How long does the Apple Watch battery last?

As modern smartwatches grow more complex and sensor-heavy, battery life is naturally the limiting factor. While several device makers have found ways to extend battery life by opting for less complex screens, fewer sensors, and software trickery, other smartwatch companies have focused on upping charging speeds. Apple falls into the latter category, with the Series 7 boasting much faster top-ups than its predecessor. But how long does the Apple Watch battery last? Let’s take a look.

How long does the Apple Watch’s battery last?

Apple Watch Series 9

Apple claims the Series 9 can endure 18 hours on a single charge with “90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth.” That’s the exact estimate as its older Series 8 sibling. Activate Low Power mode and you’ll get 36 hours of battery life.

In terms of real-world usage, you can workout outdoors with GPS activated for up to 7 hours or listen to music from your watch’s storage for 11 hours.

Apple Watch Series 8

As we mentioned in the introduction, Apple doesn’t focus on battery life as much as other companies. The Apple Watch Series 8 packs a quoted 18 hours of endurance between charges, but even this comes with limitations. Apple notes that this figure can be achieved with “90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth.” Expect battery life to dip if you use GPS or check the time more than 90 times daily. Apple users can double this figure by activating Low Power mode. Apple also notes that the Series 8 will last for 1.5 hours when calling others via LTE, 11 hours indoors, 11 hours when playing music from storage, or six hours when working out with GPS and LTE connected.

In our experience, Apple underestimates how long the Series 8 can go between charges. In our review, we found that 24 hours between charges were possible.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

On the surface, it doesn’t seem Apple has made battery endurance strides with the Watch Ultra 2. The device should last at least 36 hours on a single charge with “180 time checks, 180 notifications, 90 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth,” according to Apple. However, if you activate Low Power mode, you can stretch this figure to 72 hours — 12 hours more than the original Ultra model.

Apple also claims that the watch can last “up to 35 hours outdoor workout with GPS and LTE in Low Power Mode with fewer GPS and heart rate readings” and “Up to 12 hours outdoor workout with GPS.”

Apple Watch Ultra

The Apple Watch Ultra betters this with a 36-hour claim, primarily thanks to its larger battery. This figure can be achieved with “180 time checks, 180 notifications, 90 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth,” according to Apple. It can also endure a 60-hour multi-day adventure involving “15 hours of hiking workout, over 600 time checks, 35 minutes of app use, 3 minutes of talk, and 15 hours of sleep tracking” with Low Power mode activated.

During our review, we once again found that Apple’s battery life claims were conservative. A battery life of 40 hours without activating Low Power mode was regularly achievable.

Apple Watch SE (2022)

Notably, the smaller, cheaper Apple Watch SE 2 also has a claimed 18-hour battery life; this includes “90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth.” Low Power mode can, once again, double this to 36 hours. The SE 2 is only good for ten hours when working indoors, five hours outdoors when connected to GPS and LTE, and ten hours playing music from internal storage.

In our experience, the Apple Watch SE (2022) could regularly go for up to 24 hours before requiring a charge. With Low Power mode activated, this figure extended beyond 40 hours.

Apple Watch battery vs other smartwatches?

The Apple Watch lags well behind its competition regarding battery longevity. You’ll get between 1-3 days of battery life with the Galaxy Watch 6 ($299.99 at Samsung), but this mileage varies massively between use cases. The Garmin Venu 3 ($449.99 at Amazon) trumps both, with up to two weeks on a single charge. Finally, the Fitbit Versa 4 ($199 at Amazon) should last just short of a week between charges.

Of course, if you’re looking for true battery warriors willing to sacrifice features for longevity, consider buying a hybrid smartwatch. The Withings ScanWatch ($299 at Amazon), for instance, has a claimed month-long battery life. We got around 11 days during our review, however.

Tips for improving your Apple Watch battery life

You can improve your Apple Watch’s battery life by taking note of a few tips and tricks.

Reduce animations

If you own an older Apple Watch, give this trick a try. Open the Watch app on your iPhone > My Watch > General > Accessibility > toggle on Reduce Motion.

Close background apps

You probably don’t need all your apps chugging away behind the scenes. You can force close those you don’t need. Press the side button on the Apple Watch, and use the digital crown to scroll through apps. To select an app to close, swipe on it from right to left and hit the red close button to kill it.

Disable background refresh

The Apple Watch periodically fetches content for apps in the background, which can also drain your battery. Open the Watch app on your iPhone > General > Background App Refresh to disable it. You can now toggle off the apps you don’t want using this feature or hit the master switch to kill the feature entirely.

Lower screen brightness

A brighter screen requires more power. Open Settings > Display & Brightness > adjust Brightness using the buttons or digital crown.

Disable always-on display

Finally, if you don’t need your screen on constantly, open Settings on your Apple Watch > Display & Brightness > Always On > toggle off Always On.

If you find that your Apple Watch is dying a little too quickly for your liking, there may be an underlying problem. We address the most common Apple Watch problems and their solutions in a dedicated guide.

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