The rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 may be shaping up to be the most convincing competitor yet to the equally rumored Apple Watch 7. That's because a new unofficial tip suggests Samsung's next-gen smartwatch will boast an epic seven-day battery life — a week's worth of power.
According to a report from WinFuture, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 battery life could be rated for up to seven days of use on one charge. We don't know yet whether the Apple Watch 7 will finally surpass the 18 hours we've settled with for several years now. Either way it's unlikely the battery life of Apple's supposedly upcoming smartwatch will come close to matching that of the Galaxy Watch 4, if this recent rumor is true.
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In the past, the Galaxy Watch’s battery life could beat the Apple Watch’s by several days, but Samsung has since lowered expectations. The original Samsung Galaxy Watch lasted an impressive four days, but the slimmer Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 battery life maxed out at 60 hours, or about 2.5 days.
Then when we tested the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, one of the best smartwatches and top Apple Watch 6 rival right now, we couldn’t go 24 hours without recharging. Samsung rated its most recent smartwatch for up to two days, but with consistent activity tracking and the always-on display setting enabled, we watched the battery life drain.
Thankfully, the downward battery life trend could be coming to an end. While many of the best Fitbit devices and best Garmin watches have weeklong battery lives, we've haven't seen a compelling Wear OS smartwatch last as long. That said, the new Wear OS promises better battery life for the next generation of Android smartwatches, likely starting with the Galaxy Watch 4.
We're also guessing the rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 chipset has something to do with the week-long battery life rumors. The expected Exynos W920 chip could reportedly offer 1.25x faster processing compared to the Exynos 9110 in the Galaxy Watch 3, as well as 8.8x smoother graphics performance.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 vs. Apple Watch 7: Battery life outlook
The Apple Watch 7 is likely to receive a new chipset, as it has previously with each new model. The question is whether the latest System in a Package (SiP) will benefit battery life. One report suggests Apple will tap tech from its Taiwanese supplier ASE Technology to make a double-sided S7 processor.
In theory, this would free up some space inside Apple's sleek smartwatch — perhaps for a larger battery. Some reports suggest Apple may make the next Apple Watch slightly thicker to accommodate a bigger battery, too.
Still, it's unlikely the next Apple Watch would last a week on a single charge. The series has never come close in the past. If anything, 18 hours may extend to an entire 24-hour day battery life. The Galaxy Watch, at least, has managed a multi-day estimate before.
Samsung is expected to announce an official battery life estimate when it reveals the Galaxy Watch 4 lineup during its Unpacked event on August 11.
