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Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨mesamunefire@piefed.social⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/08/why-dont-smart-watches-use-usb-c-to-recharge/

Why don't smart watches use USB-C to recharge?

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Comments

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  • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    At that scale, the connector and the necessary electronics are too large.

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    • Sorse@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ 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

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      • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        With vastly lower power requirements compared to a smartwatch

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    • mesamunefire@piefed.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      Some watches already have USB - C.

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      • roofuskit@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        It’s also hard to make a port like that water resistant. Using wireless charging is easier to make flat and seal tightly.

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      • medgremlin@midwest.social ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ 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.

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      • BussyCat@lemmy.world ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ 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

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    • edent@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ 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

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      • natecox@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ 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.

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      • shalafi@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ 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.

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  • gsharp@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    When my latest Fitbit dies, I’ll be taking a look at the UNA watch.

    USB-C charging and repairable.

    Image Image

    The only thing lacking is some Fediverse presence.

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    • 3abas@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      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.

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    • Allero@lemmy.today ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      All kidding aside, support for self-hosted server to store and visualize your data would be amazing

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    • Pulptastic@midwest.social ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      No mention if it is waterproof so i bet it isn’t. Modular and waterproof are tough to achieve simultaneously.

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      • xav@programming.dev ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        IPX8

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  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    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.

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    • CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      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?

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  • atrielienz@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    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.

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    • MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Image

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    • Hawke@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Not conductive? Isn’t that a good thing?

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      • BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        For a charging port?

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      • atrielienz@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        I like you.

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      • Revan343@lemmy.ca ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        Lol, conducive was the word they were going for

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    • edent@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I don’t know if you looked at the photo in my post - but there’s a rubber flap covering the USB-port.

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      • atrielienz@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        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.

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  • Auth@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    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.

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    • MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      You can do USB-C at a basic 5V level with 2 resistors, and for a watch that would be plenty of power.

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      • Auth@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        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.

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    • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      You know what you need?
      Mini USB-C! ^/s

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    • ripcord@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      This sounds like an authoritative post. Thread over.

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      • Feathercrown@lemmy.world ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        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.

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  • acosmichippo@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    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.

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    • mesamunefire@piefed.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      I miss my pebble. It was such a good watch. It would last a week on one charge with eink.

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      • acosmichippo@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        i don’t get the obsession with device batteries lasting more than a day.

        1. wake up

        2. live life

        3. plug in devices to charge

        4. go to sleep

        5. 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.

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      • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        Pebble is coming back.

        repebble.com

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      • LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        I have a Garmin watch. Lasts 2+ weeks on a charge depending on how I use it.

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      • gramie@lemmy.ca ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        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.

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      • ThePantser@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        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.

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      • Sxan@piefed.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        Get a BangleJS2; it's þe spiritual successor to Pebble, and it's better in many ways.

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      • mp3@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        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.

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  • 9point6@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    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

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  • chiliedogg@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    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.

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  • aion@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    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.

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    • mesamunefire@piefed.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      The article goes into this.

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      • TheFogan@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        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.

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  • Kraiden@kbin.earth ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    My spoon USB-C port is too big

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  • adespoton@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Nice that watches ranging from £16 to £200 already support USB-C. My two Garmin watches both have (incompatible) unique charging/data ports.

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  • Krudler@lemmy.world ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    4x the volume

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    • SoulKaribou@lemmy.ml ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      16 times the detail

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      • Krudler@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        64 times the power but I can’t read Braille (c’mon)

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  • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Don’t watches use pads to recharge with a usbc? My samsung did.

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  • Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    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.

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