The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 battery life could be a deal-breaker for one of this year’s most anticipated smartwatches.
Though Samsung hasn’t revealed its next-gen Galaxy Watch or its official battery life estimates yet, we know what we’re hoping to see. At the bare minimum, we expect Samsung's latest smwartwatch to outlast the Apple Watch 7, if only by a few hours.
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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 its stamina expectations. The original Samsung Galaxy Watch lasted an impressive 4 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 right now, we couldn’t go 24 hours without recharging. Samsung rated its most recent launch for up to two days, but with consistent activity tracking and the always-on display setting enabled, we would see battery life plunge.
If the downward battery life trend continues, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (or Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4) looks destined to require a daily charge similar to our other devices. While that’s not a definitive blow to how we’d score the smartwatch, it’s a little disappointing based on what Samsung once offered.
That’s why if Samsung boosts the Galaxy Watch battery life back up, it could coax more excitement into the next version’s imminent launch on August 11. We really want to see at least two full days, even with fitness tracking and other premium features in use.
So could it happen? With new features and sensors (namely body composition analysis), some would say it’s unfair to expect battery life improvement. Still, previews of the Galaxy Watch new software and a recent spec leak have given us a glimmer of hope.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 battery life: What we know
The upcoming smartwatch will be the first to run the refreshed, unified version of Google Wear OS. Tizen, the existing Samsung Galaxy Watch software, is being folded into Wear OS, along with Fitbit features. When it revealed the nearing platform convergence, Google suggested the battery life of Wear OS-powered smartwatches will benefit.
To keep things cohesive, Samsung developed a One UI Watch skin to accompany Wear OS on the Galaxy Watch 4 — except One UI Watch is tailored more toward the Samsung device ecosystem than the smartwatch’s individual efficiency.
Instead, the Galaxy Watch 4 might get battery improvements from its rumored chipset. According to SamMobile, a website often credited with several Samsung specs leaks, the next Galaxy Watch will feature the exclusive Exynos W920 chip. The chip promises faster performance, but that could mean better battery competence, too.
It's not long now until Samsung fulfills or our hopes for the Galaxy Watch 4's battery life. The smartwatch is expected to debut at the Samsung Unpacked keynote on August 11, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.
