Apple Watch Series 7 Review
Larger Screen and Faster Charging
As someone who upgraded from Series 6 to the Apple Watch Series 7 I found simple tasks like examining the time, checking notifications, and displaying complications like weather and activity statistics on the latest Apple Watch easy. Like the Series 6 Series 7 has a permanent display option so you can look at and check the time without having to raise the arm to wake up the screen - a feature that you can't do with Watch SE or Series 3.
Apple claims that the Series 7 display is the most cracked crystal ever, and the crystal itself on the display is flat at the bottom, helping it to withstand falls and cracks. This makes the Apple Watch Series 7 more suitable for the beach, but dust, sand and water up to 50 meters away are a concern for the watch. The Series 7 itself is strong thanks to a thicker redesign of the front crystal glass, with the aluminum model benefiting from stainless steel and titanium models that retain the sapphire crystal, but with hammer and pliers it is too early to judge whether that is something that we can measure.
The enlarged screen is the most significant change to the Series 7s, but it's not the only update Apple has made to its new wearables. Announced along with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, their product received its first redesign since the Series 4 of 2018. The Apple Watch Series 7 has a larger display hidden in a larger 41-45 millimeter case, instead of the 40-44 millimeter display of Apple Watch Series 6 and other previous models. In terms of design, the Series 6 chassis is almost identical to the Apple Watch Series 5 which features a narrow bezel display and an option in 40 or 44 mm sizes to accommodate a variety of wrists.
Apple's new watches also support wireless charging with a new USB-C charging cable that Apple says can charge up to 33 percent faster than Series 6. An updated charging cable for the Apple Watch is included with the Series 7. Apple claims to charge the watch in 45 minutes from 0 to 80%, and in 75 minutes from 100%, which proved to be the case in our test. With 18 hours of battery life, the Apple Watch Series 7 should last for a day or two if you switch off the screen and have nothing else to work on.
If you have an ageing Series 3 model, Apple's latest watch feels like a tangible leap forward. I'd skip the $199 Series 3 if Apple were still selling it, but it shows its age and for an extra $79 you get more features than the cheaper Apple Watch SE. Apple's WatchOS 8 software, which launched on September 20, brings a number of new features to watches older than Series 3.