I'm going to upgrade my Series 5. On the fence of the 45mm 9 or the Ultra. I know the Ultra has WAY better battery life, but should were there other improvements along the way to a 9 might be better than my 5? (Granted, my 5 battery has degraded to below 80%)
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Upgrading from Series 5 to 9. Should I expect better battery life?
- Thread starter JonMPLS
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I've got a 9, always on display is on (it's off 11pm to 7am), wear it except for the hour or so in the evening it's charging, usually about 40% when I charge.
If I forget to charge, can get around 36 hours or so on a full charge, without a workout, probably less with one.
if I turned off always on, might get another hour or 2 out of it, but probably not enough to get a full second day (without causing battery anxiety towards the end)
Also the 9 has fast charge that the 5 doesn't, will get you to full in about an hour or so (around 1.5 to 2 times as fast). You do need to use apple's USB-C cord, or if using a charge stand, make sure it specifies fast charge, quite a few stands support mag-safe for the phone, but have "slow charge" for the watch.
If I forget to charge, can get around 36 hours or so on a full charge, without a workout, probably less with one.
if I turned off always on, might get another hour or 2 out of it, but probably not enough to get a full second day (without causing battery anxiety towards the end)
Also the 9 has fast charge that the 5 doesn't, will get you to full in about an hour or so (around 1.5 to 2 times as fast). You do need to use apple's USB-C cord, or if using a charge stand, make sure it specifies fast charge, quite a few stands support mag-safe for the phone, but have "slow charge" for the watch.
If you’re in the US, the Series 8 is $225 at Target. Or Series 9 is $329 if you must have the latest model. The Series 8 and 9 will have similar if not the same battery life; and other differences are so minimal and not worth the extra $100 imo.
Honestly the biggest difference between Series 5 to 8/9 is fast charging and overall speed of the Watch.
Honestly the biggest difference between Series 5 to 8/9 is fast charging and overall speed of the Watch.
Thanks for the detailed reply! This sounds great. When my 5 was new I could easily go a day. Now, especially if away from my iPhone, I can't make a full day. I am in the habit of charging watch and phone every night, so just getting going 7AM to 10PM is enough for me.
Also thinking the Ultra is just too big for me . . .
that is just plain wrong and misleading
#6
OP, the above link points to a table comparing the different watch series ...
Do take advantage of ongoing sales
see the link in my post above comparing AW models.
Also, plenty people have reported much better battery life with AW9 here, search in the forum
As for Ultra, go to a store and try one on and then decide, and also, multiple threads/comments here in the forums on that topic
The S9 has a more power efficient processor (newer node manufacturing technology), it would make sense for it to have better battery life. A common theme on this forum is “[newer watch] is basically the same as [my current watch]” but as noted above, there are better comparisons available.
No not wrong. In practice the biggest things OP will notice is faster charging, slightly nicer/larger screen, and yes it will be faster. Sure there’s minor things like crash detection, sensor update, larger storage on S9 (but you’re likely not going to fill it up anyway). If you have a Series 7, there’s very little incentive to upgrade to S8/9 since they’re very similar.
Also that table is so bad (hard to read on phone). Go here and get it straight from the company that makes the Watch: https://www.apple.com/watch/compare/
I would say going from an Apple Watch 5 to an Apple Watch 7, 8, or 9 would be an equally impressive jump.
Apple Watch 7:
- larger display by 1mm (but still compatible with the older bands)
- Ultrawideband chip
- Blood oxygen sensor
- Compass
- More capacity (32GB compared to 16GB)
- Fast charging
An Apple Watch 8 includes everything in the 7 and:
- Temperature sensor that can compare your body temperature change (but can't display your temperature. Used to estimate fertility)
- Dust resistant
An Apple Watch 9 includes everything in the Apple Watch 8 and:
- Brighter display
- "Double tap gesture" (available as an Accessibility Setting for Apple Watch 8 and Apple Watch 7 [and earlier?]).
- Better battery life.
- More capacity (64GB compared to 32GB).
If you live someplace that sells used Apple products, buy the watch used.
Apple Watch 7:
- larger display by 1mm (but still compatible with the older bands)
- Ultrawideband chip
- Blood oxygen sensor
- Compass
- More capacity (32GB compared to 16GB)
- Fast charging
An Apple Watch 8 includes everything in the 7 and:
- Temperature sensor that can compare your body temperature change (but can't display your temperature. Used to estimate fertility)
- Dust resistant
An Apple Watch 9 includes everything in the Apple Watch 8 and:
- Brighter display
- "Double tap gesture" (available as an Accessibility Setting for Apple Watch 8 and Apple Watch 7 [and earlier?]).
- Better battery life.
- More capacity (64GB compared to 32GB).
