Samsung faces backlash over poor battery performance in Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch 7

Samsung is facing criticism over the poor battery performance of the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra. Countless user complaints appeared of excessive battery consumption in the latest Galaxy smartwatches.

This comes on the heels of quality concerns surrounding the Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro. It’s the second time in a row, putting the South Korean tech giant’s product reliability under scrutiny.

This battery controversy of the latest Galaxy Watch models, coupled with recent quality issues in Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, has raised concerns about the company’s quality control and potentially damaged brand trust.

“After purchasing the Watch 7, the battery is depleting by 10% every hour. This persists even after resetting, backing up, and allowing the device to learn usage patterns,” a user posted on Samsung Community.

Another user stated, “After charging to 100% and turning off Bluetooth, the battery was at 25% after just 7 hours of sleep tracking.”

Just recently, the company released the first firmware for the new wearables. The update aims to address battery drain and performance-related issues. However, the software seemingly made things worse rather than fixing bugs.

Some users reported new problems post-update, including device overheating and reduced battery life on previously unaffected units. The effectiveness of the fix remains uncertain, warranting further observation.

One frustrated consumer recounted, “When I visited the service center about the battery issue, an engineer advised me to turn off health-related features and Bluetooth. What’s the point of a smartwatch if you have to disable its core functions?”

During the Unpacked, Samsung promoted battery life improvements in the Watch 7 and Watch Ultra. Battery life is crucial for wearable devices, as longer usage times between charges link with higher user satisfaction.

The company claimed up to 30 hours of battery life with AOD activated and up to 40 hours with AOD disabled. Meanwhile, consumers are hardly getting 12 hours of battery life, which can be slightly extended by disabling AOD.