Along with the new iPhone 13 and new iPads, Apple's other major announcement last week was the 2021 version of the Apple Watch called the Apple Watch Series 7. Depending upon your perspective, it is either an incremental update to the Series 6 or — because of the larger screen — the first generation of a new look for the Apple Watch. From either perspective, this should be a great version of the Apple Watch.
Larger screen
It is always useful to be able to see more information on the Apple Watch screen. For the original Apple Watch in 2015 through the Apple Watch Series 3 in 2017, the case size was either 38mm or 42mm (measured vertically, top to bottom) and there was a relatively large black border between the usable screen space and the edge of the screen. Because it was black it was less obvious, but it limited how much could be displayed on the watch. For the Apple Watch Series 4 in 2018 through the Apple Watch Series 6 in 2020, Apple increased the case size to 40mm or 44mm and also somewhat reduced the border.
For the Apple Watch Series 7, Apple has increased the case size just a little bit, this time to 41mm or 45mm, only a 1mm change instead of the 2mm increase in 2018. But Apple also reduced the borders by a substantial 40%. As a result, the Apple Watch Series 7 has almost 20% more usable screen space than the Apple Watch Series 4 through 6, and almost 50% more screen space than the original Apple Watch through the Series 3. It is easy to see how much more usable screen space there is in the new Apple Watch Series 7:
My hope is that the slight 1mm increase in case size won't make the Series 7 feel too big. Apple did mention that the new case design is softer and more rounded, which may make it feel even better.
What can you do with the increased screen size? First, watch faces can take advantage of the additional space. For example, the former version of the Modular watch face could only show a single long complication in the middle, with three circular complications below it. But on the Apple Watch Series 7, the Modular Duo watch face expands to fill all of the larger screen and has space for two of the longer complications on the screen:
With the larger watch face, Apple is also, for the first time ever, adding a keyboard to the Apple Watch for entering text. I suspect it will be difficult to tap on keys this small, but Apple says that in addition to tapping you can use QuickPath (an iPhone feature) to slide from letter to letter. When you do so, the Apple Watch will predict the word that you are typing, which often makes it unnecessary to type every letter in a word. If this works on the Apple Watch as well as it does on the iPhone, then this would be a great feature that will make it much easier to enter text in apps like Messages and Mail.
Here is an example from Apple's introduction video showing the increased space for text, with less scrolling, on the new Apple Watch. The Series 6 is on the left and the Series 7 is on the right:
I frequently use my Apple Watch for emails and texts. I'm not yet sure if I will use the larger screen to see more text at once or to use a larger font size, but either way, the larger screen is going to improve my Apple Watch as a communication device.
In addition to allowing for more content on the screen, Apple says that the larger watch face also means that menu titles and buttons will be bigger and thus easier to tap. And the Series 7 offers two additional larger font sizes.
Finally, note that even with the larger screen size, the Apple Watch Series 7 continues to work with all of the different bands that have worked since the original Apple Watch in 2015. If you are upgrading to a new Apple Watch and have invested in a number of watch bands, you will still be able to use those bands with the Apple Watch Series 7.
One last thought: the new design makes me wonder where Apple can go from here. Will Apple ever increase the case size beyond 45mm? Samsung sells a 46mm smartwatch, but it has a circular face so it will feel smaller, and even so, I've seen reports like this one from Andrew Martonk of Android Central saying that many folks will find that round 46mm smartwatch too big. Thus, there seems to be a reasonable chance that the 41mm and 45mm sizes for the Series 7 will be the largest physical watch size that Apple ever sells. Also, the black border is reduced so much on the Series 7 that Apple wouldn't gain much by reducing the border even more in a future model. This leads me to wonder if display on the Apple Watch Series 7 is not only the largest display yet, but also perhaps the largest display ever. Only time will tell, but this is why I consider the Apple Watch Series 7 to be a pretty important upgrade for the Apple Watch.
Durability
Apple says that the Series 7 is the most durable Apple Watch ever: it is more resistant to cracks and dust, and it continues to be swim-proof.
It is more crack resistant than prior models because the front crystal is over twice as thick (at its tallest point) than the Series 6. Apple says that it did this without compromising optical clarity. Apple also says that the new shape of the crystal is sturdier and more shock resistant.
As for dust resistance, this is often measured using the Ingress Protection scale established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The first of the two digits after the "IP" refers to the protection against solid objects getting inside of the device on a 0 to 6 scale. You can see the full scale here on Wikipedia. Apple says that the Series 7 is IP6x. That is the highest level of dust protection, so it provides complete protection against contact. Feel free to roll around in the dirt or the sand; dust is not supposed to be able to enter this Apple Watch. To my knowledge, Apple has never provided an IP dust rating for prior models of the Apple Watch, so I don't know how vulnerable the prior models were to dust. But this one is better.
For water resistance, Apple has not used the IP number scale since the Series 1 (which is why there is an "x" in the IP6x that Apple is advertising for the Series 7). Instead, since the Apple Watch Series 2, Apple has rated water resistance for the Series 7 using the ISO standard 22810 (adopted in 2010), a scale typically used for watches. According to the watch enthusiast website Hodinkee, although there are more stringent standards for watches sold as diver's watches, for watches like the Apple Watch that are sold as water resistant under ISO 22810, watch manufacturers have a lot of discretion for how they apply the standard. So what does Apple say? Apple says that the Apple Watch Series 7 has a "water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010. This means that they may be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean. However, they should not be used for scuba diving, waterskiing, or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth." This is the same thing that Apple has been saying since the Apple Watch Series 2, so it does not appear that the Series 7 is any more water resistant than the prior five models.
