Replace battery on series 5 or upgrade to 10

[jazzer15]

Subject says it all. My Series 5 has battery health is 74% and it generally needs to go on low battery mode by the end of the day. I've turned off the always on display so I get a full day of use without recharging. The watch is otherwise working fine. I’m not sure if I should spend the $100 for a new battery or just buy the new series 10. I'm leaning heavily toward the latter.

 

[Adelphos33]

5 to 10 is a big upgrade as you get two size increases, more health features, etc.

 

[_Forever]

I'm in the same boat, my 5 will not last an entire day at this point.

 

[Peter118]

I sold my Apple watch Series 5 for €100,-(battery 85%) and bought a series 10. The bigger and much brighter display, thinner, more features and much better battery.

I wear the 10 24 hours at this moment end battery is still 60%. AOD on, with sleeptracking.

Very happy with it!

 

[jazzer15]

I sold my Apple watch Series 5 for €100,-(battery 85%) and bought a series 10. The bigger and much brighter display, thinner, more features and much better battery.

I wear the 10 24 hours at this moment end battery is still 60%. AOD on, with sleeptracking.

Very happy with it!

Good to hear. It's probably time for a replacement. I'm going to go see if I can check one out.

 

[tenordrum]

I replaced my AW5 battery 15 months ago thru apple when the price was still $79. Got a refurb as a replacement . Battery health is now @ 92%. I don't turn on AOD. I had not seen anything on the series 7-9 that wowed me when I replaced the battery. The thinner and now even larger 10 is certainly appealing. I will head to the Apple store near me and check out the size in person. Best Buy still offers a better trade in amount on the AW5.

 

[macagain]

It's time... I was faced with the same decision... just couldn't justify the $99 battery replacement. I got my 10 on friday... https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/coming-from-to-aw5-to.2436122/post-33424603

 

[uknation87]

I'm in the same boat, my 5 will not last an entire day at this point.

I’m also in the same boat but with S4 Nike +

It “works” for the features it offers but the battery life is getting worse by the day it seems.

 

[richard13]

I'm in the same boat, mine is at 73% and I've taken to restarting it once a week or I get the dreaded "10%" message in the middle of my morning walk. I've already decided to move to the 10 and going to the Apple Store tomorrow to see my options in person.

 

[laffnvegas]

To me it would be a no brainer go with the new, why sink money into an old watch when it does not have the bells and whistles of the new. Plus it won't be long that that it will not except much for any updates.

 

[jazzer15]

I went the Apple store today and picked up a new Series 10. I'm giving the 5 to my mother in law. Her Fitbit Versa just died and she doesn't care about the always on display, so the battery won't be an issue for her.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I replaced my Series 5 with a Series 10 on Friday and there is just no comparison. It’s night and day in reruns of speed, fluidity and display. Five years was the longest I’d had a smartwatch as I had a Series 2 for 3 years prior. It was very much time to upgrade, the Series 10 is a brilliant smartwatch.

 

[jonh229]

You made a good decision. My prior watch was an S5 and I planned on having the battery replaced but when I found out it was at least a 2week fix and that was too long w/o the watch because I use it for health tracking. So I sprung for an S8 (that was in 2022). I’m interested in new watch offerings (sleep apnea monitoring) but since blood o2 was removed I’m gonna wait longer and see how that issue resolves.

 

[jazzer15]

You made a good decision. My prior watch was an S5 and I planned on having the battery replaced but when I found out it was at least a 2week fix and that was too long w/o the watch because I use it for health tracking. So I sprung for an S8 (that was in 2022). I’m interested in new watch offerings (sleep apnea monitoring) but since blood o2 was removed I’m gonna wait longer and see how that issue resolves.

Yeah, if I had an 8 I might wait to see about the blood oxygen also. It's a little annoying that they had to remove that, but it's not that big of a deal for me really.

 

[phillies3429]

Traded in my S4 for a Jet Black S10. Display alone is much larger so it was time for me. Probably could have gotten more on FB marketplace, but just getting $50 right then and there made it so much easier.

I will say the battery isn't amazing like others seem to have on here. Granted, I still have 50% battery at 9:00PM after I probably put it on at 8AM. Nothing like 24 hours with 60% battery like someone else said.

I'd say upgrade and just trade it in. It's a nice upgrade. Nothing groundbreaking, but feels fresh.

 

[Recon73]

I had same dilemma my S5 was down to 63% battery I upgraded to S10.

 

[Lwii2boo]

If you had battery degradation on more recent model let's say S7/S8/S9, I would say 100% go for the battery replacement and keep it for 2-3 more years and save some bucks in the long run especially if you don't care too much about latest features.

Given how "old" is the S5 and the fact that it can't support WatchOS 11, I would not bother replacing battery for $100.

I think S5 to S10 is a great upgrade.

 

[pugxiwawa]

not worth battery replacement.

 

[jonh229]

Given how "old" is the S5 and the fact that it can't support WatchOS 11, I would not bother replacing battery for $100.

That is an excellent point. In a similar vein, when I bought my 15PM I couldn't pair my S8 because it was not the most recent WatchOS. I had to first update my watch before I could pair to the new iPhone and then restore from the old phone.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I'm taking my S6 in tomorrow for a battery replacement. I have AppleCare+ so it will be free of charge. I'll hang onto it until Apple sorts out the SPo2 function in the U.S. Also not a big fan of Apple getting rid of the ceramic back on the S10. I'm worried pitting due to sweat may become an issue as they age..

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-watch-pitting-corrosion.2095311/?post=25601629#post-25601629