Image: Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
At Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit 2025, I had the opportunity to interview one of the company’s executives, focusing on the future of wearables.
Dino Bekis, Vice President and General Manager of Wearables & Mixed Signal Solutions at Qualcomm, shared insights into two critical shortcomings faced by today’s smartwatches: battery longevity and the charging experience.
As it stands, many smartwatches operating on Google’s Wear OS struggle to last beyond a single day on a full charge, and charging systems are often convoluted and proprietary.
During our discussion, Bekis acknowledged the need for improvements in battery life:
“Consumers desire devices with advanced performance and functionality, coupled with a battery life extending to three weeks. Our goal is to develop technology that allows for a week of usage on a single charge.”
Current Snapdragon platforms promise up to 100 hours of battery life—around three to four days—yet Bekis emphasized the desire to achieve a week of performance “without any equivocation.”
How Can We Achieve This?Â
Qualcomm’s role in computing and optimizing smartwatch battery life is significant. As the backbone of most Wear OS devices, the company’s processors have a direct impact on how long these gadgets can run.
Bekis outlined some strategies the company is deploying to reach its ambitious seven-day battery life goal:
“We’re examining process nodes as a more straightforward method to minimize power consumption. Additionally, we’re deploying hardware accelerators to reduce the workload on the main CPU.”
By decreasing the number of wake-up calls the main processor receives for tasks, the efficiency of the device increases.
“Collaboration with Google on Wear OS is vital for us to optimize how we leverage the hardware features we’re implementing,” Bekis stated. He added that the team studies common user behaviors to enhance their experiences with smartwatches.
What’s the Timeline for This to Materialize?Â
While a week-long battery life is the goal, Bekis indicated that it might take some time to realize this vision:
“We expect a generational improvement that could effectively double battery life with each iteration. We’re nearing a potential five-day usage mark due to our current innovations and strategies.”
“We’re very close to reaching a five-day battery life milestone.”
“This advancement would be a significant leap, particularly for high-function smartwatches. Moreover, software iterations could bring further improvements.”
“The most optimistic projection is two to three years for substantial advancements; conservatively, it could be five to six years. However, that range positions us well for achieving six to seven days of battery life for typical usage scenarios.”
Charging ConsiderationsÂ
Charging smartwatches is another critical discussion point, as many devices rely on unique chargers, which can be cumbersome to manage. Personally, this is why I opted not to carry a smartwatch to the summit.
Looking ahead, Bekis envisions a more streamlined charging experience:
“Wireless charging is the future. We’re gradually transitioning away from clunky connectors. Samsung’s advancements, such as magnetic MagSafe-like solutions, are paving the way.”
“Ultimately, I believe we will move towards a single charging pad for multiple devices. Consumers are already expressing dissatisfaction with multiple devices requiring distinct chargers, and this transition aligns with their preferences.”
“While I hope to see this transformation in the next five years, I acknowledge that predictions often take longer to materialize than expected.”
In summary, while enhanced battery life and simplified charging for Wear OS devices are promising, it appears that we may need to wait several years to reap the full benefits.
If you’d rather not wait, check out our comprehensive guide to the best smartwatches, where you’ll find options that offer superior battery life without relying on Wear OS or Apple’s watchOS.
Qualcomm sponsored my travel, flights, and meals to attend their Snapdragon Technology Summit. However, they did not influence or control the content produced by Tech Advisor, including this interview’s coverage.
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