Galaxy Watch 6 battery and charging

The battery life is a crucial factor in smartwatches, and the Galaxy Watch 6 series does offer improved endurance compared to its predecessor, the Watch 5 generation. While the difference might not be significant, it still contributes to an enhanced user experience. The regular Galaxy Watch 5 typically lasts a day on a single charge, and you can expect a similar performance from the Watch 6.

Furthermore, the battery capacities vary depending on the watch sizes, resulting in differing battery life. For instance, the Watch 5 Pro, equipped with a huge (for a smartwatch) 590mAh battery, can last up to 3 days on a single charge. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Watch 6 series does not include a Pro edition.

By combining the slight boosts in battery capacity with the new processor and other software enhancements which the Galaxy Watch 6 now has, there is a noticeable improvement in battery life. From what our team has seen, using the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic normally and without the display always on, it can easily stay powered for a day and a half – that's around 36 hours, even when you're tracking your sleep. This is a good outcome and quite similar to other popular watches like the Apple Watch Ultra. 

The smaller-sized Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm) and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (43mm) feature a 300mAh battery, while the larger Galaxy Watch 6 (44mm) and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (47mm) house a 425mAh battery.

In comparison, the Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm) comes with a 284mAh battery, providing a full day's worth of usage. With the 300mAh battery in the new Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm), we can expect a similar performance. As for the larger-sized Galaxy Watch 6 (44mm) and Watch 6 Classic (47mm), the battery sees similar improvement with 15mAh more, compared to their predecessors.

When comparing the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro with the Watch 6 Classic, the latter features a smaller battery with a capacity of 425mAh. Nevertheless, this would still be a notable improvement over the Watch 4 Classic, potentially delivering up to 3 days of battery life, particularly with limited or no GPS or activity tracking usage.

The Galaxy Watch 6 comes with a flat charging dock in the box, making it easy to wireless charge your smartwatch. Simply plug in the USB end to an adapter, connect it to a power source, place your watch facing upward on the magnetic dock, and it will start charging.

Moreover, the Galaxy Watch 6 is compatible with Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to charge it by placing it on the back of a Galaxy phone. This feature comes in handy when your watch has a low battery and your charger is not accessible.

Additionally, you can purchase a charging pad that can charge multiple devices simultaneously, like your smartwatch and Galaxy phone.

Charging is fast. Within about 30 minutes, you can bring the watch to almost 50%, a speed that should satisfy most users. A complete charge requires approximately an hour and a half. Naturally, extremely rapid charging isn't a common feature for wearables, so it's important to align our expectations accordingly.