Apple Watch Series 4 lasts up to 18 hours on a single charge — just like its predecessors — and it somehow manages that with significantly smaller batteries.
An official Product Information sheet confirms Apple’s latest wearables have around 20 percent less battery capacity than Series 3 devices. It’s a testament to the power efficiency of the new components.
Apple Watch Series 4 boasts larger edge-to-edge displays, faster S4 chipsets, an improved Digital Crown with haptic feedback, and new components that allow for things like fall detection and electrocardiograms.
You would think that all these things require more power, but in actual fact, the latest Apple Watch is more efficient than its predecessors.
Apple Watch Series 4 won’t guzzle battery life
The new S4 chipset boasts more efficient processing cores. The W3 wireless chip supports Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity that’s easier on battery life than earlier standards. The larger OLED display uses a technology called LPTO that reduces power consumption.
Despite all the improvements, then, Apple Watch Series 4 can deliver the same “all-day” battery life with smaller batteries. And it’s not just Apple that says that; almost all Series 4 reviews agree that battery life is excellent.
Here’s how the Series 4 batteries stack up against Series 3 batteries:
- Apple Watch Series 4 (40mm): 0.86 watt-hours
- Apple Watch Series 4 (44mm): 1.12 watt-hours
- Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm): 1.07 watt-hours
- Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm): 1.34 watt-hours
Apple Watch Series 4 doesn’t disappoint
As noted by MacRumors, which noticed the battery information in Apple’s Product Information Sheet, the battery inside the 44mm Series 4 is approximately 16.5 percent smaller than the battery inside the 42mm Series 3. The battery inside the 40mm Series 4 is approximately 19.7 percent smaller than the battery inside the 42mm Series 3.
Of course, the battery you get from an Apple Watch all depends on how you use it. If you occasionally check the time and read your notifications, you should get 18 hours easily. However, you will only get around six hours if you do a lengthy outdoor workout.
