No doubt, smartwatches are taking over the wearable tech space but one problem many still encounter with this tech is that smartwatches generally have weak batteries and even the popular and most expensive ones in the market still struggle with this issue.
If you’re like me who doesn’t like to charge my smartwatch every now and then and currently searching for a good smartwatch with decent specs and longer lasting battery life, then you’re on the right page as here, i will be revealing my top picks on the best smartwatches with long battery life in 2021.
Before going into the specifics of this article, let’s take a look at some facts about the smartwatches and how their batteries work in general.
Smartwatches Generally Have Weak Batteries
Don’t get me wrong here, I’m a big fan of smartwatches but the truth still remains that most smartwatches have weak batteries when compared to smartphones even in 2021. This is actually not surprising due to their smaller sizes, but it has to be said.
Many smartwatch manufacturers often claim their smartwatches could last up to 1 week or more on a single charge but most times, there is a “but” behind the claim.
This “but” is that you will have to leave some power hungry (and important) features like gps tracking, sleep tracking and others disabled for most of the time which doesn’t always sound like a good idea as most times, these features are some of the main reasons why people purchase smartwatch.
Hybrid Smartwatches Generally Lasts Longer
There are two types of smartwatches, the digital (or normal) smartwatches everyone knows and the hybrid smartwatches which are generally not so popular. You might be asking, what’s the difference, are they not both smartwatches?
Well, digital and hybrid smartwatches are generally “smart” but the main difference between both of them is that digital smartwatches (like the Apple Watch for example) are generally touch screen enabled smartwatches where you can access almost everything about the watch from the screen mounted on you wrist while the hybrid smartwatch is a mix of the traditional wrist watches and basic smartwatch features like sleep tracking, notifications and others without touch screen capabilities.
Hybrid smartwatches generally tend to have more battery life when compared to full digital smartwatches. Their batteries do last long like normal wrist watch batteries and some hybrid smartwatch batteries can last up to a year without even needing to be recharged the whole time.
The only downside of hybrid smartwatches however is that you can’t access the normal smart features you see on digital smartwatches directly on its screen because they generally don’t come with the touchscreen capability. You can’t also install apps on hybrid smartwatches amongst other things so most people who really want to get the full experience of smartwatches often go with regular digital smartwatches.
So What Now?
Frankly speaking, it’s not all bad news and if you’re not interested in hybrid smartwatches which generally have stronger battery life because of their limited functionality, there are still some full digital smartwatches that come with exceptional battery life and in my opinion, you should consider them too.
My Picks On The Best Smartwatches With Long Battery Life (Digital & Hybrid)
In this section of the article, I will be sharing my top picks on the best smartwatches with long battery life. I will be writing a little review of each product and their pros & cons which in turn i believe will help you make an informed buying decision.
1) Garmin Vivoactive 4
- Type – Digital
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 8 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) – 13 Hours+
The Garmin vivoactive 4 smartwatch is the latest smartwatch in Garmin’s vivoactive smartwatch series. This new smartwatch features a very impressive battery life that can last up to 7 days on smartwatch mode and up to 8 hours when using GPS and other power hungry features are enabled.
It comes with a fast charger (which is like a norm on most Garmin smartwatches) and could charge the watch up to 30% within a 10 mins period. If you’re searching for a smartwatch with an impressive battery life and a the fast charge feature, then the Garmin vivoactive 4 is the right watch for you.
Other features of the Garmin Vivoactive 4 smartwatch include fitness tracking, heart rate measurement, music playback from streaming platforms like Spotify, Deezer and the watch inbuilt storage, training plans and many more. The watch also comes with the latest version of the Garmin Pay app which allows you to make contactless payments at supported stores directly from your watch so you don’t always have to take your credit card or smartphone when going shopping.
Overall, the Vivoactive 4 smartwatch is an impressive watch from Garmin and an excellent fit for people who want smartwatches with a long lasting battery + awesome fitness and general health tracking capabilities.
2) Fitbit Versa 2
- Type – Digital
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 6 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) – No GPS
The Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch is a health and fitness focused smartwatch from popular wearable brand, Fitbit. This smartwatch as at the time of compiling this article is the latest smartwatch in Fitbit’s Versa series and Fitbit has greatly improved this on when compared to the last version which is the Fitbit Versa.
This smartwatch is geared towards fitness tracking and does it quite well when compared to other smartwatches on this list. The Fitbit versa tracks your heart rate, steps, distance, calories burned, hourly activity, active minutes and floors climbed on a daily basis so you have nothing to worry about in terms of fitness and general health tracking.
