I Put the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Battery to the Test in Multiple Scenarios. Here’s what I found

Key Ultra 2 Battery Insights:

• Max Battery Life Potential: By turning off ‘Always On Display’, ‘Raise to Wake’, and forgoing sleep usage, you can achieve a 20% longer battery life, reaching up to 84 hours.
• Features Impact: Using the watch for sleep, having the ‘Always On Display’ and ‘Raise to Wake’ enabled can reduce battery life by 33%, giving you around 56 hours.
• Sleep Tracking Impact: Using the watch for sleep tracking reduces battery life by approximately 8% compared to not using it for sleep with similar settings.
• Always On & Raise to Wake: Having both features activated together can contribute to a 28% decrease in battery life.

Disclaimer: The results presented in this article were based on real-world usage and varied daily activities. While a controlled setting would yield more accurate results, these findings reflect everyday use and encompass factors like workout durations, messaging, among others.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Battery Test

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 boasts a 36 hour battery life according to Apple, but how does it truly fare in real-world settings?

I put it to the test, wearing it through the following different scenarios to understand its performance:

• Sleep Mode off, Always-On display and Raise-to-Wake on, brightness at 2/3.
• Sleep Mode off, Always-On and Raise-to-Wake off, brightness at 2/3.
• Sleep mode on, Always-On and Raise-to-Wake off, brightness at 2/3.
• Sleep mode on, Always-On display and Raise-to-Wake on, brightness at 2/3.

Daily Use

My daily use consists of timers, checking dozens of notifications, 1 hour-long weightlifting and 30 minute walk 6 days per week, alarms, texting, and adjusting various settings.

Note! This article is an ongoing work-in-progress as I conduct more tests, so save and share this page and stay tuned for updates!

Results

Tips! For more battery tips, read our 15 tips to extend your Apple Watch’s battery.

Conclusions and Recommendations:

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 offers impressive battery life for the functionality it offers, but its longevity is heavily influenced by the combination of features and settings used, many of which put a heavy strain on the processor.

Users should optimize their settings to get the most out of their device based on their personal needs and preferences.

• Turn Off ‘Always On Display’ and ‘Raise to Wake’: These were the most significant battery-drainers in our tests. Disabling them can add up to 28 hours of battery life.
• Reconsider Sleep Usage: If you can forgo sleep tracking, you could save up to 7 hours of battery.
• Brightness Matters: We tested at a consistent 2/3 brightness. If you can tolerate dimming the display to 1/3, there will be potential for even longer battery life. Conversely, setting the brightness to 100% will result in even more battery drain.

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