How Long Does Apple Watch Last? [Lifespan and Battery!]

Nothing feels worse than getting a new gadget you can barely use because of a fundamental flaw. With smartwatches, the greatest concern is the lifespan and the battery life, both of which can limit how much one gets to use them.

The Apple Watch lasts 3 to 4 years in terms of lifespan and 10 to 15 hours in terms of battery life. You can extend both the lifespan and the battery life of the Apple Watch by limiting unnecessary features, reducing screen time, and using the watch in its power-saving mode.

In this article, you will learn everything about the lifespan and battery life of different Apple Watch series. By the end, you will not only know how long your Apple Watch will last but also how you can extend its lifespan.

Apple Watch: Lifespan

While battery life can tell you how long a product lasts in a day, lifespan tells you how many days you can expect it to keep you company. Apple Watch’s lifespan is largely dependent on how often you use it.

Apple Watch can last 3 years with regular use and 4 years with semi-regular use. It can also function perfectly for over 5 years if you wear it on special occasions. However, operating system upgrades are expected to catch up to the hardware within 7 years of its launch.

In other words, Apple Watch becomes too slow to be functional 7 years after it is manufactured. And your usage and care cannot extend this limit. After 7 years, the operating system upgrades become too heavy for the hardware to accommodate.

How Long Is an Apple Watch Supposed To Last?

An Apple Watch is supposed to last 7 years in its package and 3 to 4 years with regular use. Careless use can lead to early damage, but careful usage cannot extend an Apple Watch’s lifespan over 7 years.

Apple Watch loses its ability to run the latest iOS in 7 years or less. Think of software as a body and hardware as pants. Just like a human body doesn’t stay the same, actively managed software doesn’t stay the same. Apple iOS keeps increasing in size. 

With a constant increase in size, there comes a time when the Apple operating system cannot fit the metaphorical pants. Unlike non-tech objects, you cannot keep smartwatches in a safe and use them after decades. It is better to use your Apple Watch daily because there’s a finite period it will last.

How Long Does Apple Watch Last With Daily Usage?

Apple Watch lasts 3 years with daily usage and 10 to 15 hours each day before you need to recharge it. The 3-year lifespan can be extended to 4 years if you wear the Apple Watch occasionally. After 4 years, the smartwatch is slower, and by the 7th, it is almost obsolete.

The maximum practical period an Apple Watch can last is 5 years, and you have to use multiple tech lifespan expansion tricks to make it reach that mark. An Apple Watch that lasts 5 years costs its owner $90 to $149 per year, depending on the model one buys. The longer your Apple Watch lasts, the more value you get out of each dollar you spend on it.

Extending Your Apple Watch lifespan

Extending your Apple Watch battery life and general lifespan both require reducing the overall usage burden on the watch. Let’s first look at what you can do to extend your Apple Watch’s lifespan.

• Use the Apple Watch in Battery Saving Mode – If you wear your Apple Watch for aesthetic reasons, putting it on Battery Saving mode can reduce the wear and tear on your smartwatch hardware. 
• Don’t wear the Apple Watch daily – Another way to make sure your Apple Watch lasts a few years longer is to wear it on special occasions. But if your purchase is meant for daily use, this tip doesn’t work.
• Keep the watch disconnected from Bluetooth and Cellular – If you wear an Apple Watch for its social proof and image-related reasons, you don’t need its Bluetooth and cellular functions. Simply switching those off can help you lower the mileage on your watch.
• Turn off unnecessary features – While the above tips require reducing usage, this one deals with minimizing unnecessary usage. You got your Apple Watch for a handful of features. If sleep tracking isn’t one of them, you can turn it off. You can turn off any features that you don’t find important enough. In return, you can get more time with your Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Battery Life

The question of how long the Apple Watch lasts is two-pronged. Some buyers wonder how long it will be before they’d need another Apple Watch. Others wonder how long before their current watch needs a recharge. In this section, we will deal with how long the Apple Watch battery lasts.

Apple asserts that the Apple Watch battery can last up to 18 hours. This is Apple’s goal and is idealistic. In reality, the Apple Watch battery lasts 10 to 15 hours, depending on usage and active screen time. You need to charge the Apple watch overnight to get the maximum battery life.

How Long Will My Apple Watch Last on 10 Percent?

Your Apple Watch can last 45 minutes to 1.5 hours on 10 percent battery. The usage burden dictates how long your battery lasts. That’s why you should turn on your Apple Watch Battery Saver mode when it gets close to 10 percent.

The drawback of battery saver mode is that it limits the functionality of your watch. However, there’s no point in having higher capabilities if the watch will switch off sooner. To avoid getting to 10 percent, you should charge your Apple Watch for one hour in the middle of the day.

How Long Does 20 Percent Battery Last on an Apple Watch

20 percent battery on an Apple Watch can last 2 hours to 3.5 hours. If you set your Apple Watch on battery saver mode and reduce screen time, your watch will last up to 5 hours. To maximize your Apple Watch’s battery life, you can turn off unnecessary features.

Here are the three ways in which you can deal with a 20-percent battery:

• Charge the watch for one hour and carry on as usual 
• Turn off cellular and Bluetooth alongside a few trackers
• Turn on the watch’s power-saving mode.

The middle way is to turn off Bluetooth and cellular when the Apple Watch reaches 20% and continue using your watch. At 10%, you should turn on the power saver mode. To avoid having to do this repeatedly, you have to charge your Apple Watch for 60 minutes in the middle of your day.

Apple Watch Battery Life Series 6

Apple Watch Series 6 has the same battery life as series 7, with a maximum of 18 hours. On average, it lasts slightly longer due to comparatively fewer features. You can expect your Apple Watch to last 11 hours with decent usage and up to 16 hours with minimal screen time.

Apple Watch Battery Life Series 7

Apple Watch Series 7 has a battery life of 18 hours (maximum), with the practical lifespan coming down to 10 hours. With a few features turned off and less screen time, the Apple Watch Series 7 can last up to 15 hours.

How Long Does the Apple Watch SE Battery Last

Apple Watch SE battery lasts 14 to 18 hours on a full charge depending on how much screen time and usage burden the device incurs. It has the same battery life as the Apple Watch Series 7. You should charge it overnight for uninterrupted daily function.

Apple Watch Battery Life Series 3

Apple Watch Series 3 lasts up to 20 hours on minimal functionality and over 16 hours on average. Because of its limited functionality and tracking features, it has a better battery life than the latest Series.

Extending Your Apple Watch Battery Life

Now that you know what the average Apple Watch battery life is let’s look at a few ways in which you can extend it. Most of these deal with minimizing usage or limiting features that drain the Apple Watch battery.

• Minimize Screen Time – The greatest drain on Apple Watch’s battery is its active screen time. You can configure your Apple watch to turn off when you bring your arm to your side. This can reduce battery usage by 30% to 50%.
• Turn off specific sensors – The heart rate monitor takes a lot of power to operate. And it’s not even that accurate. Turning it off during exercise and using a tracker on your treadmill is a much better trade-off.
• Reduce Task Burden – Finally, you can reduce the unmanaged tasks on your Apple Watch, so it doesn’t have to juggle multiple processes. This is a very manageable way to extend your Apple Watch’s battery life.

How To Make the Apple Watch Battery Last Longer (Series 7)?

You can make your apple watch series 7 battery last longer by turning off the heart rate sensor during intensive workouts. Other than that, minimizing screen time and keeping the watch on its power-saving mode will reduce power usage and extend your Apple Watch battery life.