Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra, and the Apple Watch SE is a small GPS upgrade
And because of the change, your iPhone’s and Apple Watch’s battery last longer.
As discovered by outdoor enthusiast site DC Rainmaker, the new watches rely solely on the built-in GPS chip to track workouts.
It’s a notable change from the older watches, which use the GPS from a nearby iPhone to preserve battery life on the watch.
The Series 8 and SE actually have better battery life than before.
This change isn’t really a new revelation—it was mentioned during the Apple Watch reveal in September.
But DC Rainmaker says an official Apple declaration of this change couldn’t be found until now.
The change is good news for your iPhone too–anytime iPhone battery life is preserved is a good thing.
It’s also another way Apple has improved the battery life on the Watch, even if it’s not immediately noticeable.
It’s similar to when the always-on display arrived with the Series 5 but still offered the same 18-hour battery life.