Smartwatch Battery Life Comparison: Which Ones Actually Last?

Let’s face it—one of the most frustrating aspects of owning a smartwatch is having yet another device to charge. And unlike your smartphone, which you might be in the habit of plugging in every night, a smartwatch that needs daily charging can feel particularly annoying.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I bought my first Apple Watch. Despite loving its features, I found myself constantly glancing at the battery indicator, sometimes taking it off mid-day for a quick charge so it wouldn’t die before bedtime (especially if I wanted to use sleep tracking). Then I tried a Garmin and was shocked that I could go nearly a week between charges. The difference was eye-opening.

The truth is that smartwatch battery life varies dramatically between brands and models, and manufacturers’ claims don’t always match real-world usage. So I’ve put together this comprehensive comparison based on both manufacturer specs and—more importantly—actual user experiences to help you find a smartwatch that won’t leave you constantly tethered to a charger.

Understanding Battery Life Claims vs. Reality

Before diving into specific models, it’s important to understand how battery life claims work in the smartwatch world.

What Affects Battery Life?

Several factors impact how long your smartwatch will last between charges:

• Display type: AMOLED and OLED displays typically use less power than LCD, especially with dark watch faces
• Display brightness: Higher brightness settings drain batteries faster
• Always-on display: This feature significantly reduces battery life on most watches
• GPS usage: Tracking activities with GPS is one of the biggest battery drains
• Heart rate monitoring: Continuous heart rate monitoring uses more power than periodic checks
• Notifications volume: More notifications mean more display activations and vibrations
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and especially cellular connections consume substantial power
• Apps and features: Running third-party apps, playing music, or using voice assistants all increase battery usage

How Manufacturers Calculate Battery Life

When a company claims “up to 18 hours” or “7+ days” of battery life, they’re typically measuring under specific, often optimized conditions:

• Limited or no GPS usage
• Reduced brightness settings
• Minimal notifications
• No or limited third-party apps
• Potentially with certain features disabled

This is why your real-world experience often falls short of advertised figures—your usage patterns likely include more battery-intensive activities than the testing scenarios.

Battery Life Comparison by Brand and Model

Let’s break down the battery performance of major smartwatch brands and their flagship models, comparing both official claims and what users typically experience.

Apple Watch Series

Apple Watch Series 9 / Ultra 2

• Official claim: Up to 18 hours (Series 9), Up to 36 hours (Ultra 2)
• Real-world performance:
  • Series 9: 16-20 hours with normal use, significantly less with GPS workouts
  • Ultra 2: 30-40 hours with moderate use, 10-12 hours with continuous GPS tracking
• Charging speed: 0-80% in about 45 minutes
• Battery saving modes: Low Power Mode extends battery by 30-36 hours by reducing screen time and background processes

The Apple Watch prioritizes features and performance over battery life. While Apple has improved battery efficiency over the years, the rich feature set and bright display mean you’ll still be charging daily for the standard models. The Ultra 2, with its larger battery, offers a meaningful improvement but still requires more frequent charging than competitors.

Key insight: If you’re an iPhone user who wants comprehensive health tracking, notifications, and app support with the best ecosystem integration, you’ll need to accept daily charging as part of the ownership experience.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Series

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 / 6 Classic

• Official claim: Up to 40 hours
• Real-world performance: 24-30 hours with typical use, 7-10 hours with continuous GPS
• Charging speed: 0-45% in 30 minutes
• Battery saving modes: Power saving mode disables certain features to extend battery life

Samsung’s latest smartwatches offer slightly better battery life than Apple’s standard models, but most users still find themselves charging daily. The Galaxy Watch typically outperforms Apple in battery efficiency when paired with Android phones but underperforms with iPhones due to optimization differences.

Key insight: For Android users (especially Samsung phone owners), the Galaxy Watch offers a good balance of features and battery life, though it’s still essentially a “charge every night” device for most users.

Garmin Smartwatches

Garmin Venu 3

• Official claim: Up to 14 days
• Real-world performance: 5-7 days with regular use including notifications and some GPS activities, 20+ hours with continuous GPS
• Charging speed: 0-100% in about 2 hours
• Battery saving modes: Various power management options available

Garmin Fenix 7

• Official claim: Up to 18 days (standard), up to 22 days (Solar version in suitable conditions)
• Real-world performance: 10-14 days with daily use including some GPS activities, 30-40 hours with continuous GPS
• Charging speed: 0-100% in about 3 hours
• Battery saving modes: Expedition mode can extend battery to weeks by reducing functions

Garmin consistently delivers on battery life promises better than most competitors. Their focus on efficient hardware and software optimization means you can genuinely go a week or more between charges with most models, even with regular fitness tracking.