One other thing i really like about this smartwatch is that it comes with Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa. With Alexa, you can get quick news and information, check the weather in your area, set timers and alarms, control your smart home devices and more all through the sound of your voice.
Battery life on this smartwatch is also awesome, you get a battery life of 6 days+ normally. The only downside of the Versa 3 however is that it doesn’t come with its own inbuilt GPS tracker but not to worry, there’s an option to connect your watch to your smartphone and use the phone’s GPS instead.
In my opinion, this is a good feature as the GPS tracker is one feature that drains the battery of smartwatches real quick the only downside however is that you would always need to carry your phone along when doing activities which require GPS tracking.
Other features like calling, texting, quick replies, smart notifications and other popular smartwatch features are also present in the Fitbit Versa 2 and in my opinion, this smartwatch is really worth it if you’re searching for a good smartwatch with long battery life.
A little addition, the Fitbit Versa 2 unlike some other high-end smartwatches like the Apple Watch connects seamlessly with Android & iOS devices so you don’t have to worry about device compatibility. It is also highly customizable and you can install more apps in addition to the preinstalled apps if you wish.
3) Garmin vívoactive HR
- Type – Digital
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 8 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) – Up to 13 hours
The Garmin Vivoactive HR smartwatch, although not the latest in the Vivoactive series, really stands out when it comes to battery life hence recommending it here. This smartwatch can last up to 8 days or more when using normal features and apps on the smartwatch but if you’re a frequent GPS user, the battery will drain much faster than normal, obviously. Garmin says it could last up to 13 hours when using the GPS tracking feature.
Battery aside, the Garmin vivoactive HR is also an awesome fitness tracker in my opinion. It comes with basic fitness and health tracking features like heart rate monitoring, activity tracking, step counter, sleep tracking and it tracks these activities quite accurately.
It also comes with some added golf features so if you’re a golfer (or a prospective golfer), this is an added bonus for you. The smartwatch when connected to your phone displays your notifications, app alerts and emails with the smart notifications feature which can be enabled through the Garmin app.
Compatibility wise, the Garmin vivoactive HR supports Android, iOS and Windows mobile devices and it most likely going to be compatible with your current smartphone. The watch is also 5 ATM rated water resistant so beyond your normal daily exercising, you can actually use the watch when swimming (up to 50m) or taking a shower without issues.
4) HUAWEI Watch GT 2
- Type – Digital
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 7 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) – 3 Days
The Huawei Watch GT 2 is undoubtedly one of the best looking smartwatches with an outstanding battery in the market right now. It comes with Huawei’s self-developed wearable chip known as Kirin A1 which was made with robust power saving capabilities and can offer a battery life of 7 days on average.
Unlike some other smartwatches on this list, the Huawei Watch GT 2 is powered by Huawei’s proprietary watch OS and works seamlessly with Android and iOS smartphones via the Huawei Watch App which can be gotten from the app store on your device.
The watch is currently available in 2 sizes, 1.2 Inch (42MM) and 1.4 Inch (46MM) with AMOLED Display and 3D Glass Screen. It also comes with Huawei’s proprietary sleep tracking technology known as Trusleep, heart rate tracking, quick replies to text messages, smart notifications, 24 hours GPS tracking and many more.
The only issue I noticed with the Huawei Watch GT 2 is that you can’t install 3rd party smartwatch apps since it runs on Huawei’s proprietary OS but other than that, it’s a really great smartwatch smartwatch for its price.
5) Amazfit Verge Lite
- Type – Digital
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 20 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) –
The Amazfit Verge Lite smartwatch from AmazFit, a sub-brand of Huami is a not so stylish smartwatch when compared to most smartwatches on this list but truly stands out is in the area of battery life. It comes with an outstanding build quality and a battery that can last up to 20 days or more on normal usage.
One thing i really like about the Verge Lite smartwatch is its simplicity and straight to the point design. It features many fitness and health tracking capabilities which include heart rate monitoring, step counter, sleep tracking alongside other features including music playback, customizable watch faces, GPS tracking, sport modes and many others.
When compared to the non-lite version, the Amazfit Verge Lite also stands out. Its battery is very much stronger than the non-lite version because of various features that have been cut down, meanwhile, the only thing you’ll be missing as a user of the lite version is that ability to take phone calls directly from the watch although you will still get notifications and app alerts which includes call notifications.
With an awesome battery life and a sleek modern design + an AMOLED touchscreen display, you really have nothing to worry about when getting the Amazfit Verge Lite smartwatch. The only issue I noticed when checking out this smartwatch is that it doesn’t have a black variant which I would have loved, other than that, it is a good value for your buck.
