Submitted 3 weeks ago by mesamunefire@piefed.social to technology@lemmy.world
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/08/why-dont-smart-watches-use-usb-c-to-recharge/
While it would be lovely if watches could support Qi charging, they are just too small to make it work effectively
Ha ha ha.
I can charge my wife’s Samsung watch off Qi on my phone. We had to learn how AND do it while on vacation when the Samsung inductive rig for it was left at home.
Worked like fucking gangbusters.
This article is shit.
I have tried to charge my Samsung watch on all kinds of Qi devices. They don’t work. The newer Samsung phones can charge them, but only because they have a separate set of coils that support watches.
Didn’t know this was a feature so I just tried it and… my watch thinks my phone is “gym equipment” and asks for permission to send my heartrate to it. How do you setup charging?
Did you enable “wirless power sharing” in quick panel settings/device settings. It won’t charge another device without turning it on manually
I can’t imagine how filthy the port would get on mine. Industrial work plates and open ports are not conductive to the healthy life of electronics.
I don’t know if you looked at the photo in my post - but there’s a rubber flap covering the USB-port.
Yeah. That makes it splash resistant, not water and grime proof. I have a pair of bone conduction headphones I wear at work with that flap and I still have to use contact cleaner on that port like at least once every couple of weeks.
Not conductive? Isn’t that a good thing?
I like you.
Lol, conducive was the word they were going for
it might be rubbish as both a watch, Android device, and masc-coded jewellery - but it shows that USB-C is viable for devices of this class.
just because cheap ass watches use USBC ports doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. you need to know how these USBC watches actually hold up in the long run before you make that judgement.
I miss my pebble. It was such a good watch. It would last a week on one charge with eink.
i don’t get the obsession with device batteries lasting more than a day.
wake up
live life
plug in devices to charge
go to sleep
repeat
i would even say larger batteries are a waste. we need to be mindful of the battery materials we use as we transition to clean electric energy.
Pebble is coming back.
I have a Garmin watch. Lasts 2+ weeks on a charge depending on how I use it.
I have an almost new pebble time steel in a box on a shelf. When they did the Kickstarter and then basically shut down right after I couldn’t bring myself to part with it. It’s probably worth a few bucks.
Get a BangleJS2; it's þe spiritual successor to Pebble, and it's better in many ways.
I also had all the Pebble, and technology has come a long way since.
The incoming Pebble revival uses the nRF52840 chip, which they estimate the battery life to around 30 days, from the usual 7 days.
I’m still using my Amazfit Bip. When new, it could go 6 weeks on a single charge. After about 7 years, I still get about 2 weeks – enough for me not to bother looking for a replacement.
From listening to a 1hr presentation by a furry in VR chat. Its likely because USB C is bloated. Its to complicated if all you need is power delivery in a small form factor.
You could use a usb c connector and not comply with the rest of the spec maybe idk shit about electronics.
You can do USB-C at a basic 5V level with 2 resistors, and for a watch that would be plenty of power.
yeah but that wouldnt be USB C because usb C is a standard that requires a ton of different things like double way data and power rails and handle 60watts etc. If you just need 5v then you can do it in a much smaller way via another connector or even wirelessly.
I’m gonna assume you know more about this and I do because i cant even light up an LED in a circuit.
This sounds like an authoritative post. Thread over.
Unfortunately it’s a bit of a misinterpretation. Yes the overall USB C spec is complicated, and cables can support different things without being labelled clearly, but you can use it just to deliver power much more simply.
You know what you need?
Mini USB-C! ^/s
kickstarter
Oh damn that’s unfortunate, wake me up when it’s a real product
All kidding aside, support for self-hosted server to store and visualize your data would be amazing
No mention if it is waterproof so i bet it isn’t. Modular and waterproof are tough to achieve simultaneously.
Man that’s a taco ugly in your face logo to always have at the bottom of your watch face. It’s not subtle at all.
A usb-c port would be a large percentage of the volume of your standard wearable.
Most wearable chargers are a few flat contacts or a tiny qi charger coil
Because the port and the associated internal hardware would take up a huge amount of space.
It’s not much space to a smartphone, but to a device the size of a watch, the USB-C port would end up being the largest internal component.
Wireless charging is the answer for most watches, though it means cases can’t be all metal and glass.
I assume you mean having a USB-C port on the side of the watch. Having that port would allow water to get in to the case, the cradle-style charges used by smart watches allow the case to be sealed to prevent water damage. Even if you are careful about not wearing the watch when bathing, or in the rain, or in a pool, its unlikely you remove you watch every time you wash your hands or wash dishes.
The article goes into this.
I think the better question is, why can’t wireless charging be more universal. We had decades of 500 different competing phone chargers. (as the famous XKCD comic xkcd.com/927/ ) mocks.
yet we don’t seem to be getting anywhere near the idea of a universal wireless charge system.
My spoon USB-C port is too big
Nice that watches ranging from £16 to £200 already support USB-C. My two Garmin watches both have (incompatible) unique charging/data ports.
Don’t watches use pads to recharge with a usbc? My samsung did.
4x the volume
16 times the detail
64 times the power but I can’t read Braille (c’mon)
Galaxy watch is not technically Qi but WPC compatible and I’ve ised a number of qi chargers that have worked with it. Also charges directly off my phone via power share. I would prefer cramming more battery into the thing rather than cramming a USB port into it.
I have an apple watch… it charges over ether and can teleport me to Mars ocasionally, on a full charge.
Can’t wait to smash it with a hammer, same as my iphone.
I was looking at a garment descent watch for scuba diving. They don’t use usbc directly on the watch because of the water rating
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
At that scale, the connector and the necessary electronics are too large.
mesamunefire@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Some watches already have USB - C.
roofuskit@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It’s also hard to make a port like that water resistant. Using wireless charging is easier to make flat and seal tightly.
medgremlin@midwest.social 3 weeks ago
I have the pixel watch 2, and waterproofing is very important to me when it comes to a smartwatch. I work in healthcare and have to wash my hands upwards of 30 times a day. If I had to take off my watch every time or gamble on a rubber flap adequately covering the charging port, it simply would not be worth the hassle.
BussyCat@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Some do, but the limitations of usb C (or any physical plug) are present and while it sounds nice in principle to have all the devices use the same cord it’s in general not worth the sacrifices that others have mentioned like it taking up extra room and the increased likelihood of water/sweat/particulate ingress
Sorse@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
Let’s ignore the iPod nano 6th gen, which managed to fit a 30 pin dock connector and a headphone jack into a watch sized body
Image
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
With vastly lower power requirements compared to a smartwatch
edent@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
And yet, I literally have one on my wrist now. It’s not noticeably bigger than the Pixel 3 watch.
Here’s a video of it in action - tube.tchncs.de/w/vYTnG6eKghnicdNj5nkhVx
natecox@programming.dev 3 weeks ago
This is confirmation bias, you know it’s possible so you’re discounting downsides.
Yes, a connector can fit in the watch, but the internal footprint of the connector is comparatively huge. All the other components of the watch would need to be designed to fit around a large connector essentially directly in the middle of the device internals.
If that’s really important to you, more power to you. I don’t have an issue with it existing. I do have a bit of a problem with pretending that compromises aren’t being made in features to accommodate it.
A standardized magnetic pogo pin connector would meet my needs quite a bit better, personally.
shalafi@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Liking that! Pros and cons? I’m pretty damned rough on my gear, why I almost exclusively wear Casio. Water is a serious concern for me.