Key insight: If battery life is your top priority and you primarily want fitness and health tracking with basic smart features, Garmin offers the best balance of functionality and longevity.

Fitbit (Google) Smartwatches

Google Pixel Watch 2

• Official claim: Up to 24 hours
• Real-world performance: 18-22 hours with typical use
• Charging speed: 0-80% in about 45 minutes
• Battery saving modes: Basic battery saver mode

Fitbit Sense 2

• Official claim: 6+ days
• Real-world performance: 4-5 days with moderate use, 2-3 days with always-on display
• Charging speed: 0-100% in about 2 hours
• Battery saving modes: Various settings to extend battery life

Fitbit devices historically offered excellent battery life, but the transition to more advanced smartwatch features has reduced this advantage somewhat. Still, they generally outperform Apple and Samsung for multi-day use.

Key insight: For users who want solid health tracking with moderate smart features, Fitbit offers good battery life, though the Google Pixel Watch 2 is more comparable to Apple and Samsung in needing daily charges.

Amazfit Smartwatches

Amazfit GTR 4

• Official claim: Up to 14 days
• Real-world performance: 7-10 days with regular use including notifications and occasional GPS
• Charging speed: 0-100% in about 2 hours
• Battery saving modes: Battery saver can extend life to 3+ weeks

Amazfit has carved out a niche by offering impressive battery life at competitive prices. Their proprietary operating system is less feature-rich than watchOS or Wear OS but is highly optimized for efficiency.

Key insight: If you want an affordable smartwatch with excellent battery life and are willing to compromise on advanced apps and ecosystem integration, Amazfit offers tremendous value.

Hybrid Smartwatches

Withings ScanWatch

• Official claim: Up to 30 days
• Real-world performance: 20-25 days with health tracking features active
• Charging speed: 0-100% in about 2 hours
• Battery saving modes: N/A (already highly efficient)

Hybrid smartwatches like those from Withings offer the best battery life in the “smart” category by using traditional watch faces with hidden smart features. The ScanWatch includes impressive health monitoring while lasting weeks between charges.

Key insight: If you prefer a traditional watch aesthetic but want health tracking and basic smart features, hybrid smartwatches offer the best battery performance by far.

Real-World Battery Test Results

To provide a more standardized comparison, I’ve compiled data from various sources to show how these watches perform in common usage scenarios:

Daily Use Scenario

(Notifications on, always-on display off, 30-minute GPS workout)

1. Withings ScanWatch: 20-25 days
2. Garmin Fenix 7: 10-14 days
3. Amazfit GTR 4: 7-10 days
4. Garmin Venu 3: 5-7 days
5. Fitbit Sense 2: 4-5 days
6. Apple Watch Ultra 2: 1.5-2 days
7. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: 1-1.5 days
8. Apple Watch Series 9: 1 day
9. Google Pixel Watch 2: 1 day

Heavy Use Scenario

(Always-on display, multiple notifications, 1-hour GPS workout daily, sleep tracking)

1. Garmin Fenix 7: 5-7 days
2. Amazfit GTR 4: 4-5 days
3. Garmin Venu 3: 3-4 days
4. Withings ScanWatch: 15-20 days (limited by fewer smart features)
5. Fitbit Sense 2: 2-3 days
6. Apple Watch Ultra 2: 1 day
7. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Less than 1 day (typically needs mid-day charge)
8. Apple Watch Series 9: Less than 1 day (typically needs mid-day charge)
9. Google Pixel Watch 2: Less than 1 day (typically needs mid-day charge)

Continuous GPS Tracking

(For activities like long-distance running, hiking, or cycling)

1. Garmin Fenix 7: 30-40 hours
2. Garmin Venu 3: 20+ hours
3. Apple Watch Ultra 2: 10-12 hours
4. Amazfit GTR 4: 8-10 hours
5. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: 7-10 hours
6. Fitbit Sense 2: 5-7 hours
7. Apple Watch Series 9: 5-7 hours
8. Google Pixel Watch 2: 5-6 hours
9. Withings ScanWatch: Not designed for continuous GPS tracking

Battery Life vs. Features: The Inevitable Tradeoff

Understanding the relationship between features and battery life can help you make an informed decision based on your priorities.

