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Thinking about an Apple Watch - battery life?
- Thread starter martin2345uk
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Yes, the Apple Watch is boring and has less innovation than Fitbit, Pebble or even Whoop.
mansplains
macrumors 68000
I’d like to see Apple’s take on a smart ring. I tried Oura, enjoyed the battery life and minimalism, but didn’t care for the software or subscription. Apple already has the software side taken care of, especially since workouts can now be created on iPhone without an Apple Watch at all, and can undercut the subscription.
(Yes, I’m aware insurance and/or HSA/FSA can be used for Oura, so it’s not exactly the same as other subs)
CooperBox
macrumors 68000
It sounds like you don't really need an Apple watch.
As a long time, keen collector of mechanical, automatic & quartz watches, perhaps I can offer a little advise.
Get yourself an inexpensive (even sub $100), rather special, new watch which you wil not only cherish in 10-20 years time but which will out perform most AWatches in terms of investment. I could advise on several models, although this isn't the most appropriate forum for that.
Fwiw, I awaited with great excitement the launch of the first AW in April 2015 and was convinced I'd get one. When it eventually appeared I certainly liked the design and features, however on reading the specs I had to check the calender wondering if this wasn't a bad April 1st joke. Battery life......6.5hrs? Surely this was a printing error in the article I'd read, except - alas it wasn't, and there's no way I'd want any watch that required a nearby power supply and frequent recharging. At that time even my wife's cheapest Swatch had a battery life of approx 1.5 years.
Now not wanting to unduly ruffle the feathers of any AW fans, for those who need it's time keeping and useful health & fitness tracker features and see no great inconvenience in daily or weekly recharging, that's fine too. Everyone to their own.
But especially to the OP, if you'd like some advise on finding a great, relatively inexpensive 'collectors' watch to be proud of and one that should hold it's value well, come on over to the Picure Gallery forum/ Who's got a nice watch? Traditional watches only site, and raise whatever questions you may have on recommended inexpensive watches.
From memory I believe the first 0 series AppleWatches retailed from approx $350 (approx $480 today adjusting for inflation). A plastic-body example in excellent condition today with original box I would guess may struggle to reach a third of that original price, so I have no regrets in not making a purchase in 2015/16. I have a couple of relatively inexpensive Seiko SKX series watches that have more than retained their value and are still highly sought after by collectors.
mentaluproar
macrumors 68000
I've had other apple watches before this one and they were fine. The ultra 2, the most expensive one, the newest one, had issues apple refused to address. It's ridiculous it doesnt last long enough to pay off unless you pay their ransom. Further, its not just me. Plenty of others had problems with the mics on these no longer working after that update and they went away for most people eventually, but mine persisted. It's water resistant but never got wet. It's still getting updates but an update triggered the problem. Their flippant "got your money, now I dont care anymore" attitude is why I'm looking at leaving apple. There's no reason to get this stuff anymore.
BigMcGuire
macrumors G4
Interesting. Every time I've had a problem with my Apple products (which is rare) - I usually walk out of an Apple Store with a replacement (usually at no cost). One of the big reasons why I and many others shop at Apple.
An update "triggered a problem with the mic?" Interesting.
I've been going to Apple stores since 2011 ... and "got your money now, I don't care anymore" wouldn't describe any experience I've had over the last 15 years I've been going to Apple Stores. In fact, quite the opposite.
BigMcGuire
macrumors G4
I remember those articles too - 6.5 hours was only if you were doing something battery intensive. Otherwise, with normal use, 18 hours was very doable (even with 30 mins to a few hours of exercise).
But you hit a great point. My Casio GW-5000U-1JF is an amazing watch. On a full charge it can last 11+ months without any light, or with normal use, last some 20+ years on the lithium cell. And it only cost me $216 + import duties. I wear it every now and then to keep it topped off. One of my favorite watches. If you aren't addicted to smart watches or need/want their features, there are way better alternatives.
That Picture Gallery thread is a GREAT thread 😀 https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...l-watches-only-no-smartwatches-please.150004/
As an Apple Watch Ultra 3 owner (I use 25-29% of my battery per day), makes you kinda re-think everything. lol. I have spent some time looking at what I get for what cost. It is not cheap to have an Apple Watch. But what I get for it is nice and makes my life better.
Battery life is alright. I definitely need to charge mine daily or semi-daily w/ cellular and always on display enabled.
mentaluproar
macrumors 68000
same here. It used to be different but now, the genius bar made clear all they can do is use putty to remove and lint that gets in there. otherwise, buy a new one.
BigMcGuire
macrumors G4
That's sad to hear 🙁 Good things never last I guess. :/
If battery is your concern, have you looked at the Ultra? I really like mine so much better after having a “standard” Apple Watch for several years. Don’t think I’m ever going back to the regular AW….. battery is so much better, larger display is truly much more usable, etc. I’m thrilled with my Apple Watch Ultra 3.
