Apple Watch: How long does the battery last

It’s around 18 hours.

Apple says that in general use the Apple Watch will last around 18 hours between charges. This figure was arrived at from tests in which a first-gen Apple Watch was paired with an iPhone and used for a variety of typical uses: 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use and a 30-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth.

Our experience suggests this might be about right for the original model, provided you don’t go overboard with app use and notifications, but (despite Apple continuing to use the 18-hours figure) the Series 2 and Series 3 updates are capable of doing a lot better. In tests the Series 2 managed 54 hours (including two nights, and fairly light typical use), while the Series 3 lasted for 39 hours (including one night).

Whatever your typical usage, you can expect to have to charge your Apple Watch overnight at least every other night, and every night if you use a first-gen or Series 1 model, or if you use the cellular function on your Series 3 a fair amount.

If your device is doing significantly worse than the above figures (and is new – battery performance will degrade as it ages), it’s worth looking into why, and trying to improve matters.