Why Some Watches Last Longer Than Others

The dramatic difference in battery life between brands comes down to several key factors:

1. Hardware choices: Companies like Garmin often use low-power display technologies and processors optimized for efficiency rather than performance
2. Operating system design: Proprietary systems like Garmin’s or Amazfit’s are typically more battery-efficient than the feature-rich watchOS or Wear OS
3. Battery size: Physically larger watches can contain bigger batteries (the Garmin Fenix 7 has nearly twice the battery capacity of an Apple Watch Series 9)
4. Feature prioritization: Brands that focus on fitness tracking over “smart” features can optimize their hardware and software accordingly

What You Gain with Shorter Battery Life

Watches that require more frequent charging typically offer advantages in other areas:

• More responsive user interfaces
• Brighter, higher-resolution displays
• More comprehensive app ecosystems
• Better integration with smartphones
• More advanced health sensors and processing
• Smaller, lighter designs (sometimes)

What You Gain with Longer Battery Life

Watches that last for days or weeks between charges offer different benefits:

• “Set and forget” convenience
• More reliable sleep tracking (no need to charge overnight)
• Better suitability for multi-day activities (hiking, camping, etc.)
• Less battery anxiety during long days
• Less battery degradation over the device’s lifespan (fewer charge cycles)

Maximizing Your Smartwatch’s Battery Life

No matter which model you choose, these tips can help you extend your smartwatch’s battery life:

Universal Tips for All Smartwatches

1. Lower screen brightness to the minimum comfortable level
2. Disable always-on display features when not needed
3. Reduce notification frequency by being selective about which apps can send alerts
4. Use power-saving modes when appropriate
5. Turn off features you don’t use (cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi, etc.)
6. Use GPS only when necessary rather than leaving it always on
7. Choose dark watch faces for OLED/AMOLED displays
8. Update your watch’s software regularly for efficiency improvements
9. Close background apps that you’re not actively using
10. Reduce wake gesture sensitivity to prevent accidental screen activations

Apple Watch-Specific Tips

• Use Low Power Mode for extended periods when you don’t need all features
• Disable background app refresh for non-essential apps
• Turn off the “Hey Siri” wake word feature
• Reduce the number of complications on your watch face

Samsung Galaxy Watch Tips

• Use power saving mode when battery is low
• Disable Samsung Health features you don’t use
• Turn off “Raise to wake” and use the button instead
• Reduce vibration intensity for notifications

Garmin Watch Tips

• Use UltraTrac mode for long GPS activities
• Disable PulseOx (blood oxygen) monitoring when not needed
• Use Battery Saver watch face when needed
• Sync with phone less frequently

How to Choose the Right Smartwatch for Your Battery Needs

To find the right balance of features and battery life, consider these questions:

1. How often are you willing to charge?
   • Daily: Consider Apple, Samsung, or Google options
   • Every few days: Look at Fitbit or entry-level Garmin models
   • Weekly or less: Focus on Garmin, Amazfit, or hybrid options
2. What’s your primary use case?
   • General smartwatch features: Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch may be worth the charging tradeoff
   • Fitness and health tracking: Garmin or Fitbit offer better battery efficiency
   • Basic tracking with traditional look: Consider hybrid options like Withings
3. Do you need specialized features?
   • Sleep tracking: Longer battery life means no overnight charging
   • Multi-day adventures: Only certain Garmin, Amazfit, or Coros watches will last multiple days with GPS
   • Swimming: Waterproof watches with longer battery life reduce the hassle of pre-swim charging
4. What’s your ecosystem?
   • iOS users get the most seamless experience with Apple Watch despite battery limitations
   • Android users have more options, with Samsung offering good integration for Samsung phone owners

Final Thoughts: Which Watches Deliver on Their Battery Promises?

After comparing specifications, user reports, and personal experiences, here’s my assessment of which brands most accurately represent their battery life:

• Most accurate claims: Garmin, Withings, and Amazfit typically deliver close to their advertised battery life under normal use conditions
• Somewhat optimistic claims: Fitbit products usually deliver 70-80% of their claimed battery life for most users
• Most optimistic claims: Apple, Samsung, and Google tend to base their estimates on ideal rather than typical usage, with real-world performance often falling 20-40% short of advertised figures

Ultimately, your choice comes down to your personal priorities. If you value a rich feature set, ecosystem integration, and don’t mind daily charging, the Apple and Samsung options offer the best overall smartwatch experience. If battery anxiety is your primary concern, Garmin and Amazfit provide excellent alternatives with reasonable smart features and significantly better longevity.

Remember that no matter which smartwatch you choose, battery performance will degrade over time. After 1-2 years of regular use, expect 20-30% less battery life than when the device was new—another reason to potentially prioritize models with longer initial battery life.

What’s your experience with smartwatch battery life? Has a particular model impressed or disappointed you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

SEE also

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