Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch 8 series is the first to run Wear OS 6. The One UI 8-powered series is available to pre-order now, with general availability slated for July 25, 2025.
Not only does the new software bring advanced tools like Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load, Running Coach, and more, it also unlocks a key battery feature that we’ve been waiting for.
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Wear OS 6 could bring this battery-saving Android feature to your Pixel Watch
Adaptive Charging could soon land on the Pixel Watch
Back in February, code strings found within the Pixel Watch Management Service app indicated that Google was working on bringing Adaptive Charging to the Pixel Watch. Subsequently, in June, similar hints made their way to ClockworkSysUiGoogle (a system UI app) in the Wear OS 6 Developer Preview, suggesting that charging optimization features might not be limited to Pixel Watches after all.
Now, with early Galaxy Watch 8 units reaching reviewers, it’s being confirmed that Samsung’s latest smartwatches are launching with a One UI 8-powered ‘battery protection’ feature, which should make early battery degradation less of a concern.
Wearables get 90 percent charging cap
Source: Android Authority
Unlike Google and Samsung’s ‘Limit to 80%’ charging optimization for smartphones, Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman reports that their Galaxy Watch 8 Classic offers a ‘Battery protection’ feature that stops the watch from charging once its battery reaches the 90 percent level. “Stop charging when the battery level reaches 90% and start charging again when it drops down to 85%,” reads the feature’s description.
It appears as a new third entry under Settings → Battery, which previously only listed two charging settings: Show charging info and Auto power on.
The decision to go for 90 percent as the max limit makes sense considering smartwatch batteries are already quite small. A lower 80 percent cap could impact the wearable’s ability to last a full day on a single charge, which would, in turn, prompt users to keep the feature disabled. 90 percent could hit the sweet spot between preventing early battery degradation and ensuring that the wearable lasts the full day.
While not confirmed, it is extremely likely that the same feature will be available on the Galaxy Watch 8 and the 2025 Watch Ultra. We’ll be checking our review units shortly, and this article will be updated accordingly.
