Tech Guide

The new Apple Watch offers only about an hour of battery life for phone calls

Key Points
  • Phone calls on the new Apple Watch will drain the battery quickly.
  • Apple says battery life comes in over an hour.
  • You'll get three hours if you're connected to an iPhone.
Apple unveils Apple Watch Series 3
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Apple unveils Apple Watch Series 3

The Apple Watch Series 3 has pretty weak battery life if you rely on it for placing phone calls.

That's one of the highlights of Apple's new watch — the ability to place and receive phone calls even if you leave your iPhone at home — but doing so will drain your battery at a rapid pace.

According to details on Apple's battery life page, first spotted by the blog 9to5Mac, the Apple Watch Series 3 offers "over 1 hour of talk time while connected directly to LTE."

That's not enough for you to actually go about your day without your phone, especially if you're planning to take a few conference calls. Things get a bit better if you have your phone nearby; in that case, you'll get about three hours of phone calls.

Apple says the Apple Watch Series 3 should offer about 18 hours of battery life for mixed usage. Sounds like it'll be a good option for phone calls if you need to run out to the store, but not enough to leave your iPhone at home all day.