The Apple Watch Series 8 comes with a few key upgrades over the Watch Series 7, but does it include improvements to battery life? The Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS) starts at $399, and at that price, it competes with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. There is another version of the Apple Watch Series 8 that supports LTE connectivity, with a starting price of $499. Both variants come in two case size options, 41mm and 45mm.
Apple says that the Watch Series 8 offers a battery life of "18 hours after an overnight charge," which includes 90 time checks, 90 notifications, a 60-minute workout with music playback, and 45 minutes of app usage. The smartwatch is also rated to last up to 1.5 hours on a call via an LTE connection. In terms of audio playback and workouts, the Watch Series 8 provides up to 11 hours of playback from offline storage and can track up to 11 hours of indoor activities, which drops to seven hours with GPS turned on.
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Related: Is The Apple Watch Series 8 Waterproof? What You Need To Know
How Long Does Apple Watch Series 8 Take To Charge?
Apple's official figures are only general guidelines, since effective battery life depends upon usage patterns. For example, if a user uses the Apple Watch's inbuilt GPS for a longer duration, the battery is likely to become depleted faster. In most cases though, the Apple Watch Series 8 can easily last an entire day with heavy usage, offering a battery life that's similar to the Apple Watch Series 7. In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 lasts for up to 50 hours on a single charge.
Apple provides a Magnetic Fast Charging USB-C Cable with the Apple Watch, but a power adapter isn't included in the box. When used with Apple’s 20W USB-C Power Adapter, it takes about 45 minutes to charge the Apple Watch Series 8 to 80 percent, and 75 minutes to charge the smartwatch to 100 percent. The charging speed is similar to what Apple offers on the Watch Series 7. However, there is a catch. The Apple Watch Series 8 won’t charge at this speed with power adapters rated less than 20W.
Enable Low Power Mode To Extend Battery Life
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For those who need to extend their Apple Watch's battery, there is a Low Power Mode that doubles the battery life to up to 36 hours. With Low Power Mode Enabled, the Watch Series 8 can provide 180 time checks, 180 notifications, a 60-minute workout with music playback, and 90 minutes of app usage. The Low Power Mode temporarily disables features such as background heart rate measurements and the Always-On display, while retaining essential features like activity tracking and fall detection. This feature is not only available on the latest Apple Watch Series 8, but also on Watch Series 4 and newer models running watchOS 9.
While the Low Power Mode automatically turns on when the Apple Watch's battery dips below 10 percent, users can also enable it manually. To do this, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open Control Center and tap the battery percentage button. Tap the toggle next to Low Power Mode to enable it, and choose between 'Turn On' and 'Turn On For.' The second option will let users choose between turning on the mode for one, two, or three days. The Low Power Mode on the Apple Watch Series 8 will automatically be disabled when the battery charges to 80 percent, unless a user has selected the 'Turn On For' option.
