Just in time for its tenth anniversary, the Apple Watch is finally reaching its day of reckoning.
For about a decade, the Apple Watch has been a constant success. The best-selling smartwatch was selling better than the whole Swiss watch industry combined, and the rest of the tech world could only gasp in awe while taking notes on how to make better wearables.
Thanks to Huawei, it’s now Apple’s turn to sit down and do some reflection. The Chinese company has beaten Apple, reaching the top of the global smartwatch market.
While others may be shocked by the news, for me, that’s the least surprising achievement I’ve seen in a long time.
Don’t get me wrong. I still use my Apple Watch, and I even like it, but I’m not blind to its shortcomings. I’ve also spent years watching Huawei’s smartwatches become better. But Huawei didn’t just improve its offerings. The Chinese company has been paying close attention to the issues that annoy Apple Watch users the most and has been fixing them on its own wearables. If Apple wants to return to the smartwatch throne, it’ll need to do the same. Start listening to its customers and fix whatever is bothering them. Otherwise, Huawei’s resounding success may become the norm.
So, here’s what I think Apple should address as quickly as possible if it wants another decade of wearable domination.
Hands down, the biggest drawback of any Apple Watch is the battery life. For the 46 mm version of the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple promises 18 hours of battery life. With the Apple Watch Ultra 2, that time doubles to 36 hours of normal use.
In my experience with virtually every Apple Watch, the base model’s battery easily covers two full days of my normal use and the night between them. In my case, that includes two to three hours of activity tracking, such as a walk or a gym workout. If you’re careful, you could expect it to last a complete second day. With the Ultra, you can more or less double your expectations, but that’s a big device meant for other uses.
Huawei’s 46 mm Watch GT 5 can last up to 9 days with standard use, while the 41 mm model can reach 5 days. Other models, such as the 46 mm Watch 5, drop to 5-day battery life with normal usage, and 3 days for the 42 mm version.
