The next big Apple Watch upgrade should be an improved battery

There was huge anticipation for the Apple Watch Series 7 last year. Rumors suggested that Apple was working on a new flat design and features like blood pressure monitoring. While none of that happened (and probably won’t for the next Apple Watch), Apple should work on something that matters to all users: improving the battery life.

Despite all the rumors, Apple Watch Series 7 came as a minor upgrade to the Apple Watch Series 6. Apart from a larger display with thinner bezels, there’s nothing new in the Series 7 models – except for an on-screen keyboard. And if you have high expectations for Apple Watch Series 8, everything suggests that it won’t be a huge upgrade either.

Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman recently reported that users shouldn’t expect new health sensors in the Apple Watch any time soon, as it may take years for the company to develop new related technologies. Gurman also mentioned that a body temperature sensor was on the roadmap for this year’s Apple Watch, but plans on it have “slowed down recently.”

For some users, especially those who upgrade their devices every year, the latest Apple Watch models may seem boring. The thing is, most users don’t upgrade their Apple Watch every year (not even every two years in some cases), so even the smallest upgrades will feel significant to some people.

But if we’re not getting a new design or new health sensors, there’s one thing I really want to see Apple improve on its smartwatch, and that’s battery life.

Battery is a problem for some Apple Watch users

Since the very first Apple Watch, the company has promised an 18-hour battery life. While this ensures that the device can stay on all day, the battery is unlikely to last longer than that – and that’s bad considering what the Apple Watch has become.

The Apple Watch now has cellular, it calls emergency services automatically if needed, it lets you type on it, and you can even track your sleep with it. But if you do all that, you’ll probably have to recharge it more than once a day.

I have the latest Apple Watch Series 7 with cellular connection, and it usually gets to the end of the day with less than 40% battery. If I track my sleep with it, it will have less than 30% battery in the morning, so I’d have to recharge it before going to sleep or right after waking up.

Series 7 supports fast charging and that’s great, but having a bigger battery so you don’t have to worry about it would be even better. Since we’re staying at home more, this may not be a problem now, but it will be eventually.

As Apple itself says, you can hardly use an Apple Watch for more than 4 hours with just the LTE connectivity without your iPhone nearby. And when you combine that with health sensors and GPS turned on during a workout, the numbers can be even worse. Meanwhile, some of the Apple Watch’s competitors already provide two or more days of battery life.

The Apple Watch really deserves a better battery so that users can enjoy all of its features without worrying about whether they will have enough battery to track sleep, exercise, or call someone. If a better battery turns out to be the only new feature of Apple Watch Series 8, I’d be more than happy with it.

Are you satisfied with the Apple Watch battery life? Let me know in the comments section below.