A couple days ago, I took a trip down to see some family. This was an overnight trip, about four hours¹ from where I live. Normally when I travel, I pack an abundance of power. Extra chargers, cables, and a big battery pack. This time though, I decided not to bring my Apple Watch charger. I use an Apple Watch Ultra 1. So a basic overnight trip should be no big deal for it.

I started the “experiment” the night before heading out, charging up to 100%. Once it was charged, I took it off the charger², and went to bed. Waking up, I had 95% charge. A couple hours later I headed out, sans charger. My head math said I was going to be fine, but it still felt weird.

At around the end of the day, I was down around 70ish%. With my trip almost over, I set my alarm, and went to sleep. When I got home the next day, I was at 50%.

I had a good feeling this would be the result, as I’ve gone far longer on the Ultra without topping up. But it’s one thing to do a duration test when you’re always within 50 feet³ of a charger. It feels very different, when you don’t have that option.