What Gives? Apple Watch Series 4 Has a Smaller Battery Than Series 3

While unveiling its thinner, sleeker fifth-generation Apple Watch Series 4 earlier this month, Cupertino executives flaunted the wearable’s considerably (32%) larger OLED display, its more power-efficient components like the custom S4 CPU, and incredible new health tools.

Even despite these advancements, Apple said its Watch Series 4  is able to achieve similar “all-day” (+/-18-hour) battery life as its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 3. 

A recent iFixit teardown of the Apple Watch Series 4 corroborated those claims on some level, revealing that the larger, 44mm model boasts roughly four percent more battery capacity (mAh) than its predecessor — although that assessment is based on a comparison between the smaller 38mm Apple Watch Series 3 — not the larger 42mm model.

New Apple Watch S4 Battery Discovery

Unfortunately, while it’s typical for newer Apple devices to feature larger and/or higher-quality batteries then their predecessors, a MacRumors report has revealed the Apple Watch Series 4 actually feature smaller battery packs in comparison to the Watch Series 3.

Citing its own reader’s independent findings, the publication points to Apple’s official Product Information Sheet, which, for purposes of legal and safety disclosure, conveniently outlines battery information (measured in watt-hours) for several Apple products, including the Apple Watch Series 4 models.

As the document confirms, Apple Watch Series 4 boast the following capacities, in comparison to Apple Watch Series 3:

• Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm): 1.34 watt-hours
• Apple Watch Series 4 (44mm): 1.12 watt-hours
• Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm): 1.07 watt-hours
• Apple Watch Series 4 (40mm): 0.86 watt-hours

Numerically, we’re looking at the new 44mm Apple Watch Series 4 containing approximately 16.5 percent less battery capacity than its direct predecessor — the 42mm Apple Watch Series 3.

The smaller 40mm Apple Watch Series 4 contains approximately 19.7 percent less battery capacity than the 38mm Apple Watch Series 3.

So What Gives?

Now we know Apple claimed its Watch Series 4 is capable of achieving the same battery life as the Watch Series 3 — which is actually quite impressive, given the Series 4 brings so many new features and advancements to the table.. But that still doesn’t do much to explain or appease the fact that the Watch Series 4 models ship with smaller batteries..

Of course, it’s worth noting that Apple Watch S4 employs a number of new power-saving technologies, including a new display tech dubbed LTPO OLED, which is said to improve power-efficiency, as well as the Apple S4 CPU, which is also said to be more efficient. 

It can be presumed, from that vantage point, that Apple is accounting for its Watch S4 battery estimates based on the models consuming less power as a result of their improved components — but only time will tell. We’ll keep you updated with any new information if and when it becomes available.