It’s okay if the Pixel Watch only manages a day of battery life

Image: Google

There is a lot we don't know about the device, like its hardware specifications. There is a rumor that the device will feature a 300mAh battery and a last-gen Wearable Processor. A report from 9to5 claims that the watch will have around 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, but fast charging isn't included. It might be tempting to cry doom and gloom, but if this goes well. The numbers are not bad.

One of the biggest challenges for manufacturers of watches is battery life. If you try to pack in a bigger battery, you will end up with a gargantuan watch that excludes people with wrists. If you try to design a slim and sleek watch, you will end up with something that won't last the day. Adding an always-on display ends up with worse battery life. If you can cram in as many advanced features as possible, you can see how fast the battery lasts.

It's a big burden for consumers as well. If you want to track sleep, you need a watch with a long battery life and fast charging. If you are an active person who does a lot of gps activity, it is the same. It is one of the reasons why many marathoners choose to use a more advanced Wearable than a more basic one. It is also a consideration for people who use their watches to make calls.

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

The Pixel Watch has 24 hours on a single charge, which is decent for the time of day. I haven't tested a Wear OS watch that lasts more than one day. Even though many models will give you more battery life, Apple has stuck with an estimated 18-hour battery life for all of its watches. The GALAXY WATCH 4 is notorious for falling short of its 40-hour battery life, while the tumeo watches hovered around the 24– 48 hour mark. When it came to battery life, it was knocked out of the park by the addition of always-on displays, but now it only lasts two to three days.

It is possible to find fitness watches that have a battery life of more than a week. I have been using the Forerunner 255 for over a week and have 40 percent battery left. The watch doesn't have a lot of "smart" features, it has a low-power screen, and it prioritized fitness tracking. Multisport fitness watches are usually this way.

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

It is not possible to have your cake and eat it at the same time. There is an inverse relationship between battery life and features on flagship watches. The worse your battery life will be if you have more features. You will have to put up with frequent charging if you want an always on display. Do you want a digital assistant that wakes you up? You will have to be aware of the charges. You need a charging schedule if you want to track sleep.

Fast charging has been the best solution to date. Fast charging isn't on the table if the rumors are true. This is new to high end watches. Fossil has a single watch that can be used for cellular. It isn't the most recent model. Fast charging on the Apple Watch Series 7 took Apple until 2021. It is not possible on the 4th iteration of the watch. Even if they aren't fond of it, many smartwatch owners are used to two hour charging times.

If the Pixel watch can manage 24 hours with an always-on display enabled while listening for Assistant in the background, that is good enough. If Google fails to deliver a watch that lasts a full workday, it will be a bad thing. We don't know because we don't have the final product It is best to ignore any rumors about the battery life and performance of the watch.