I wish the Apple Watch Series 10 had better battery life

The Apple Watch Series 10 is finally here, announced at the company’s recent ‘Glowtime’ event. While some rumors turned out to be true about what the latest version of the smartwatch would include, others did not come to fruition. One such rumor was that the new Apple Watch would offer significantly improved battery life. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case, but there is an upside to how long this new series Apple Watch will last per charge.

First, the rumors that came true

Apple delivered in some notable ways

It should be noted that while better battery life hasn’t yet been realized, some of the other things that were anticipated with the Series 10 did come to light. That includes a larger screen and thinner and lighter design. The new wearable is 10% thinner than the previous generation Apple Watch Series 9, 10% lighter than the Series 9, and 20% when factoring in the new titanium model. The case sizes, as suspected, have also increased to 42mm and 46mm without the overall size being too much bigger. Plus, the new model provides up to 9% more active screen area than the Series 9.

Additionally, the new smartwatch has a brighter display. It’s also a wide-angle OLED that improves viewing angles, like when glancing at your wrist that’s resting on the hip.

It’s also a more power-efficient display. The S10 SIP improves performance and intelligence with features like on-device Siri, dictation, automatic workout detection, and power efficiency. The refresh rate is better, thanks to that increased power efficiency. With this, you can see data once a second versus once a minute in always-on mode, like the ticking seconds of a clock on a specific watch face.

There’s also the Sleep Apnea feature that had been rumored to be coming for some time.

Battery life hasn’t improved

It’s the same, but charges faster

Apple

One of the possibilities circulating ahead of launch about what the Apple Watch Series 10 might feature was an entirely new type of battery that would allow it to finally last for days, not under a single 24-hour period. Alas, the Series 10 still sports the same up to 18-hour battery life per charge. But there is a silver lining.

The new chip makes the battery run more efficiently, so theoretically, you might see an improvement with average use. More notably, however, is that it has a more efficient charging coil on the underside. So, you can charge the Watch to up to 80 percent in about a half hour. Charging it for just 15 minutes will give you up to eight hours, enough to head out for your morning or afternoon run. If you forget to recharge right before bed, give it a quick eight-minute boost for up to eight hours of sleep tracking. Apple says the Series 10 is the “fastest-charging Apple Watch ever.” Still, compared to competitors, Apple fans would have preferred a longer-lasting battery.

With that said, Apple Watch owners have largely gotten used to the daily charging needs of the Watch. If you stay on a schedule and charge every night before bed while you’re relaxing in the front of the TV, it should last you through to the following evening. The challenge lies if you miss a charging session: It can throw you completely off-kilter. On numerous occasions, I have forgotten to charge before bed and gotten ready to do my morning workout only to have to delay it for an hour so the Watch can charge to track it.

How battery life compares

The same, but different

As noted, compared to the previous generation Apple Watch Series 9, that model has the same rated up to 18 hours of normal use, or up to 36 hours in Low Power Mode. However, it takes about 45 minutes to get the Apple Watch Series 9 from 0 percent to 80 percent, 15 minutes longer than with the Series 10. That might not sound like a lot. But when you’re rushing to head out for an evening and every minute counts to catch your train or make a reservation, that’s a quarter of an hour you can’t lose.

Still, compared to other smartwatches in the same class from rival brands, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, Apple still has work to do when it comes to battery life. Yes, the Apple Watch is the perfect companion to an iPhone, an integral part of the Apple ecosystem. Battery life is a major complaint, but it’s arguably the one of the only ones. It’s just something Apple fans have to live with.

For now, keep those chargers nearby, set a charging schedule for yourself, and consider investing in portable chargers or Apple Watch charging stands to bring with you on the go so you never lose out on those important steps, health tracking, notifications, and safety features.

Apple Watch Series 10

The Series 10 is Apple’s thinnest Apple Watch yet. It also features the company’s largest smartwatch screen to date, allowing the device to display more text and a bigger keyboard for typing. Battery life still comes in at the 18-hour mark, though the device can charge faster than its predecessors.