Such big difference in battery life vs. Series 3?

[zerozoneice]

So, i got a good deal on an used but almost brand new Series 5 44mm Nike. I noticed that it also comes with cellular, didn't expect that, but i don't use the function at all anyway. Had a Series 3 GPS only before, which lasted about 4 days.

The Series 5 had a hard time pairing with the phone for some reason, that 6.1 update took ages, hours to install...sometimes the app on the phone wouldn't start the camera to scan the moving pattern on the watch, sometimes the pattern didn't appear but the camera on the phone did, etc....

Finally set it up with same settings as i use on series 3..pretty much everything off, basic notifications ON, AOD off, raise wrist OFF, noise detection OFF. Fully charged, lasted for 2.5 days, where the Series 3 would easily do 4.

Did the 2nd full charge yesterday noon, when it was with 7% left. From 100% yesterday at 14:00, today at 20:00 i have 55% left.
Is this normal? It drains like 30% in 24h with pretty much everything off....no workouts, couple of message notifications read, sleep analysis with Autosleep (but the app is installed on phone only).

 

[chabig]

That’s normal. Most people charge their watches once per day. If you got more than one day of use you were doing better than average.

P.S. Even though you won’t set up a cellular plan on the watch, you benefit from having it, as no plan is required to make emergency calls (911).

 

[zerozoneice]

hmm, so if i reset it and re-pair it won't improve anything?
or leave it couple of days to settle down before i start modifying settings?

btw, i got a really cool charger, on top of a 6700 mAh powerbank really handy to carry around, supposedly lasts for 27x watch charge cycles and 3x phone.

Ultra-Compact 6700mAh Power Pack for Apple Watch & iPhone

AuraWatch-1 is not just a 6700mAh portable powerbank, the built in wireless charger provides a boost of power to your Apple Watch when on the go, while you can charge your iPhone via the built-in cable with Lightning Connector. Charge any other USB device via the 1A USB charging port on...

www.promate.net

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Series 3 watch had by far the best battery life in my opinion. My series 5 is a little worse than series 4, which was worse than series 3.

 

[jaybar]

I suggest turning on most of what you turned off. If you are looking for what is “normal” for series 5, relative to battery life, relative to others who have S5 watches, then you need to configure your watch similarly.

Moreover, as the AW adds features or grows in size, I suspect the battery will drain faster. unless there is a shift in technology relative to the battery.

I also think that Apple rates the watch as lasting 18 hours with always on engaged. If you are getting that, then your watch is functioning as intended.

You might not like the S5 performance and that is another matter, but your current watch needs to be measured against published specifications.

 

[zerozoneice]

yea, well, for me i needed to test first according to my usage profile and compare with S3.
even with all S5 specific features disabled (in theory bringing it down to S3 level), the battery is half of S3.

 

[jaybar]

I my opinion, comparing it to S3 is meaningless. If you are not satisfied with S5, as it relates to its specifications, then return it, if you are within the return period.

Even if a future watch OS update, improved battery performance noticeably, I doubt if you would ever approach what you were getting before.

 

[staggerlee41]

If you are getting 2.5 days on a single charge with your AW 5, I'd say you're coming out pretty well. I do not have a Series 5 to compare to but that seems average to above average from my experiences with Series 4 and Series 2 watches.

Do you use the same watch face on both?

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Can you only charge your watch every 4 days? I mean, is it even fun or practical to use the watch like this with everything turned off?

 

[Apple_Robert]

In my opinion, there isn’t much reason to have a series 5, if you are going to turn most features off. You should have stuck with the series 3.

I just set up my new series 5 yesterday. I upgraded from series 3. And while the series 3 gets better battery, the series 5 is a significant upgrade with many features that a lot of people find useful, including myself.

The series 5 cost a lot of money. Turn the features on and enjoy it.

 

[akidokraja]

Wow, you have some really good battery life. Mine is worse than that. You are lucky.

 

[perezr10]

The Series 3 is the all time battery champ for Apple Watch. Larger battery coupled with smaller screens.

 

[Freakonomics101]

Battery life is a big thing for me so the 42mm Series 3 with AC+ seems to be a good investment for me then. The Series 5 looked good up until I read the OP’s battery life results. I can get 3 days out of mine without it going below 10%. All settings enabled except for Background App Refresh. I use the analog activity watch face.

