery life has gradually deteriorated over the years due to chemical aging.

Increasing the battery capacity could also allow Apple Watch to better compete with rival smartwatches that tend to promote their multi-day battery life as a tentpole feature, such as the Fitbit Versa 3, which can operate for over six days on a single charge.

Aside from potential battery improvements, Apple Watch Series 7 is also expected to feature improved wireless connectivity, an improved U1 Ultra Wideband chip, thinner display bezels, and the use of a new lamination technique that brings the display closer to the front cover, with updated screen technology.

Article Link: Redesigned Apple Watch Series 7 Could Prioritize Longer Battery Life Over Additional Sensors

From my perspective this is a good decision. Battery life is too short for the current models. I am using a Fitbit Versa 1st generation (three years old) that easily can handle three full days and for me that is important as I also want to track my sleeping ritme so loading at night is not an option. Now that Fitbit is a Google-company I notice invasive behaviour (like always on for GPS is needed to get assisted GPS as it is not working ion other setting) and I am fed up giving up my privacy for a non-reason.

I hope the 7 will at least have 48 hours of battery coverage, then I think I might jump on this Watch-train!

 

[iSayuSay]

Battery life needs to be doubled, or bust.. As of right now, all-day battery life is good enough. Not great but anything halfway isn't necessarily better.

A 1.5 day or 1.75 day battery is stupid since it still means nightly charge nonetheless.

 

[UltimaKilo]

I would happily welcome another 2 hours of battery life, but it won’t get me to ditch my AW5. I’m always topping off my watch while showering or eating, so I rarely run low on power.

If you have an AW3 or older, the AW7 might be the time to upgrade.

 

[Mistborn15]

I only see Apple touting extended battery life on Apple Watch 7 as a selling-point if they can give us all the features of the S6 plus additional sensors AND one or two more days of battery life.

one or two more days of battery when right now it lasts just one day?

 

[jamdex]

Unless its a drastic change in battery life, i'm not bothered. Suits me to charge my tech daily.

 

[Mistborn15]

Unless its a drastic change in battery life, i'm not bothered. Suits me to charge my tech daily.

Same! Either give battery life like Garmin watches.. or add features that make up for it

 

[PaladinGuy]

The issue isn’t the rated battery life, per se. I’m fine with charging every night, but I want it to charge faster and I don’t want to have to baby it or turn things off to get through the day.

 

[Mistborn15]

The issue isn’t the rated battery life, per se. I’m fine with charging every night, but I want it to charge faster and I don’t want to have to baby it or turn things off to get through the day.

what all are you disabling right now to get through the day?

 

[Razorpit]

My Series 4 battery had deteriorated to 82% capacity; even now, it lasts a full day, no exceptions, even if I use the 4G modem and record a training session. I'd take the extra sensors over a better battery.

Just checked the battery health on my series 4 - 97%. I was shocked it was still so high.

I had a Series 5 go down to 82% capacity. I was only getting 7-10 hours a day with it. No cellular, just a Bluetooth connection to my phone at all times.

My AW3 is almost 4 years old and I’m at 93%. I think that’s pretty good considering all it has been through.

 

[Razorpit]

It doesn't have to charge every night (and certainly not all night). I wear my watch every day and every night. It charges for like an hour in the evening or sometimes gets a top-up in the morning or during the day.

Same here. I’ll occasionally have a “bad battery day” where it’s 6 in the evening and I get a low battery alert. All I can guess is some sort of process was stuck in the background? Thankfully that only happens once a month or so.

 

[mansplains]

I bought a brand new Series 6 on Saturday and so far my Series 3 (bought brand new at time of release) has better battery life. I've heard that Always-On Display eats up a solid amount but didn't think it was this bad, having to charge in the middle of the day.

 

[boss.king]

Same here. I’ll occasionally have a “bad battery day” where it’s 6 in the evening and I get a low battery alert. All I can guess is some sort of process was stuck in the background? Thankfully that only happens once a month or so.

Yup. For me it’s usually when Overcast is struggling to sync a podcast. Other than that I get through a full day even with a good 30-90 mins of exercise tracking.

 

[truthertech]

If they manage to give it a battery life of 4 days... I’d seriously consider getting one. I want to be able to wear it through the night as well, to measure my sleep quality.

For the tens of millions of us who use the AW for excellent sleep tracking every night, we chuckle.

 

[truthertech]

I almost always wear my Watch while I sleep, although Apple’s idea of sleep tracking does not show you that you’ve gotten a good night’s rest. About the only piece of data I’m watching is my heart rate, because it is the only thing really being tracked by the Watch. It does nothing to note the times that I wake up at 4am and stay up until 5am, then restlessly toss and turn until I finally get up at 6am. Instead, I get the notice ”you’ve done great and gotten your 7 hours of sleep”, because I turn off my alarm at 6am when the Watch thinks I’m getting up - and I’ve really only gotten 5 hours of sleep.

Why aren’t you using sleep apps lube Auto Sleep

 

[PaladinGuy]

what all are you disabling right now to get through the day?

I have workout detection turned off. I have the noise functions turned off. I do not listen to music with my watch (eats battery way to fast). I don’t send messages through it very often. I absolutely don’t stream anything to the watch with LTE while running. Sometimes I turn off raise to wake. If I exercise for an hour or just over, it’s likely I won’t make it to the end of the day. I don’t expect it to ever be a Garmin Forerunner or something, but I’d like to be able to use it normally without thinking about how badly it’ll hurt battery life. Even using it with directions in the car seems to hit the battery pretty hard.

I usually switch to my older series 4 at some point at night and sleep with it. It would be great to only need one watch. For how I want to wear a watch, it’s not possible. I want silent alarms, but I don’t want to charge the watch multiple times a day. Now, if I could charge it in under an hour, that would be ok (assuming it would easily make it through the day).

Basically, I want the battery life back that I got with the series 2 and 3. I never came anywhere close to running out of battery with either of these. It’s been downhill since the 4.

 

[The Game 161]

Down to 15% at 20.40pm so would welcome better battery life

 

[Apple_Robert]

If they improve the battery life substantially and bring faster charging, it’ll be an instant buy for me. If there’s a cool redesign, that’s just icing on the cake.

I would like to see faster charging for the SS model.

 

[jmgregory1]

Why aren’t you using sleep apps lube Auto Sleep

I guess I’ll take a look at Auto Sleep. I’ve not spent any time looking at sleep apps yet, so it’s more on my than the Watch or Apple’s current pathetic Sleep app.