If you live someplace that sells used Apple products, buy the watch used.
LOL. Went to the store, tried the Ultra and will order one on Friday. Looked bigger on the display than it does on my wrist. Wonder if Apple will give any credit like they are on the other watches? Answers my battery question too!
awesome! I had Ultra and then got the U2, amongst many other things, battery life is awesome.
You can initiate a buy and have the system give you a trade in value for your AW5 ...
I think Amazon has $50 off U2 right now, or had on the weekend, check the front page
On a funny note . . . I tried for a long time to initiate the trade in. Even had a chat session with Apple. Turns out the serial number was all letters EXCEPT for the "zero" in the middle. So I kept typing in the letter, not the digit.
I went from an S4 to Ultra 2. Considered getting a 9 SS, and the price difference was minimal.
While I didn’t get the 9, I feel it would not have been enough of a change even from the 4 to make me use it differently. (I barely used any functions of the watch despite using it every day).
I compare this to going from the 13 Pro SB to the 14 Pro Purple. Beside the 14 being worse for battery life and both cellular and gps reception, it was just really the “same.”
From X to 11Pro to 13 Pro to 14 Pro it was just boring upgrades beside ProMotion.
This year I went to 15 Pro Max and the difference in phone size/shape makes it so much more interesting and enjoyable.
The Ultra 2 difference is even more noticeable and enjoyable. Battery life is insane compared to the old S4. The screen is so much bigger and can efficiently do so much more. I find myself using the action button for the flashlight all the time. All the watches can go into flashlight mode but it is just takes more steps or time so I never bothered. Also, it’s super bright.
If the ultra doesn’t feel too big(doesn’t to me at all), I don’t think you will regret choosing it instead of the S9. I think the S9 would have gotten boring fast as the “same old, same old”
While I didn’t get the 9, I feel it would not have been enough of a change even from the 4 to make me use it differently. (I barely used any functions of the watch despite using it every day).
I compare this to going from the 13 Pro SB to the 14 Pro Purple. Beside the 14 being worse for battery life and both cellular and gps reception, it was just really the “same.”
From X to 11Pro to 13 Pro to 14 Pro it was just boring upgrades beside ProMotion.
This year I went to 15 Pro Max and the difference in phone size/shape makes it so much more interesting and enjoyable.
The Ultra 2 difference is even more noticeable and enjoyable. Battery life is insane compared to the old S4. The screen is so much bigger and can efficiently do so much more. I find myself using the action button for the flashlight all the time. All the watches can go into flashlight mode but it is just takes more steps or time so I never bothered. Also, it’s super bright.
If the ultra doesn’t feel too big(doesn’t to me at all), I don’t think you will regret choosing it instead of the S9. I think the S9 would have gotten boring fast as the “same old, same old”
If the larger profile of the Ultra works for you and you just want a single watch, go Ultra. It could easily replace my others, but some days I want the smaller profile of my S5 or S9 (and the different case options). S9 battery is still really good, so don't immediately discount it if you prefer that size and finish options.
If you haven't found out already, you could get the serial number of the Watch on the Watch app on your iPhone (assuming the Watch is still linked to the iPhone). Copy number by press and hold on the serial number. You can then paste what it copied to your webform.
Thanks again! Just waiting to see if Apple has any specials on Friday. After trying it on I will order and Ultra. adam's comment above matches some of my feeling--this is my 4th Apple Watch and it might be nice to have a little more of a difference. Also, I'm retired so dress is a lot more casual--and I have a dress watch if needed. Actually just sold a mechanical watch that did not come up anymore. (It's funny how my mechanical watches sat in the safe once I had an Apple watch.) And, even though I learned programming on punch cards, I still am a bit of a geek.
doesn't look like Ultra 2 qualifies for anything ;(
OP here: OK, I'm in! Transfer from old watch went pretty smooth, with just a couple glitches. Needed to restart the Ultra to get text notifications. Also, between updating the software and charging the Ultra got pretty hot--actually stopped charging--but once the new software was loaded it charged without excessive heat. Left it off the charger last night at 93% and woke up to 87%--not bad.
Surprisingly comfortable. Feels REALLY light, and the matte finish of the titanium is really nice! It's also WAY faster than my AW5.
Surprisingly comfortable. Feels REALLY light, and the matte finish of the titanium is really nice! It's also WAY faster than my AW5.
Looks great on you!!
Welcome to team Olive Alpine loop!
Glad you are liking it.
I actually started from scratch on mine and ignored my S4. The transfer of my cell plan from AT&T took a couple tries, but other than that it was really smooth.
Hope you continue to enjoy all the benefits of having the Ultra 2!
Thanks! Funny you should mention ATT--I just posted my cellular transfer experience . . . most of it my fault. . . .