Smartwatches have taken the world by storm and are now the most popular wearable technology on the market. However, no matter how much we all love smartwatches, many of us find charging our devices tedious and frustrating. As technology advances, we are excited to see innovative charging solutions come to the market, namely solar and body heat charging.
Why Do Smartwatch Batteries Drain So Quickly?
Most modern smartwatches come with a short battery life that needs to be charged, and whilst some options offer longer periods between charges, the reality is that they will need to be plugged in at some point. The reason for this is that the features that are offered on a smartwatch use a lot of energy.
Processing power, GPS, internet connectivity, music playback, and more use up your energy reserves so that you can enjoy all the features you want without any worries. Most smartwatches do come with energy-saving modes and limited use options to help you save your energy levels, but a battery will always need to be charged in order to enjoy continuous use.
The most notorious battery draining watch is also perhaps the most popular watch today – the Apple Watch. No doubt you get a lot in apps, being always on and connectivity options. Top that with an abundance of health and fitness tracking features which drain a lot of energy at the price of having to charge it daily. This is definitely a problem for most users and also inconvenient at times. This is why there is a need for a different type of charging.
How Can Energy Harvesting Help?
One of the most exciting ideas for changing the way we power smartwatches comes from energy harvesting. Energy harvesting is simply the process in which we can convert solar power, body heat, and other forms of movement into an energy source that can power our smartwatches.
Not only would this form of charging be free, but it would reduce the impact of energy consumption on the climate and help to keep more users powered up at all times. The other great benefit of energy harvesting is that smartwatches would not need to be taken off to charge, allowing users to enjoy all their smartwatch features 24/7! Finding a way to make energy harvesting the mainstream provider of smartwatch power would also make smartwatches and other wearables even more popular across the world than they currently are.
Matrix PowerWatch 2
The Matrix PowerWatch 2 is one of the smartwatches that is pioneering the use of energy harvesting in powering the device. It comes with GPS, heart rate tracking, activity tracking, and a wide range of other smartwatch features that consumers have come to expect. It works really well and is powered by the heat your wrist produces when it is being worn, as well as via a solar strip that is located at the top of the watch.
The Matrix POwerWatch 2 is a huge device at 16mm thick and 47mm wide, meaning that you will need to have large wrists to be able to enjoy it. However, the rugged design is appealing to anyone who loves being outdoors, and it is also waterproof to 200m, making the perfect swimming companion. In reality, whilst the PowerWatch 2 has a lot to offer, it does not have an operating system or apps that can be used with it, making it unlikely to compete with devices by Garmin, Apple, and Samsung yet, although the future does look bright for the brand!
Solar Watches – Other examples
There are plenty of solar watches and new models come up all the time. For a detailed review of the currently available solar watches – see superwatches.com where you could find the top rated solar watches from brands you can trust. These watches range in quality and price but are sure to help your watch last longer, sometime up to 2 months without charging.
When Can I Expect to See More Solar and Body Heat Watches?
Whilst there is a clear path for solar and body heat watches to take the smartwatch world by storm, the change in power isn’t due to be a mainstream shift just yet. Funding new technology and making solar and body heat charging watches that are affordable will take time, but the change is coming, and it won’t be too long before you can look forward to not worrying about packing a charger everywhere you go!
