I bought this as a replacement for a Watch 7. I also tried the Watch Ultra 2024, but it's a brick (it's just too big; the weight and dimensions aren't worth the extra battery and durability). That's why, even though I was tempted by the durability and amazing battery of the Watch Ultra2, I knew the only option was the Watch 9, which has a shorter battery life but is beautifully thin and light.
The main draw for me was the Snapdragon Wear Elite processor. However, I was expecting better performance. I often turn the watch off to extend the battery life. I turn it on for my commute to and from work. At work and at home, I don't use the watch when I have my phone in hand. But for trips or business travel, I use it continuously, and that's when I need it to last at least 16 hours under full load, which includes LTE connectivity without a phone, notifications and the odd call, always-on display, occasional navigation via GPS + Google Maps, occasionally looking up information via Gemini or the web browser, and if the battery still allows, listening to music via Bluetooth headphones. I turn off all other functions and tracking. For me, the watch is at least a partial replacement for my phone in situations where I just don't want to take my phone with me. On trips and hikes, to the swimming pool or the beach, or when I forget my phone at home or in the car, I can make a call, send a message, pay for things, find information, and navigate to a specific place. With the Watch 7, this wasn't always easy, and the battery could barely handle my demands, so I had to carry the charging puck with me and hope I'd have a place and time to charge the watch. I really miss the reverse wireless charging from the phone that the Watch 5 Pro had. The Watch 5 Pro was terribly slow and laggy after updates, and while the Watch 7 has noticeably better processor performance, it's nothing to write home about. With the Watch 9, it's significantly better, but there's still some lag, and especially after turning the watch on, it always takes a while for everything to load and run smoothly. This is something both Google and Samsung could work on, because turning the watch on takes quite a long time, and if I don't turn it off, the battery drain just from the watch lying around when I'm not wearing it is quite substantial. With the Watch 7, the battery would drop by 30% just from the watch sitting next to my phone for half a day, connected via Bluetooth with the display off. So, for me, the difference in charging the watch on a normal working day was: charging every day if I didn't turn the watch off, versus charging once or twice a week when I did. This has a significant impact on the battery's lifespan, so I turn the watch off when I'm not wearing it.
