Here’s what you need to know

Even with its powerful ecosystem, unmatched app support, and highly-accurate health and fitness sensors, the Apple Watch Series 8 still falls short in one major area. Battery life on the company’s wearables remains a frustrating oversight. Apple’s latest smartwatch is currently on shelves (and wrists) with a new temperature sensor for detailed sleep tracking. However, users are left scrambling to create effective charging routines in order to have enough juice to collect overnight stats. Find out everything you need to know about battery life on the Apple Watch Series 8 and how the company attempts to help with Low Power Mode.

Apple Watch Series 8 battery specs

Despite our grumblings, Apple still hasn’t brought much improvement to the battery life specs on its flagship wearable. However, the company did introduce Low Power Mode to help users eke out extra time on the wrist.

The Apple Watch Series 8 features a battery life claim of 18 hours. Notably, Apple labels this as a “full day,” though we’d consider 24 hours a full day. Fortunately, we’ve found Apple’s claims underestimate what users will actually experience. During our Series 8 review, the device easily lasted a full 24 hours, including a GPS workout and sleep tracking.

On the other hand, these specs are identical to those of the Apple Watch Series 7, which means Apple hasn’t made the strides shoppers asked for from one generation to the next. Battery life is also largely dependent on device use and can disappear quickly depending on which tools you use most. The battery on the Series 8 can support 11 hours of music playback or indoor workout tracking, for example, but only around 7 hours of tracking an outdoor GPS workout. If you have an LTE model device, the watch battery can sustain an hour and a half of talk time.

That isn’t to say Apple hasn’t offered any improvements. Alongside the Series 8, Apple introduced Low Power Mode to help users get more time between charges. This feature was part of the watchOS 9 software update and rolled back to older devices as well. That is to say, any Apple Watch Series 4 or newer can utilize Low Power Mode.

Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode disables always-on display, irregular rhythm heart rate notifications, high/low heart rate notifications, start workout reminders, and background measurements for heart rate and blood oxygen. Using your device in this power-saving setting can also impact the speed of outgoing phone calls and Siri queries. If your paired iPhone is out of range, it also disables Wi-Fi and cellular connections as well as incoming calls and notifications. Finally, Low Power Mode can decrease updates to watch face complications such as weather.

To save battery, the Apple Watch will automatically prompt you to initiate Low Power Mode when your battery hits below 10%. Once charged back up to at least 80%, it will be disabled. During our review, we found the Apple Watch Series 8 extends battery life beyond its 36-hour claim in Low Power Mode. If you feel your Apple Watch is dying too quickly, for example, in a few hours, there may be bigger issues with your device. Check for new software updates or try unpairing and repairing your watch.

Apple Watch Ultra

If you are committed to the Apple ecosystem but require the best possible battery specs, we recommend the Apple Watch Ultra. The device boasts a 75% larger battery than the Series 8 and a 36-hour battery life specs. During our Apple Watch Ultra review, we consistently outlasted Apple’s conservative claims, inching closer to 40 hours between charges. That means multiple nights of sleep tracking before reaching for your cable.

The extended battery life is especially helpful for long-distance training. We found a one-hour GPS workout utilizes about 5% of the Ultra’s battery when using Low Power Mode. In addition to its impressive durability and a beautiful, oversized display, battery life is one of the features that warrant the model’s lofty price tag when comparing the Series 8 vs the Apple Watch Ultra.

Rather than bulking up battery life, Apple focused on improving charge times in the last two generations of the Apple Watch. Both the Series 8 and Series 7 each offer fast charging capabilities. The devices can power up from 0 to 80 percent in about 45 minutes. The Apple Watch Ultra also supports fast charging, however, our testing showed that with its bigger battery, the device will charge 0 to 80 percent in about an hour.

The Apple Watch Series 8 ships with a magnetic fast-charging cable in the box. You can distinguish this module from older chargers by the ring of aluminum around the magnetic end and the USB-C connector. You will need to purchase your own power adapter.

Some third-party chargers now feature fast charging capabilities as well, including multi-device charging pads. We recently reviewed the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 wireless charging pad for Apple products and experienced ample charge times.

The Apple Watch Series 8 still has ground to make up compared to other leading smartwatches. From the Wear OS stable, both Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 series devices have Apple beat. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, with its 590mAh cell, provided close to two full days of battery life during our review period.

The Google Pixel Watch on the other hand, doesn’t fare as well. We were disappointed to find the watch only lasts one day between charges, despite its affiliation with Fitbit (a company that typically offers great battery specs). The Fitbit Versa 3, meanwhile, lasts around 3.5 days between charges. However, it’s a much weaker device in terms of smartwatch functionality.

Of course, neither the latest Galaxy Watch nor the Pixel Watch are compatible with iOS. For Apple Watch alternatives for iPhone loyalists, we look to Garmin. The Garmin Venu 2 Plus, the top company’s smartwatch available, offers five days on a single charge. The standard Venu 2 lasts even longer, though it lacks a few key features of its updated sibling. Finally, hybrid smartwatches like Fossil’s Gen 6 Hybrid or the Withings ScanWatch offer even better battery life.

Overall, Apple’s flagship wearable still falls short of users’ hopes for the lineup when it comes to battery life. Endurance athletes in particular may have a hard time making the Series 8 a mainstay for training. However, despite it’s subpar battery life, we still consider the Series 8 the best smartwatch for most iPhone users. Low Power Mode and fast charging help to mitigate the current model’s battery shortcomings.