6) Pebble Smartwatch
- Type – Digital
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 7 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) –
The Pebble Smartwatch is definitely not one of the smartwatches you will find on most best selling lists but it excels so well in the area of battery life. No jokes. It is one of the first smartwatches Pebble produced and the watch can last up to 7 days on a single charge.
This smartwatch works well with both Android & iOS devices and you can also get email notifications, sms notifications and calendar alerts directly on the watch’s interface when it is connected to your smartphone. Notifications from top social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more also show up directly on your Pebble watch screen when they’re enabled.
The watch also lets you control your favorite music apps and streaming platforms like Spotify, iTunes and more directly on your watch without having to bring your smartphone out all the time.
The downsides of this smartwatch however is that the screen isn’t touch enabled and it is also now considered outdated because Pebble was acquired (and discontinued) by Fitbit in 2016. If you just want a smartwatch that works with great battery life and you don’t care about getting software or other updates, then you can go for the Pebble Black Smartwatch.
Update: I just found out that you can get support, updates and even apps from a platform called Rebble. You can read up on how to setup Rebble on your smartwatches here.
7) Pebble Time Steel
- Type – Digital
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 10 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) – No GPS
The Pebble Time Steel smartwatch is a smartwatch from the now defunct Pebble brand and although this smartwatch may be considered as outdated, its battery life is still one of the most remarkable ones you can find in the current smartwatch market.
It comes with some remarkable features like an always on colored e-paper display screen with backlit enabled, smart notifications from your favorite apps, email notifications, built in microphone for making calls and many others. The Pebble Time Steel smartwatch also ships with the Pebble health app which is a built-in activity and sleep tracker with daily reports and weekly insights on your overall health.
The build quality of this smartwatch is also great and one one of the best in the market even with its age. It has a marine grade stainless steel chassis, guinea Italian leather bands with quick-release pins for easy swapping with other bands of your choice. You can also get an additional stainless steel band for this smartwatch if you wish to.
Overall, the Pebble Time Steel smartwatch is a great smartwatch which offers an outstanding battery life of up to 10 days alongside other benefits. The only pitfall of this smartwatch however is that the Pebble company doesn’t exist anymore but luckily, i recently discovered a new company launched by former Pebble developers called Rebble and they’re doing a great job in supporting and providing updates and apps for smartwatches on the Pebble platforms so smartwatches like this are still worth it if you ask me.
8) Withings Steel HR – Best Hybrid Battery Life Smartwatch
- Type – Hybrid
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 25 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) – No GPS
The Withings Steel HR smartwatch is the first hybrid smartwatch on this list of the best smartwatches with long battery life in 2021. It features an outstanding battery life out of the box and according to Withings (which was formerly Nokia Health), the smartwatch could last up to 25 days on a single charge and 20 more days when power reserve mode is enabled on the watch.
Battery life aside, the Withings Steel HR smartwatch is also a feature-packed smartwatch for its category. It comes with some fitness tracking capabilities like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, 24/7 tracking with your phone’s gps and Strava integration. These features are some of the features you won’t find on most hybrid smartwatches in today’s smartwatch market.
The watch is also water resistant up to 50 meters and it also comes with automatic swim integration capabilities so you have nothing to worry about when swimming or taking a shower while you have your watch on, just go diving below 50m with the watch.
Even with all its amazing features, the Withing Steel HR doesn’t come without its own defects. Firstly, this smartwatch like most hybrid smartwatches out there runs on its own proprietary operating system which means you will be limited to only apps provided by the watches’ manufacturer.
Another thing i really didn’t like about this watch is that notifications are limited to calls, SMS and emails only so you wont be getting notifications and app alerts from popular apps like Whatsapp, Facebook, iMessage e.t.c. Lastly, it doesn’t come with its own inbuilt GPS so the watch relies on your smartphone’s GPS for tracking things like your steps, distances walked and so on.
Overall, i will say the Withings Steel HR is an awesome smartwatch for its category as the disadvantages mentioned above are pretty common with most hybrid smartwatches in the market.
If you need a hybrid smartwatch and you’re willing to let go of some features like some third party apps, smart app alerts, inbuilt GPS systems and other features which you would normally get on digital smartwatches, then the Withings Steel HR could be an awesome fit for you but on the other hand, if you do a lot of outdoor running and exercising and you just can’t let go of features like standalone GPS tracking where you won’t be needing your smartphone all the time, then feel free to check out some other [digital] smartwatches on this list which come with standalone GPS systems.
9) Amazfit Bip
- Type – Digital
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 20 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) – 5 – 7 Days
The Amazfit Bip smartwatch is another amazing smartwatch from Amzafit which was built with battery life in mind. It lasts for around 20 days+ when doing normal smartwatch activities and 5 – 7days when using GPS continuously.
