As the Apple Watch’s short battery life draws renewed attention, long-life wearables that can be used for more than a week on a single charge are emerging as alternatives. With options expanding beyond smartwatches to smartbands and smart rings, consumer interest also appears to be rising.

According to the IT media outlet Engadget on June 13 local time, the Apple Watch leads the smartwatch market with strong integration with the iPhone and health management features, but battery life remains a key weakness.

The Apple Watch 11 offers up to 24 hours of battery life for the first time, but performance varies in real-world use. Users who frequently use workout logging and health monitoring features may need to charge it twice a day. The higher-end Apple Watch Ultra also lasts about 3 days in low power mode.

As a result, long-life products that reduce the burden of charging are drawing attention in the wearables market. A representative product is WHOOP 5.0. In the form of a screenless smartband, it can be used for up to 14 days on a single charge. It offers sleep analysis, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure measurement and heart rate tracking. Most features are included in a subscription service costing about $200 to $360 a year, which is cited as a burden.

Garmin Venu 4 is also cited as an alternative to the Apple Watch. It offers up to 10 days of battery life and can track a range of health data, including sleep, workouts, skin temperature and menstrual cycles. It targets the premium smartwatch market with an AMOLED display and stainless steel materials. It is priced at $550, between the regular Apple Watch and the Ultra.

For consumers who emphasize value for money, Amazfit Bip 6 was introduced as an alternative. It costs about $80 but can be used for up to a week and includes GPS and heart rate and blood oxygen sensors. Automatic workout recognition accuracy was assessed as inconsistent depending on the product. It is therefore more suitable for users who can enter workout records manually rather than relying on automatic detection.

Watch 3 Pro, launched by CMF, a brand under Nothing, also highlights long battery life as a strength. It can be used for up to 13 days and offers heart rate measurement, blood oxygen analysis, stress tracking and an AI workout coach at a price under $100. If the always-on display (AOD) function is enabled, usage time falls to about 4.5 days, so turning it off is better to use it for more than 7 days. The product also includes a ChatGPT-based chatbot and a feature that creates watch faces with artificial intelligence.

In terms of battery life alone, Withings ScanWatch 2 is rated as the longest-lasting product. It can be used for up to 35 days and measures heart rate, body temperature, sleep and heart rhythm. It features a traditional analog hand design. Some advanced features require a separate subscription of about $100 a year.

Recently, smart rings have also emerged as alternatives. Oura Ring 5 offers up to 9 days of battery life and tracks heart rate, blood pressure, sleep conditions and nighttime breathing patterns. Its finger-worn form factor is also cited as an advantage because it is not very noticeable. But the product costs about $400 and an additional monthly subscription fee applies.

A common point revealed in this comparison is that as battery life gets longer, a certain level of compromise is needed in features or usage. Some products remove the screen or provide features through subscriptions, while others keep a traditional watch form but limit smart functions.

Engadget advised that while options that can replace the Apple Watch are far more diverse than in the past, consumers should consider not only battery life but also whether there is a display, workout recognition accuracy, the usability of health data and the burden of subscription fees.

The industry expects battery efficiency to emerge as a key competitive factor in the wearables market as competition intensifies over generative AI and health monitoring features. With more users feeling fatigue from smartwatches that require daily charging, the presence of long-life wearables is also expected to grow.