Perhaps one of the most important things you need to consider when buying a new smartwatch is its battery life and how compatible its battery is with your lifestyle. Do you mind charging your watch every single night or even during the day? Or would you rather it lasts for weeks?
While some smartwatches are designed to last for days upon days, other watches may need you to sacrifice certain features in order to stretch the battery as much as possible.
Some top smartwatches only last one day
Who wants to charge their watch every 24 hours?
If you’re unlucky (like me) to have a smartwatch that doesn’t seem to surpass the 18-hour mark (and definitely won’t push past 24 hours), don’t worry. Manufacturers of smartwatches tend to prioritize powerful features that are expensive when it comes to battery use, as well as opting for smaller and sleeker designs with a brighter display screen, which limit the longevity of the battery.
The Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch are good examples of models that put the capabilities of a miniature smartphone on your wrist, but that means they won’t last for days on end without needing a pick-me-up of power.
Both Apple and Samsung smartwatches use bright AMOLED screens, which burn through the battery. Then throw in features like the “Always-On” display, which keeps the screen constantly active, and you have a mini computer that can’t sustain high use for more than a single day. Other problems come from constant push notifications, frequent data syncs, and apps running in the background, all of which contribute to a shorter battery life.
- Brand
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Samsung
- Operating System
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Wear OS
- CPU
-
Exynos W1000 (5 Core , 3nm)
- RAM
-
2GB
- Storage
-
32GB
Now thinner and more comfortable, the Galaxy Watch 8 adds new health-tracking features like sleep apnea detection and antioxidant readings.
Some brands prioritize longer battery life
We’re talking hours upon hours of charge
While there are plenty of smartwatches out there that sit comfortably in the zone of 18-24 hours battery life.
For instance, the Garmin Watch Ultras trump Samsung with a whopping 100 hours of charge, while other Garmin watches, like the Instinct 2 smartwatch come equipped with improved solar technology that is said to deliver an “unlimited” battery life. While that isn’t strictly true, they can last for weeks on a single charge. The Enduro 3 model lasts up to 36 days, with that figure stretching to the area of 90 days while utilizing the solar functions.
Then you have watches like the COROS Vertix 2S, which is set to last up to an impressive 62 days of regular use on one simple charge. Or there’s the Amazfit Active 2, which won over smartwatch shoppers on a Reddit forum debating the best smartwatches for battery life. The Amazfit Active 2 lasts around 10 days on one charge, and it’s a relatively cost-effective choice compared to other high-end models.
- Heart Rate Monitor
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Yes
- Color Screen
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Yes
The Active 2 smartwatch is designed for fashion-conscious, health-focused people who value style and functionality. With BioTracker technology for precise heart rate and sleep tracking, 160+ workout modes, and up to 10 days of battery life, this smartwatch will track everything you want and then some.
Is a longer battery life worth it?
Some sacrifices have to be made for that multi-day charge
Should you consider opting for a smartwatch that will give you more bang for your buck when it comes to battery life? Well, that entirely depends on what you plan to use your smartwatch for.
If you’re looking for a way to track health conditions or fitness stats, and want to wear your smartwatch day-in and day-out, a longer battery life is perhaps more crucial. When it comes to monitoring sleep, heart rate, steps, and other health data, there’s no point having a watch you’ll have to take off for a few hours every day.
That’s where a fitness-focused watch like Garmin smartwatches will be your best friend. They can last for days and even weeks on a single charge, and prioritize tracking your fitness and health statics. That said, this may mean sacrificing “high-power” apps that will drain your battery life, limiting you to the “basic” lifelogging features.
Plus, if you’re the outdoors-y type, a watch that can last for weeks without needing a top-up is great for relieving charging anxiety and ensuring you can prioritize thirsty features like GPS tracking when you need them, without draining your juice. If you’re training for marathons or enjoy a hike every weekend, this is a great feature you don’t want to have to give up to preserve your power.
If you want a stylish smartwatch primarily to use third-party apps, cellular connectivity, and to enjoy bright, colorful displays (AKA, everything that will run your battery down), then you don’t need to focus on selecting a smartwatch with a super long battery life, as you’ll likely end up charging it frequently anyway.
Speaking from experience, I chose a smartwatch that was most compatible with my smartphone, for ease of syncing data and enabling push notifications. That said, I still have an iPhone, and while the Apple Watch may be a convenient partner for an Apple smartphone, it isn’t the most sustainable when it comes to its battery. For the Android users out there, there are plenty of compatible options to choose from, whether you’re opting for top brands like Samsung or Google, or heading off the beaten track.
Is there a watch that offers the best of both worlds?
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is a good middle ground when it comes to a stylish choice that will support all the apps you can dream of, while still measuring steps, heart rate, sleep, and more with a battery that can last up to 80 hours—over 3 days between charges. Or there’s the OnePlus 2R if you have a Pixel smartphone, which also promises up to 4 days of battery.
That said, just because you pick a smartwatch with a super long battery life doesn’t mean it will last indefinitely. A large part of how long your battery lasts is how you use the watch, so you’ll want to establish that before you splash the cash on a new smartwatch.
