Apple Watch 6 leak reveals a battery boost

• A new leak points to one model of the Apple Watch 6 having a battery capacity of 303.8 mAh.
• The Apple Watch 5's capacity is 296 mAh, while the Apple Watch 3's battery is 279 mAh, so this would be an upgrade.
• However, two other leaked Apple Watch 6 batteries have lower capacities, which could be for smaller models or those without LTE.

It looks like the Apple Watch Series 6 will be getting a battery upgrade when it launches later this year, although you may want to temper your expectations about how big a stamina boost it’ll actually represent.

The news comes via Twitter user @yabhishekhd, who shares an Apple battery that’s just gone through the Korean Testing and Research Institute’s certification process. The battery has a model number of A2327 and a capacity of 303.8 mAh. However, two other leaked batteries have smaller capacities than the Apple Watch 5.

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How can we be sure this battery is destined for the Apple Watch rather than, say, an AirPod charging case? We can’t know for sure, but if you look at the battery from the Apple Watch Series 5, captured in the picture below in iFixIt’s teardown, it certainly looks similar. 

So if this is indeed destined for the Apple Watch Series 6, what does this mean in practice? A very modest upgrade: just a 8mAh boost on the Apple Watch Series 5’s 296 mAh cell. In other words, an increase in capacity of just under 3%. Yay?

Of course, there are limits to what you can do if you don’t want to be wandering around with a computer on your wrist, and the history of the Apple Watch is based around these small gains. This is, after all, a 9% increase on the 279 mAh battery that powered the Apple Watch Series 3.

And while we’re not expecting this battery enhancement to boost the “up to 18 hours” that Apple promises on current models, it should at least ensure that new features don’t impact the stamina. In other words, the small boost in battery capacity may ensure that the Apple Watch 6 can ‘stand still’ in its current drain despite adding additional features.

According to MySmartPrice, there are two other batteries with model numbers A2345 and A2306, which have lower capacities of 265.9 mAh and 262.9 mAh. As AppleInsider speculates, these varying capacities could be for different size Apple Watch 6 models or those with LTE connectivity.

Alongside the usual improvements to performance, Apple Watch 6 rumors point to the addition of SpO2 monitoring (blood oxygen levels), better water resistance and additional wellness features like yoga and stress detection.

There’s also ongoing talk of sleep tracking, which is indeed built into WatchOS 7, but it's possible that the Apple Watch 6 could have deliver features to enhance this. For example, the device is rumored to get a Micro LED display, which is more efficient than the current OLED screens on Apple Watches. So you may be able to wear your Apple Watch 6 through the night without it running out of juice, then charge it up in the morning. 

We shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out what Apple has lined up for the Apple Watch 6, but maybe a little longer than usual. While the company usually has a September showcase, Apple has said that the iPhone 12 will be delayed a few weeks this time around. Alongside the new iPhone 12 and Apple Watch 6, we’re hoping to get a glimpse of the new AirPods Studio.