When a smart wearable fails to meet battery expectations, the default assumption is simple: the battery is too small. In B2B product development, this assumption often leads teams toward heavier batteries, thicker housings, or higher BOM costs.

This wearable battery life case study examines a different reality. Two products—identical chipset, identical sensors, identical 300mAh battery—generated completely opposite user feedback. One suffered from “bad battery” reviews and high return rates. The other was praised for reliable, stable battery life.

The difference was not hardware.It was algorithm strategy and default sampling behavior.

For sourcing managers and product owners, this distinction matters. Battery life is not a component choice—it is a system-level product decision that directly affects post-launch reputation.