Google Pixel Watch

Google breaks down what Pixel Watch usage gets you 24 hours of battery life

Abner Li | Oct 30 2022 - 1:00 am PT

Google officially says you can get 24 hours of battery life from the Pixel Watch’s 294 mAh battery and now provides an official breakdown of how it got to that number.

At launch, Google’s fine print just said that the “maximum battery life is approximate and is based on testing using pre-production hardware and software.”

Charging times are approximate. Use of certain features will decrease battery life. Battery life depends on features enabled, usage, environment and many other factors. Actual battery life may be lower.

The “Charge Google Pixel Watch and improve battery life” article has now been updated to explain that the “24 hour battery life is based on the following usage”:

240 notifications
280 time checks
5 min LTE phone call
45 min LTE and GPS workout with downloaded YouTube music playback
50 minutes of navigation (Google Maps) while connected to a phone via Bluetooth
Watch configured with the default settings, including the Always-on display set to off

This number being derived from the Always-on display being disabled is notable, especially since the “Updates” feed in the Pixel Watch app prompts users about the AOD after setup. In practice, we’ve easily gotten over 24 hours of battery life with the AOD on. It’s also possible to get a full day of usage with it on, but do not expect more after that.

Apple has long provided similar information for its Watch (emphasis ours):

All-day battery life is based on the following use: 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth, over the course of 18 hours; Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS) usage includes connection to iPhone via Bluetooth during the entire 18-hour test; Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS + Cellular) usage includes a total of 4 hours of LTE connection and 14 hours of connection to iPhone via Bluetooth over the course of 18 hours.