The Apple Watch is, without a doubt, one of the best smartwatches available. However, one criticism levelled at the wearable is its battery life. Because the Apple Watch has an endurance of around 18 hours, you’ll spend a lot of time charging it. So, the obvious question is, how long does it take to charge the Apple Watch? Short answer; around 60 minutes to charge from 0% to 80% for the Apple Watch Ultra, 45 minutes for the Series 8, and the Apple Watch SE (2022) and a lot longer for older Apple Watch models.
However, there are other factors in play when charging an Apple Watch. These factors and other vital information about Apple watches and their charge time will be covered in the course of this article.
Without further ado, let’s get started…
How Long Does an Apple Watch Take to Charge: At a Glance
Apple Watch Models | Charging time 0% to 80% and 100% | |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch Ultra | 60 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Apple Watch Series 8 | 45 minutes | 75 minutes |
| Apple Watch SE (2022) | 90 minutes | 150 minutes |
| Apple Watch Series 7 | 45 minutes | 75 minutes |
| Apple Watch Series 6 | 60 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Apple Watch SE | 90 minutes | 150 minutes |
| Apple Watch Series 3 | 90 minutes | 120 minutes |
How Much Time Does It Take To Charge an Apple Watch?
According to Apple’s product testing, charging the Apple Watch Series 3 and 4 from zero to 80% takes about one and a half hours, and charging from zero to 100% takes about two hours — though charge times can vary “with environmental factors.”
Review & Important Factors
Despite being a heavier watch with a larger battery, the Apple Watch Ultra charges from 0% to 80% in 60 minutes — 15 minutes faster than the Apple Watch Series 8 and Series 7. You’ll need to set aside another 30 minutes to charge the Series 8 and Series 7 fully.
From the Series 6 onwards, the Apple Watch’s charging speed increased significantly. The newly included magnetic fast-charging USB-C cable, which allows wattages of up to 20W through Apple’s 20W USB-C charger, is the primary reason for this improvement. This was a significant improvement over the standard 5W supported by older Apple Watches. To achieve 20W charging speeds, Apple recommends plugging this charger and cable into an 18W, 20W, 29W, 30W, 61W, 87W, or 96W USB-C power adaptor.
If you have an Apple Watch SE, you should allow 90 minutes for a 0-80% charge and another 60 minutes to reach 100%. Despite Apple’s claims, we found the Apple Watch SE (2022) to charge much faster than its predecessor during our review.
So, how do the charging times of the Apple Watch compare to the competition? The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro takes 90 minutes to charge from 0 to 100%, while the Fitbit Sense 2 takes around 80 minutes.
How Long Does It Take to Charge the Apple Watch 7 and Series 8 (2023)?
According to Apple documentation, the following is how long it should take to charge the Apple Watch 7 and Series 8:
- Apple Watch Series 8: According to Apple’s official documentation, the Apple Watch Series 8 smartwatch takes 45 minutes to charge from 0% to 80% and 75 minutes to charge from 0% to 100%, all with the new USB-C fast charging cable.
- Apple Watch Series 7: Apple also claims that the Apple Watch Series 7 smartwatch takes the same amount of charging time as the Series 8 smartwatch, namely 45 minutes to reach 0% to 80% charge and 75 minutes to get 0% to 100% charge, all while using the new USB-C fast charging cable.
Battery Life of Apple Watches
According to Apple’s initial reports, all of its smartwatches can work for 18 hours a day; however, this battery life varies depending on how you use the watch. By checking the time 90 times, seeing notifications 90 times, and tracking your exercise while listening to music for an hour, the battery can last up to 18 hours. In addition, the watch can play music from its memory for 11 hours or 8 hours when listening to songs from the Internet.
On the other hand, the Apple Watch has a power-saving OLED display that only lights up when you press it or raise your wrist. However, the watch may consume a higher percentage of the battery’s power in another way, such as if you exercise regularly and for an extended period, as the various sensors are used to track your activity and measure oxygen and heart rate. You can also use mobile interfaces that drain the battery quickly. Remember that full-screen brightness can drain the battery, so there are a few things you can do to extend battery life:
- Keep unnecessary apps from running.
