After using Samsung’s Gear S3 smartwatch for nearly six consecutive years, I finally moved to the Galaxy Watch 4 sometime last year. From performance to app support, it was a big upgrade in every way — thanks largely to Samsung adopting Wear OS 3. But only a few days in, I found myself regretting my decision. I couldn’t shake the feeling that my six-year-old Gear S3 delivered significantly better battery life than the Galaxy Watch 4.
If you take Samsung’s claims at face value, the Watch 4 should last 40 hours on a single charge. But I struggled to achieve that in real-world use. Sure, I could go through all the Galaxy Watch 4 battery problems’ recommended fixes and disable the always-on display, automatic workout detection, continuous heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and even the Google Assistant. All of that might get me closer to two days between charges. But at that point — is it even worth owning a smartwatch?