Apple Aiming for 19 Hours of Apple Watch Battery Life With 'Mixed Usage'

One of the biggest mysteries about the upcoming Apple Watch is its battery life. Previous rumors have hinted that it will need to be charged once a day, and Apple CEO Tim Cook himself said that users will want to charge it on a daily basis, but concrete battery life information has yet to be revealed.

New details on the Apple Watch's possible battery life have now surfaced from inside sources that spoke to 9to5Mac, revealing information on the battery life Apple was aiming for and what it may actually be able to achieve.

As of 2014, Apple was reportedly aiming for 2.5 to 4 hours of active application use with 19 hours of active/passive use, plus 3 days of pure standby time and four days if the watch was sleeping. That's somewhat in line with early rumors, which suggested Apple was targeting a three to five day battery life for the device. Though Apple was aiming for three to four days of standby time, it may only reach two to three days. Apple is hoping the Apple Watch will last for 19 hours of mixed usage, but it "may not hit that number in the first generation version."

applewatch1
The Apple Watch is equipped with a tiny but powerful S1 chip, and its performance is similar to that of the A5 processor from the iPhone 4s and the iPad 2. It also has a 60-FPS Retina-class display, which, along with the S1 chip, results in a significant amount of power usage.

Apple has also been stress-testing the Apple Watch’s battery life with pre-bundled and third-party applications. Our sources say that Apple is targeting 2.5 hours of “heavy” application use, such as processor-intensive gameplay, or 3.5 hours of standard app use. Interestingly, Apple expects to see better battery life when using the Watch’s fitness tracking software, which is targeted for nearly 4 hours of straight exercise tracking on a single charge.

As Apple is positioning the Apple Watch as a timepiece, the company has conducted numerous tests to determine how long it can run purely in time-keeping modes. We’re told that the Watch should be able to display its clock face for approximately three hours, including watch ticking animations, if nothing else is done with the device.

These usage numbers make it sound like the Apple Watch will need to be charged multiple times a day, but it's unlikely that Apple Watch users will use apps and games continuously for hours, allowing the Apple Watch to last for approximately a day before needing to be charged. When not in active use, the Apple Watch goes into a battery-preserving sleep mode.

Apple originally hoped to launch the Apple Watch in late 2014, but delays with software optimization ultimately caused the company to push back the release of the device until 2015, giving it time to eke out as much battery life as possible. Apple is also said to be perfecting the Apple Watch's MagSafe charger, improving its recharging time.

Current rumors suggest the Apple Watch could launch in March of 2015, at the tail end of "early 2015." While complete pricing remains unknown, the entry-level model will sell for $349.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
iPhone Security Feature 25

Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:15 pm PDT by
Apple has quite a few security features that it's added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs over the years. Now more than ever, it's important to make sure you're taking advantage of the built-in security tools that are available to keep yourself and your data safe, so we've rounded up a list of the most important options. If you don't already have these enabled, you might want to consider turning...
vision air cable

Images of Apple 'Vision Air' Power Cable Emerge Online

Thursday April 17, 2025 5:55 am PDT by
More images of a redesigned power cable allegedly for a future Apple "Vision Air" headset were today shared online by the prototype collector and leaker known as "Kosutami." Yesterday, the leaker explained that the Apple "Vision Air" will feature a thinner design and switch the battery enclosure and several of its internal structures to titanium to reduce the device's overall weight. Most of ...

Top Rated Comments

nyil Avatar
134 months ago
Remember how when the Galaxy Gear was announced, and everyone thought a one-day battery life was terrible (https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1631127)? And now suddenly everyone is okay with it on the Apple Watch :rolleyes:
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobob Avatar
134 months ago
Anyone expecting Apple to transcend the laws of physics has a problem bigger than a watch will solve.

19 hours is exceptional! Combine this with a battery that is so small that it will likely take an hour or less to fully recharge, and you've got a state of the art wearable computer. Pop it on the charger while you have your morning shower and forget about it till the next morning.
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sky Captain Avatar
134 months ago
So? I take my watch off at night anyways. No one stays up for more than 19 hours.
You seem to be completely ignoring people who actually.. kinda do. What I mean by that is what about the frequent traveler. Many journeys across the globe can take upwards of 24 hours between catching flights, the flight itself lay overs etc. Point is, you can find yourself many times in situations where it is not realistic or convenient to pause to tie your arm to the closet power plug you can find to charge your watch, all the while staring at said watch in desperation as you see your boarding time drawing near.

That's just one example. Long bus trips is another.. etc etc.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Markiie Avatar
134 months ago
so 1 day battery life.

ouch

Not even that......
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dec. Avatar
134 months ago
Remember how when the Galaxy Gear was announced, and everyone thought a one-day battery life was terrible (https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1631127)? And now suddenly everyone is okay with it on the Apple Watch :rolleyes:

Wow. Did you read the replies so far?
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFather Avatar
134 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)