The battery life of the Apple Watch Series 8 and SE are better than expected, and for a special reason. Namely, Apple has done some tweaking.
Since this year, you can enjoy three new Apple Watches. In addition to the Series 8 and the SE, the Ultra is making its debut. Of course, one smartwatch is just a little better than the other, but they have all undergone the same change in terms of GPS. And just let that save battery life.
Change in GPS usage by the Apple Watch
The older Apple Watch variants actually always used the iPhone’s GPS when it was nearby. As a result, measurements using that GPS might not always be accurate. For example, think if you were running a lap.
With the Apple Watch Series 8, Ultra and SE, that’s all different. For this, the smartwatch uses the GPS chip of the watch itself. Of course, that also has a drawback: it requires more of the watch’s battery. DC Rainmakers, a site for outdoor enthusiasts, put it under the microscope.
(Image: Mark Hofman / OMT)
Longer battery life
What turns out is that the battery life of the Apple Watch Series 8 is no different from the 7, despite the new battery drain feature. For both models it is 18 hours, So that means that the smartwatch’s battery has improved, which is of course nice for the user.
Of course, this change is not only good for your Apple Watch. It also has benefits for your iPhone. Now that your smartwatch no longer uses your phone’s GPS, it also means that that battery lasts longer. So that’s two birds with one stone.
With the Apple Watch Series 5, Apple already performed a similar update. Then came the famous always-on display and battery life did not go down. Unfortunately, that is not the case with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