 

[zerozoneice]

well, i sold my S3 42mm and paid $120 difference to get the S5 Nike 44mm, when a S4 would've been maybe $100 difference? so yeah....

it makes me wonder, what eats up so much the battery on the S5, if i brought it "down to S3 level" functionality wise...can't be the bigger display, no LTE in use, much smaller battery?

the same way i use it, S3 gets 4 days, S5 2.5 days.
What i didn't test though is how the S3 would've behaved with WatchOS 6.1
[automerge]1573136236[/automerge]

I my opinion, comparing it to S3 is meaningless. If you are not satisfied with S5, as it relates to its specifications, then return it, if you are within the return period.

Even if a future watch OS update, improved battery performance noticeably, I doubt if you would ever approach what you were getting before.

nah, imho it's not meaningless at all.
we're talking same device more or less, same vendor.
it's like comparing a VW Golf V with a VII, would that be meaningless also?

 

[Otflyer]

I have had every watch since S0. I have always put them on the charger every night and battery has never been an issue. Apple specs battery life at 18 hrs. If you get more than that great but, don’t expect it. Turn on the features and use the watch as designed and enjoy it.

 

[zerozoneice]

guys, reading the replies in here i don't think you understand my point

i'm not complaining about battery life on S5 by itself, which is rated at 18h.
i'm not complaining about battery life on S3 by itself, which is also rated at 18h
i am complaining about difference in battery life between the devices, when used in similar fashion.

in theory, if same rating applies (18h) for both, if i use the S5 with specific functions disabled (AOD, hearing, fall detection, what have you...) and keep the same functions enabled as on S3, battery is ~37% less.

shouldn't it be the same, more or less?

following the same logic, it means something is eating up battery faster. CPU (2x faster than S3) and larger display (nevermind AOD) come to mind straight away. BUT...if i enable and use all functions on S5, how is it able to reach the SAME rating of 18h as the Series 3??

 

[zerozoneice]

ok, i got an even better deal and swapped the S5 Nike 44 for a S4 Nike 44 and got over $100 extra cash on top. So far i'm approaching a full 24h since charge and still above 72%, meaning if it follows the same pattern, i'll squeeze more than 3 days before 10% left. Maybe 3.5 days.

So using the same usage profile and settings, i'd safely say that:

S3 - 4.5 days
S4 - 3.5 days
S5 - 2.5 days (barely)

I feel S5 is pretty much EOL for current watch design/batteries, just as current iMac 27 is for the iMac line-up. They're approaching design & thermals limitations for current products. I've never heard such a loud iMac as a 27" with 580X running Unigine Heaven at 94 deg.C.

Something's gotta change.

 

[PugMaster]

I‘m positive the S6 will have a better battery life. Will hold onto my S4 until then, usually get 36-48h of battery and can’t live with less that.

 

[jaybar]

I‘m positive the S6 will have a better battery life. Will hold onto my S4 until then, usually get 36-48h of battery and can’t live with less that.

If you charge the watch at night, assuming the battery lasts until your bedtime, it would strike me as a non issue.

Speculation about S6 and battery life. The battery life might be better or worse.

Saying you “can’t live without” is a bit extreme. What would you do if you really had a critical issue in your life?

Chill and enjoy the tech with its inherent limitations.

 

[Otflyer]

yea, well, for me i needed to test first according to my usage profile and compare with S3.
even with all S5 specific features disabled (in theory bringing it down to S3 level), the battery is half of S3.

yea, well, for me i needed to test first according to my usage profile and compare with S3.
even with all S5 specific features disabled (in theory bringing it down to S3 level), the battery is half of S3.

With everything turned off as you have it, you have no usage profile. You basically have a watch. Why have an Apple Watch if your not using all the features (or even some of the primary features).

 

[PugMaster]

I don’t charge my watch during nighttime. I use it for sleep tracking and I never charge stuff while sleeping - too many bad things can happen.

Not saying I can‘t live without the tech, but I can’t live with charging constantly. I would then have to look around what the competitors offer.

 

[zerozoneice]

With everything turned off as you have it, you have no usage profile. You basically have a watch. Why have an Apple Watch if your not using all the features (or even some of the primary features).

duhh of course i do have an usage profile!
i use sleep monitoring (hence i can't charge overnight), HR monitoring, workout monitoring and general health stats. I just don't use notifications, noise monitoring, background sync, no location services unless i go for outdoor cycle or walk, etc...

and i'm stuck with an apple watch because i have an iphone.
i'm not going to swap my phone for a watch...
if i'd have android i'd go for huawei gt2 in a blink of an eye.
[automerge]1574717104[/automerge]

Not saying I can‘t live without the tech, but I can’t live with charging constantly. I would then have to look around what the competitors offer.

there is nothing that competitors offer that integrates with the iphone as well as the apple watch. period.
so if you have an iphone (like i do) we're stuck with apple watch.
Fitbit is a joke, Samsung and Huawei are castrated on iOS (but at least it works, unlike the other way around), Garmin is too expensive and only focused on certain fitness activities - for pool swimming it sucks big time.
[automerge]1574717301[/automerge]

