GPS in wearables works by receiving signals from at least four satellites and using trilateration to calculate position every second. Modern devices tap multiple satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo) for faster locks but at higher battery cost. Standalone GPS chips drain far more power than phone-tethered GPS used by rings and basic trackers. Newer chipsets combat this through sensor fusion — blending periodic GPS readings with accelerometer and gyroscope data — and assisted GPS for faster signal acquisition. Dedicated running watches (Garmin, Coros) prioritize battery life, while mainstream smartwatches trade it for features. Practical tips to extend battery include using battery-saver GPS mode, disabling multi-band when unnecessary, dimming the screen, and pre-downloading maps.
