Final Thoughts on Apple Watch Series 12 Battery Life
It’s fine.
Not to be verbose, but I think that about sums it up. As I discussed in my video, I kept Apple Watch Ultra 2 for three years and the battery was still great. But I waited seven years for Apple to bring back ceramic, so I planned to switch to the Series 12.
Here’s the thing about physics, Apple Watch Ultra is a significantly larger device, so it gets a bigger battery. It also has a lot of other features people like, but those are features I don’t mind giving up. And after wearing Series 12 for two weeks now, I do like the size. It’s more comfortable than the Ultra, lighter, and nicer for sleep tracking.
Apple Watch at 9% at 10:30pm
Given the smaller battery, I’ve been very cognizant of how much is left at the end of the day. My typical routine is to charge Apple Watch to 100% right before going to sleep. I wear all night for sleep tracking, and it doesn’t go back on the charger for 22+ hours.
Most days with Apple Watch Series 12 has been fine, usually ending with 20-30% battery left. Days with a 20-30 minute workout, it was closer to 20% but still made it through a full day without issue.
The image above when it fell down to 9% was a Sunday, grocery day. I use AnyList on Apple Watch for a solid 40-60 minutes as I tick off a rather long list of items. After seeing that single-digit percentage, I thought I would switch back to Ultra the next day.
But Monday, without the gauntlet of groceries, my ceramic Series 12 was at 36% by 10:17pm right before going back on the charger. That’s the case most days with regular use: it’ll have plenty of battery to make it the 22 hours between charges.
36% battery at 10:17pm
On the days where I plan to swim for a long time, do groceries, or track a long walk, I’ll throw it on the charger for a few minutes in the morning and be good to go. I have noticed it charges much faster than my old Ultra 2 which is nice.
And I’m not a Duo-Watch lifestyle kind of guy, so I’m sticking with my Series 12 and enjoying the ceramic. At least for this year.