- Turn off Background App Refresh.
- The use of full-screen brightness is not recommended.
- Use non-moving, static interfaces.
- Halt unnecessary activities and processes.
- Reduce the number of incoming notifications on the Apple Watch.
- Make sure the Power Reserve mode is turned on.
To Increase Battery Life, Enable Low Power Mode.
A Low Power Mode doubles the battery life to up to 36 hours for those who need to extend the battery life of their Apple Watch. The Watch Series 8 can provide 180 time checks, 180 notifications, a 60-minute workout with music playback, and 90 minutes of app usage when in Low Power Mode.
The Low Power Mode turns off features such as background heart rate measurements and the Always-On display while retaining essential features such as activity tracking and fall detection. This feature is available not only on the most recent Apple Watch Series 8 but also on the Watch Series 4 and later models running watchOS 9.
While the Low Power Mode is activated automatically when the Apple Watch’s battery falls below 10%, users can also enable it manually. To do so, open Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the screen and tapping the battery percentage button. To enable Low Power Mode, tap the toggle next to it and select ‘Turn On’ or ‘Turn On For.’ The second option allows users to activate the mode for one, two, or three days. Unless a user has selected the ‘Turn On For’ option, the Apple Watch Series 8’s Low Power Mode will be disabled when the battery reaches 80 per cent.
Ways To See How Much Battery You Have Left
- Unlock your Apple Watch and swipe up from the bottom to see the percentage of remaining battery life. You can activate the watch’s Power Reserve mode by clicking on the percentage, which disables all functions except the time. At 10% battery, the Apple Watch will prompt you to activate Power Reserve, and it will enter Power Reserve automatically when the battery is very low.
- Adding a battery complication to the watch face makes it possible to see the battery percentage as quickly as the time.
The Best Way to Charge Your Apple Watch
#1. Connect your Charger
- Position the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable (included with the Apple Watch) with the concave side up.
The Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock ($79) can also charge the watch. The charging dock, which uses the same inductive charging connector as the charging cable, allows you to charge the watch flat or on its side. Charging your watch on the dock gets it into Nightstand mode and can be used as an alarm clock, which is n an added advantage.
- Connect the charging cable or dock to a power adapter and then to a power outlet. Apple recommends placing the charger in a well-ventilated area in the device’s user guide.
#2. Charge your Apple Watch
Place the concave end against the back of your Apple Watch using the charging circle. A magnet automatically aligns and holds the two parts together.
Unless the watch is in silent mode, it will make a chiming noise to indicate that it is charging. You’ll also notice a lightning bolt (the charging symbol) in the top left corner. It is usually green, but a red sign indicates that your watch requires power.
A red lightning bolt indicates a low battery, and you may need to press the side button to view the watch face at all. More troubleshooting advice is available on the Apple website.
Can I Increase the Speed by Using a Faster-Charging Brick?
If your Apple Watch is older than the Series 7, you won’t be able to use a faster-charging brick to speed up charging. These Apple Watches have a maximum power output of 5W.
Is It Necessary To Charge My Apple Watch Every Night?
There is no harm in charging your Apple Watch overnight. Apple encourages this practice by providing additional bedside features. However, to take advantage of the Apple Watch’s sleep monitoring features, you should wear it while sleeping.
Is the Charging Speed of the Apple Watch Affected by the Charging Cable?
Unless you have an Apple Watch Series 7, the cable you use should not significantly impact charging speeds.
Is the Apple Watch Capable of Fast Charging?
While most Apple Watches charge at 5W, the Series 7, 8, and Ultra charge at 20W.
I Have an Older Apple Watch, but It Charges Very Slowly. What Should I Do?
Check to see if your cable is still in good condition. If your cable is fraying and old, you should replace it. The same is true for your charging brick. If these two steps do not resolve your watch’s slow charging, contact Apple directly, as it may be a battery issue.
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