watchOS 9's new power-saving mode transforms new Apple Watches and makes old ones usable again.
Power saving mode on Apple Watch!!
For years, Apple Watch users have had the option of Power Reserve, a near-useless mode that offered to kick in when the battery reached 10 percent and turned off everything except the time. It was like a digital watch from the 1970s, requiring a recharge and restart to function normally again. The new Low Power Mode is a miracle in comparison. It’s virtually unnoticeable and seems to nearly double your battery life. I know because I tested it out recently during a multi-day road trip.
"watchOS 9's new Low Power Mode is […] a revelation. It doesn't make Apple's smartwatch any dumber, it simply disables a variety of less-needed features and reduces performance," says Apple Watch user, veteran Apple expert, and journalist Adam Engst in his TidBits blog. "Your situation may vary, but when I used Low Power Mode on my Apple Watch Series 5, the only way I knew it was active was because the Always-On display turned off and the screen came on when I raised my wrist."
The key to a good low-power mode is balance. You need to reduce the power consumption enough to make it worth using, but if you disable too many features, you’re hampering its usefulness. The old Power Reserve is an example of terrible balance. What’s the point unless you have no other way to tell the time, and you really, really need to know the exact time for the next few hours?
