As new smartwatches are released many people focus, rightly so, on the amount of time you can actually use the device. Let’s look at the Moto 360. Motorola says that you can get a day of juice out of this circular god of a watch, but most uses claim that the battery life is more of a 10 – 12 hour affair, if that. The same is mostly true for the LG G watch getting through around a day and a half before being drained completely.
With the exception of the Pebble which is quoted as having a 7-day battery life, but averages between five and seven days, most of this breed of watch can only squeeze a day or two of life from the small batteries within them. Though, because of the small size, charging up to full takes little to no time. The Moto 360 is quoted as charging from 19% to full in about an hour.
Though there are so many similarities between function and uptime, there are a multitude of different charging mechanisms and methods that really haven’t gotten much attention save for the usual scandal. Just after the LG G Watch was released many people claimed that the five gold charging contacts were being tarnished after a few charges.
The G Watch charges on a cradle dock of sorts that looks like an impression of the back of the device. Once the watch is in contact, it begins to charge. The cradle hooks into a standard microUSB cable and then into a USB port. The bottom has a rubber foot on the bottom which is reviewed as “tacky.” The charging cradle is the same size as the watch and not much deeper.
The Moto 360 charges via the Qi wireless charging standard. The watch comes with a charging “stand” is what I want to call it. It is around four inches from base to top and is very basic and unassuming. The matte black style with a single white charging led at the bottom features a small area that juts in farther allowing enough room to set the watch. Wireless charging then takes place and this also allows for use of the magnetic attachment to ensure it doesn’t fall and will actually center itself to charge correctly.
The Pebble charges via a standard USB cable on one end that turns into a proprietary two-contact system. There are two small magnets and a cutout between the two connections on both the watch and the charging cord which allow it to quickly snap into place. From experience though, if you’re not looking it could take a time or two to make sure it is attached just so. The Pebble then has no cradle or charging base and is not QI compatible.
The Samsung Gear Live, the first Samsung smartwatch to run Android Wear, goes the same direction as LG using a cradle system. The “cradle” attaches to a microUSB charging cable and then attaches to the back of the Gear Live. The “cradle” now in quotes looks more like a wart that attaches to half of the watch underside. It doesn’t look like it fits the aesthetic at all and seems to be more of an afterthought than anything else.
Reports have come up that companies like LG and Samsung who use the cradle system aren’t building extra cradles as purchasable options should the first one break or be lost; losing more likely as they are quite small. Pebble owners can buy third-party cables from Amazon and eBay fairly cheaply.
So, what’s the best option? A snap-in cradle or a cord? Qi wireless with a bulky charging stand? I would venture to say none of them are what the consumer really wants. The cradles are cheap and impossible to replace effectively. Though Pebble cords can be replaced, it’s better than the cradle, but not by much. It still feels so cheap unimpressive. The Moto 360, on the other hand, looks professional while charging. A lot of time and effort went into that. Not to mention a lot of space inside the watch for the charging coil.
I will end saying that, in a near-perfect world everyone would have Qi wireless charging on everything. Phones. Mice. Computers. The whole lot. Also since Qi is a “standard” as it were, it could easily take the second half of my charging pad, next to my beloved Nexus 4.