Rumor: Power Reserve reportedly offers significant battery savings for Apple Watch

This could prove helpful.

The Apple Watch’s battery life should be significantly better in the shipping product than some early accounts suggested, one report says, while the device itself could fundamentally change the way users interact with their iPhones.

Citing sources who have spent “extended time” with the product, TechCrunch reports that Apple has been working on improving longevity, such that during a normal day of periodic use, the Watch should still have roughly 25 percent of its power left.

While people will still have to charge the device overnight, they should be able to make it through a full day on a single charge. Sources also said it takes about two hours to fully recharge a depleted device.

Apple has repeatedly stated that Apple Watch will last about a day, but as recently as January some rumors implied the company was struggling to get battery life to acceptable levels. To that end, the company has reportedly implemented a stopgap measure called Power Reserve, which cuts power to all non-essential functions in order to squeeze out more life.

The article also cited sources who noted that receiving notifications on the Watch requires the product to be both locked and strapped to a wrist. Although this behavior blocks some alerts that users may want, it also reduces power consumption and unwanted annoyances. Along those lines, notifications will stop entirely once the battery is below 10 percent.

The testers additionally remarked that the Watch’s touchscreen is sharp, sensitive and precise, making it relatively easy to control apps with small interfaces. To supplement this, Apple has reportedly refined the digital crown, not only syncing it with on-screen scroll speeds but deliberately increasing friction. Pressing and holding the crown launches Siri for dictation, a necessity since the UI does not include a keyboard.

The sources also noted that the net impact of using the Watch has been using their iPhone far less. This is because they can act on many tasks and notifications immediately without their phone; one person stated that they almost stopped using their phone during the day.

Apple is due to reveal final details of Apple Watch during its “Spring Forward” media event at the Yerba Buena in San Francisco today with the event starting at 10 AM PST.

Stay tuned for additional details of the event as they become available.

Via AppleInsider and TechCrunch