Features wise, the Amazfit Bip smartwatch comes with an optical sensor for heart rate monitoring, standalone GPS system for step tracking, steps counter, sleep tracking and many more. It also comes with the smart notifications feature which displays SMS notifications, email notifications, incoming call notifications as well as notifications from popular apps like Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and others directly on the the watch’s screen.
Another interesting feature of the Amazfit Bip smartwatch is its multiple sport modes which allow you to switch on various modes like running, cycling, walking, and treadmill depending on which sport/exercise you’re doing at a particular time. The smartwatch is also compatible with Android and iOS smartphones and works seamlessly with these smartphones via a Bluetooth connection and the Amazfit app.
Overall, the Amazfit Bip is smartwatch which offers you great value for you buck + an outstanding battery life to match, however, the only issue i noticed with the watch is the inability to install 3rd party apps like i normally do on smartwatches with Android wearOS because it runs on Amazafit’s proprietary OS but other than that, it is a great value for its price range.
10) Samsung Galaxy Watch
- Type – Digital
- Average Battery Life (Smartwatch Mode) – 4 – 7 Days
- Average Battery Life (GPS Mode) – 2 Days max
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is the only Samsung smartwatch I’ve seen so far that really offers a good battery life. It comes in 2 variants which are the 46mm variant and the 42mm variant. From what I found, the 46mm variant has a longer battery life when compared to the 42 mm variant and you can get 4-7days battery life and the first while you can get a maximum of 2 days of battery life on the latter.
Features wise, the Samsung Galaxy Watch has all (or let’s say most) of the features you’ll be needing in a modern smartwatch. It comes with sleep tracking capabilities, heart rate tracking, GPS tracking, step tracking and connection to your smart home appliances via the Samsung SmartThings app.
Watch faces on the Samsung Galaxy Watch are also highly customizable as you can choose from a huge list of watch faces that come preinstalled on the device or download on the internet from any website of your choice.
One important thing to note is that this watch comes with Samsung’s proprietary Tizen OS and not the popular Android Wear OS. Although this OS works seamlessly with Samsung smartphones and most Android smartphones, it gives a lot of problems when connecting to iOS devices when i tested it so if you’re on iOS, consider checking out other battery life smartwatches on this list that work seamlessly with iOS devices.
Other features of the Samsung Galaxy Watch include Samsung Pay which allows make contactless payment at supported stores directly from your smartwatch, wireless charging with the wireless charger that comes in the box, water resistance and many more.
All in all, the Samsung Galaxy Watch is an awesome smartwatch with a reasonable battery life. Its downsides however are the inability to install popular third party apps which are available on the Android Wear OS platform and its flawed compatibility with iOS devices. Bixby is also a not so good smart assistant when compared to other big players in the market like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri.
FAQs
Q: Are There Smartwatches With Removable Batteries?
A: Right now, there aren’t any smartwatches with removable batteries. Removable batteries are dead and long gone if you ask me.
Q: How Can I Make My Smartwatch Battery Last Longer?
A: The best way to make your smartwatch battery last longer is by disabling all features you don’t need at a given time. For instance, if you’re not using your WiFi or cellular connection at a given time, disabling them could potentially gove you a huge battery boost as opposed to when they are enabled.
Another method I recommend to make your smartwatch battery last longer is to lower the screen brightness on the watch and disable Always-on display if you don’t need it. The only downside of lowering the brightness of your smartwatch display is that you won’t be able to view some things when outdoors under the sun.
Other good ways to make your smartwatch battery last longer are disabling notifications from unwanted apps, uninstalling apps you don’t need on your watch and lastly, turning on battery saver or airplane mode. I believe these few tips will help you get the most out of your smartwatch’s battery.
Q: How Long Do Smartwatch Batteries Last On Average?
A: Generally, smartwatch batteries tend to last up to 2 days or slightly more on average but how long your battery lasts largely depends on the features you use and what services are enabled. Thankfully, there are some oustanding smartwatches with outstanding battery life that tend to beat the battery expectancy of an average smartwatch.
Q: Which Fitbit Smartwatch Has The Best Battery Life?
A: As at the time of compiling this article, the FitBit smartwatch which has the best battery life is the FitBit Versa 2 smartwatch. Other Fitbit smartwatches with good battery lifes (although not mentioned in this list) include the Fitbit versa and Fitbit blaze.
Conclusion
There you have it, my list of the best smartwatches with long lasting battery life. I hope this article helped end your search for a good smartwatch with long battery life and if it did, please leave a comment down below to let me know what you think.