I tested the battery life of 3 popular smartwatches, and the results surprised me

One of the biggest reasons that Ultra watches like the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch Ultra appeal to so many people is the battery life, Both of thee watches offer a significant improvement over the regular versions. Meanwhile, for Pixel Watch lovers, there is no Ultra variant to choose from.

I’ve enjoyed the Apple Watch Series 10 so much that I’ve ditched my Apple Watch Ultra 2. However, it falls short in one area: the battery life. It’s a noticeable drop from the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and it’s easy to forget to charge it.

After wearing the Apple Watch Series 10 and getting accustomed to its battery life, I wanted to figure something out. How long does it last, and is it better than its two biggest competitors — the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and the Google Pixel Watch 3? The answers might surprise you.

The specs comparison

All three watches are priced relatively closely, with similar specs and features. The Apple Watch Series 10 costs $400, the Pixel Watch 3 costs $350, and the Galaxy Watch 7 is just $300. Here’s how the specs compare for the key areas: display, performance, and battery.

How I tested these smartwatches

Over several days, I logged the battery life on each watch at intervals throughout the day, including noting things like sleep mode and notifications. I wore all three watches simultaneously and left all tracking and mode detection on automatic.

For the charging tests, I used the included charging cable — the latest one in the case of the Apple Watch Series 10 and Pixel Watch 3 — paired with a charger capable of delivering the maximum supported wattage. I cross-checked any outlier data points and validated the final findings through additional testing.

Samsung and Google provided these samples, but did not know this test was being conducted. The Apple Watch Series 10 I used was a unit purchased from Apple.

How does the battery life compare?

To understand a true representation of battery life, I wore all three watches for two weeks and aggregated data on battery life consumption during specific activities. I also logged the battery life at specific intervals with all three smartwatches charged to 100%.

Here’s how long each smartwatch lasts:

The Apple Watch Series 10 offers the least endurance of the three smartwatches, with battery life averaging 38 hours and 30 minutes, while the Galaxy Watch 7 almost achieves two full days at 43 hours. However, both are significantly worse than the Pixel Watch 3, which surpassed my expectations at 52 hours and 30 minutes. That’s more than half a day longer than the Apple Watch Series 10.

It’s also worth noting that I kept the always-on display (AOD) enabled for all three smartwatches. Disabling the AOD improves battery life by around 20%. While each smartwatch offers low power and extra low power modes, among other features, these modes disable some of the health-tracking features.

Battery life used during sleep tracking

One of Apple’s biggest challenges — and possibly a key reason that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 exists — is the battery life offered by the regular Apple Watch. It’s improved this year over previous years, but still pales compared to competitors of the same price and size. Overall, it’s inferior, but what about in two specific areas: sleep tracking and workouts?

There’s nothing worse than getting into bed and realizing that your watch battery may not last the night, but how much battery do you need to track your sleep at night? Is 16% enough to see you safely through the night? 20%? 30%?

On average, all three watches consume similar amounts of battery at night. The Apple Watch Series 10 and Galaxy Watch 7 use between 13% and 15% on average, while the Pixel Watch 3 uses slightly more at 17%.

However, while this is the average usage, you will likely need far more to ensure your watch makes it through the night. How long does each smartwatch take to charge to full, and what if you need a quick top-up before bed?

What about charging times?

Apple has made a big deal about the charging capabilities of the Apple Watch Series 10, and that’s for good reason, as it has fixed one of the biggest complaints with its wearables. Now, you can achieve lightning-fast charges in around an hour, which is faster than the competition.

The Pixel Watch 3 does well in keeping up with the Apple Watch Series 10, but there is a notable difference in total charging time. The Apple Watch Series 10 charges to full in 57 minutes, while the Pixel Watch 3 takes 1 hour and 19 minutes. The Galaxy Watch 7 is much slower, with a total charging time of 1 hour 42 minutes.

Many companies do not want you to charge your battery to full to prolong its lifespan, so they often promote charging speeds at specific intervals. At the common 30-minute mark, the Apple Watch Series 10 reaches 64% of battery life, while the Pixel Watch 3 is at 55%. The Galaxy Watch 7 continues to lag at 36%.

A quick (or not-so-quick) burst charge

Sometimes, you only have time for a quick 15-minute charge while getting ready for the day. What can you expect from a quick burst if your watch is completely drained? For the Apple Watch Series 10, you should achieve around 32%, while the Pixel Watch 3 gets to 26% and the Galaxy Watch 7 hits just 17%.

These numbers are just percentages, but what does that mean for battery life? How long will that quick burst charge last on each watch? The Apple Watch Series 10 battery was at 32% and our detailed logging suggests it will last around 12 hours from that point. That’s more than enough to get you through a night, but it likely won’t track your sleep at night. In comparison, the Pixel Watch 3 lasts around two hours longer at 14 hours, while the Galaxy Watch 7 lasts around eight hours.

Fact-checking advertised charging claims

Every company promotes great battery life for its products, whether it be reaching an 80% charge in X number of minutes or battery life that will last a day, no matter what you throw at it. Often, these numbers are reached under lab conditions, so do they live up to the advertised claims when used with all features enabled?

Apple says the Apple Watch Series 10 can achieve an 80% charge in just 30 minutes. In our testing, it’s closer to 65%, which is a marked improvement over every other Apple Watch and even betters competitors from Google and Samsung’s. This 65% will last you just over 25 hours, with all tracking and sensors enabled, which ensures you’ll always get a full day’s use with a 30-minute charge or less.

Samsung makes no notable claims about the Galaxy Watch 7’s charging speed, so there’s nothing to compare it with. That said, it’s worth noting that in 30 minutes, it charges to around 36%, which should last around 23 hours. It’s not quite a full 24 hours, but it’s still enough to get through a full day.

Google makes multiple claims about the Pixel Watch 3’s charging speeds. It claims that the 45mm model can charge up to 50% in 28 minutes and up to 80% in 50 minutes. In our testing, it was faster than claimed, at around 27 minutes and 45 minutes, respectively. It’s impressive that Google not only lived up to, but exceeded its charging claims.

Which smartwatch wins?

Each of these smartwatches is backed by manufacturer claims that it can last a full day, and while these are technically accurate, there are a few key takeaways to note.

The Apple Watch has the worst battery life of the three, but is significantly faster to charge. If you run out of charge just before bed, it would take 15 minutes to charge to more than 30%, the level that Apple itself promotes as necessary to get through the night.

Meanwhile, for Android users, the Galaxy Watch 7 is the slowest to charge and second in the battery life results. The Pixel Watch 3 has the best battery life and the second fastest charging, and it’s the overall winner here. Even though the Apple Watch Series 10 is supremely fast to charge, the Pixel Watch 3’s endurance ensures it wins this battery showdown.

It’s surprising that Apple is so far behind in battery life, though the fast charge times certainly help alleviate the issue. And despite making smartwatches longer than Google, Samsung trails the Pixel Watch in both battery life and charging. I can’t say these were the results I was expecting, but they certainly are enlightening.