There was a time when Samsung wearables offered heroic levels of battery life, with the original Galaxy Watch giving us a mammoth four days. But that was with Samsung’s Tizen OS, and the move to Wear OS has not been kind: last year’s Galaxy Watch 4 promised up to 40 hours, but we found it needed daily charging.
Apparently the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will be the model to get for those who need a return to long-lasting wearables. We’ve already heard that it will pack a massive 572mAh battery, but now we’ve got word of what that will mean in terms of hours away from a charger.
“The battery life of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro can reach at least 3 days,” tweeted the usually reliable leaker Ice Universe.
That sounds a touch optimistic, even if the rumoured 572mAh is 60% larger than the 361mAh cell found in the larger 44mm Galaxy Watch 4. But, if true, it would set a new benchmark for Wear OS watches.
Most Wear OS smartwatches are firmly in the ‘charge daily’ camp, but there are a couple of notable exceptions. The Suunto 7, for example, manages two days, while Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 3 can theoretically hit up to 72 hours (we found two days more accurate, but that does include GPS-powered workouts). The latter of these packs a 577mAh battery, which means it should be a pretty close comparison.
And, of course, it should also massively eclipse the battery life of its main rival: the upcoming Apple Watch 8. Apple has maintained the same 18-hour battery life since the original model launched in 2015, and while we've heard the Series 8 could boost that a bit, it's unlikely to triple the current stamina. Though it is possible that the rumored Apple Watch Pro could mix things up, of course.
We’ve already got a good look at the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, thanks to renders from the reliable leaker Evan Blass that show the watch from every angle. Sadly, it seems the rumors were true and the rotating bezel is indeed no more, taking away a key USP in the fight against the best smartwatches on the market.
Samsung will be hoping that other rumored features — such as premium materials and a possible temperature sensor — are enough to make the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro stand out when it finally appears.
We likely don’t have very long to wait. The next Samsung Unpacked event is scheduled for August 10, and we’re fully expecting to see the new wearables alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Buds Pro 2. While we don’t expect any to go on sale immediately, early adopters should be able to get their hands on them before the month is out.