I‘m positive the S6 will have a better battery life. Will hold onto my S4 until then, usually get 36-48h of battery and can’t live with less that.

yea, definitely S4 is the sweetspot for this current design generation and limitations.

so. just hit 24h with my usual settings. battery is at 68%.
looks on track for 3 days, not gonna make 3.5 though.
seems about right. More or less:

S3 - 4 days
S4 - 3 days
S5 - 2 days

Both S4 and S5 tested are 2 months old, still in telephone active coverage, warranty well into end of 2020. Good healthy devices. I had Apple run a remote diagnostic on the S5, it came out OK. So 2 days is no error, it's just the way it is.

My settings:

Nike Digital Face (bottom middle one), black background, battery middle, HR bottom app shortcuts (top is always Nike app)
Raise on wrist ON
Most notifications OFF except phone, messages and 2-3 other apps
Dictation OFF
Handoff OFF
Background app refresh OFF
Display brightness LOWEST
Siri OFF
Haptics DEFAULT
Crown haptics ON
Heartrate ON
Fitness tracking ON
Environmental sound measurement OFF
Stand reminders ON
Daily coaching ON
Goal completions ON
Special challenges ON
Activity sharing OFF
Apple Pay OFF

 

[perezr10]

nah, imho it's not meaningless at all.
we're talking same device more or less, same vendor.
it's like comparing a VW Golf V with a VII, would that be meaningless also?

I agree with you that it’s a worthwhile comparison. Although, I think by “meaningless” he just means that it’s hard to compare because there are variables that you can’t control. Like the Series 3 had a battery that was almost 20% larger but the Series 4/5 have a more efficient processor. Stuff like that makes it difficult to judge how various software functions impact battery life.

 

[PugMaster]

But you know that you can use the Huawei Watch GT 2 with an iPhone, too? Just download their Health app from the app store and go for it.

But there are a few things that actually brought me TO the apple watch FROM the Huawei Watch GT:

- The heart rate intervals while working out were too slow for me. I'm doing HIIT training and the watch would often lag for around 15 seconds. That's a lot when you train for 45 seconds and pause for 15 seconds. It often happened that my sigma HR monitor showed 150 bpm and the Huawei Watch was still at 120 bpm. It annoyed me enough to get rid of it. In sports mode, the heart rate should be read in much shorter intervals, otherwise it's non usable for me.

- I don't like how it counts steps. You need to walk a minimum distance to have your steps counted. That's just a minor issue but it's practically ignoring the distances you walk at home or at the office, if you have a small office ;-)

- If you aren't chinese, you may suffer from limited functions. The chinese market has a lot of custom watch faces, NFC payment and stuff, the western world doesn't have this and probably never will. We were waiting for custom watch faces for the GT 1 for like, a year, while the chinese version has a watch face market for months now. The GT 1 came with the stress measuring feature right from the start in China, we still don't have it. At least the GT 2 has it. Sucks a lot to pay for features you can't use, but they are advertised.

- The notifications are ****. You can't interact with them. Email notifications shows sender and subject on the GT 1 (don't know if they changed it, but probably not!). That doesn't have any benefit, you STILL have to get your phone to see what the message is about. It would be nice if you could at least see a few words to evaluate if you need to get your phone out or not.

- No emojis on the watch. So if you receive a message with just a smiley face, you will get an empty notification. And THIS since launching the watch over a year ago. How dumb is that? You would believe that could be fixed easily, right?

- After the first notification, you can't see any further content. It just says "2 notifications" which is totally dumb if you get two short messages. No value in such information. You need to get your phone to read the messages.

Maybe this is totally fine for you, but for me, this was the deal breaker. I loved everything else about the Watch GT. The design, the battery, the display, it was a lovely watch. The sleep tracking is quite good in my opinion, it detects naps, it won't bother you with notifications or reminders when sleeping, it has always on display.... Good watch if you can live with the remarks above.

 

[Freakonomics101]

If you’re happy with the Series 4, keep and use it the way you’d like. I do agree turning everything off defeats the purpose of owning an Apple Watch. If you don’t care for AOD or the compass, the Series 4 is a better fit for you if cost is something you care about.

None of us know what the battery life will be on the Series 6. Enjoy what you have now and wait until the Series 6 comes out and decide then.

Battery life, all 3 seem similar but depends on how you use your watch. Some say 3 is better than 4. Some say 4 is better than 5. Some say 3 is better than 4/5. You know what you like most so go with your gut.