From vague memory my launch day series 10 is usually at around 60% at the end of the day and around 35% when I wake up in the morning after sleep tracking. I work 9-5 and the watch is sometimes around 80% when I get home. Battery life is very good these days.
I never think about battery life, I just charge it for 30-40 minutes every morning.
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I was intrigued about smart rings for a while, but ever since I saw that thing that went viral where a tech influencer's Samsung smart ring battery swelled while it was on his finger and he couldn't get it off and couldn't board his flight... yeah I'm not encasing a battery around my finger.
mansplains
macrumors 68000
I hear ya. We stick them in our ears with AirPods too... we’re told battery thermal events are point zero x% but it’s more than a number when it happens to you!
For me it's the fact that a swelling battery in a smart ring actually gets tighter on your finger the more it swells and makes it a medical event to get it off. Can you imagine having something like that stuck on your finger with the risk it could catch fire or leak fluids?
I thought battery life would annoy me way more than it actually does. My Series watch easily lasts a full day even with notifications, sleep tracking and some workouts. I just charge it while showering or getting ready in the morning and never really think about it anymore.
That said, if you mainly want a watch to tell the time and do not care about the smart features, a traditional watch probably makes more sense long term.
That said, if you mainly want a watch to tell the time and do not care about the smart features, a traditional watch probably makes more sense long term.
BigMcGuire
macrumors G4
Yeah the sound of "having to charge a watch everyday" sounds horrible.
But in reality, I throw my watch on my Apple Watch charger when I hop in the shower and ... by the time I'm done (I take short showers) - it's ready to go. My spouse does the same thing. Outside of that, we wear our watches 24/7. Even if we forget to charge one day, we're good till the next day.
Both my wife and I have Always on Display off and reduce notifications /siri due to our work. She has an AW 11, I have the Ultra 3. Worse case she'll throw it on the charger for 10-15 mins before bed the next day if she forgets.
It's kinda nice how seamless it is. Now if updating the watch would be better. lol
trash eighty
macrumors 6502
True.... speaking of which; what about the general & overall impact of EMF on the human body?
Does anyone have any legitimate concers about that? I've never really known what to make of that.....
I will drop this here & simply say; if 5G can legitimately and significantly interfere with an aircraft's radios and navigation equipment; there's no way it does not also negatively impact the human body to some significant degree. 😳
www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/the-aviation-industrys-ongoing-beef-with-5g-everything-you-need-to-know/
New fear unlocked. LOL. 🫨
Never really wanted a "Smart ring" anyway. I've got an iphone, several iPads, Apple Watch, AirPods; I literally do NOT need any more "smart" stuff than that. As it is, I've got too much!
Besides; I can & do wear my AWU3 overnight for "sleep tracking".....and of course I NEVER look at the data....... 🤫😑🙄😆
Actually, it did solve a very long-time problem of not being able to tell time at zero dark thirty w/o glasses; if the power goes out; etc. 🤓
Also; FYI: In case people aren't aware; similar safety risks can present for most metal rings, but particularly tungsten & titanium & other more exotic metals increasingly used in Men's wedding rings these days.
In addition to the risk of "degloving" (do NOT suggest you google); rings made out of exotic metals like Tungsten & Ti can be extremely difficult (in some cases & depending on how they're equipped; impossible) to remove in an emergency.
Just random fear #2,596,203....right on the list with quicksand. 😝😂
BigMcGuire
macrumors G4
It is the Electromagnetic Interference that affects the electronics on the airplanes.
There's a big difference between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation...
Ionizing radiation - X-rays, gamma rays, UV, etc... are incredibly damaging to skin/humans.
Non-Ionizing radiation - EMF from phones, wifi, 5g, etc... are not damaging to humans. Even at high strength outputs they barely heats up human tissue 1 degree Fahrenheit.
5G and non-ionizing radiation show no connection to health issues (WHO, FDA, ICNIR, and countless other studies etc...). Now... ionizing radiation has a lot of support for its damaging effects, cancers, etc.
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BigMcGuire
macrumors G4
Love my AWU3 for sleeping. I'd never put a smart ring on - been using silicon rings for years because places that I've worked at don't allow real rings, for exactly those reasons (de-gloving).
Interesting...... Thanks for the info. Might start going down the rabbit hole.... 🙂
Same. I've only ever had a "standard / regular" AW. Finally decided to splurge & try the Ultra 3 because the battery on my S6 would BARELY last til ~5-6 pm..... and that was with low power mode enabled all day, fully charging it overnight. :-(
It's been very nice to wear my AWU3 24x7, just charge it for ~30 min while showering. Very nice to have it overnight for time, alarms, etc.
Really, really loving it. The larger screen is SO much more useful too!