Brighter always on display
In 2019, Apple made a big change to the Apple Watch when it introduced an always on display. This meant that even if you were not using your Apple Watch, you could glance at it and see the time without having to move your wrist to wake the screen. In 2020, Apple made the always on display 2.5x brighter in the Series 6. This year, Apple says that the always on display is 70% brighter when indoors, making it easier than ever to glance at your watch screen to see the time or other information and complications on your watch face.
Faster charging
The new Apple Watch doesn't have more battery life; Apple advertises the same all-day, 18-hours as before. (Having said that, the same battery life with a brighter always on display is certainly an improvement.) Instead, the big battery change with the new model is how long it takes to charge. You can charge the Apple Watch Series 7 more quickly thanks to a USB-C charger, which replaces the prior Lightning charger. For prior models, Apple said that it took about an hour to charge 80% and about 90 minutes to charge 100%. For the Series 7, Apple says that it takes 45 minutes to charge 80% (i.e. 33% faster than Series 6). You can also use the Series 7 with the prior, Lightning version of the Apple Watch charging cable, but if you do so you won't experience faster charging.
If you like to wear an Apple Watch while you sleep so that it can track sleep metrics, Apple says that eight minutes of charging on the new USB-C charger is enough for eight hours of sleep tracking. That sounds great, but after you wake up, you will probably need to find 45 to 60 minutes to recharge the Apple Watch during the day if you are not doing it at night.
New faces
With the new larger screen, Apple is introducing two new watch faces. One of them is the new Modular Duo face, shown above. The other one is called Contour, and it is rather trippy. The numbers are squeezed around the edges and they change as you move the watch around.
I hope that Apple is also updating most or all of its prior watch faces for the new, larger screen, but I haven't seen any announcement on that.
Other features
The Apple Watch Series 7 includes many other features that were first introduced with prior models. This includes the electrical heart sensor and ECG/EKG app introduced with the Series 4 and the Blood Oxygen sensor introduced with the Series 6.
And of course, the Series 7 works with the newest watchOS 8, which came out this week and contains some new features. For example, last week Apple mentioned how much better watchOS 8 is for folks who ride a bike. The watch can sense when it thinks you are riding a bike (using GPS, heart rate, accelerometer, and gyroscope data) and prompts you to start an Outdoor Cycle workout if you didn't start it manually. And that Outdoor Cycle workout can pause and resume automatically when you stop, such as to get some water or wait at a stoplight. Apple says that watchOS 8 is also more accurate when measuring active calories when riding an e-bike.
Apple also said that fall detection is more accurate in watchOS 8 when you are doing any type of workout, including cycling.
Like before, every new Apple Watch also provides you with three free months of Apple Fitness+, which I reviewed earlier this year. It is a fantastic service for staying active with your Apple Watch. I use it several times a week, and as the service has improved, I like it even more now than I did when I wrote that review.
Colors, Materials, and Prices
The least expensive version of the Apple Watch Series 7 is the aluminum model. It starts at $399 for the 41mm model, the same price that Apple charged for the 40mm Series 6 model. It comes in five colors: Midnight, Starlight, Green, Blue, and (PRODUCT)RED.
For a higher price, you can purchase a model with built-in cellular. To use cellular, you need to pay an additional monthly fee. I've owned a cellular model for a few years. I don't use cellular very often because my iPhone is usually so near me, but sometimes it is nice to go out without my iPhone, relying on my Apple Watch alone to stay connected or listen to a podcast. For example, when I was with my family on a beach vacation this past Summer, it was nice to go to the pool with my kids without an iPhone while still retaining the ability to receive a text from my wife.
There is also a more expensive stainless steel model, which comes in silver, graphite, and gold steel. I've been using a stainless steel Apple Watch since the very first model, in part because I prefer the look and in part because the crystal was more durable. Apple hasn't yet said if the crystal on the stainless steel model is more durable than the aluminum model this year. I'll be curious to see further details on what makes the stainless steel Series 7 different from the aluminum Series 7, other than being shinier and a little heavier.
Apple is not selling a ceramic version of the Series 7. However, Apple is selling a titanium model, which comes in a natural color and a black titanium color.
Like before, Apple also sells Nike and Hermès models of the Apple Watch, which come with special bands and watch faces.
Other than saying that the cheapest version of the Apple Watch Series 7 sells for the same price as the cheapest version of the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple has not yet announced pricing for the new Apple Watch. Nor has Apple announced when it will go on sale, other than saying "later this fall." Fall runs from September 22, 2021 to December 21, 2021, but Apple will want to have the new Apple Watch available for sale in time for holiday shopping, so perhaps that means that we will see it on sale in late October or November.
In addition to the new Series 7 starting at $399, Apple will continue to sell the Apple Watch SE starting at $279 and the Apple Watch Series 3 starting at $199. I know that Apple wants to sell more inexpensive models of the Apple Watch, and for some users, such as a child, those models will be sufficient. But if you are a lawyer or other professional and you want your watch to help you be more productive, I do not recommend either of those models. They are slower than the Series 7, and that alone will make those models more frustrating to use. (The Series 7, like the Series 6, is about 20% faster than the SE, and is more than twice as fast as the Series 3.) They lack the always on display. They lack the EKG/ECG and blood oxygen sensors. They lack the larger display and durability of the Series 7. And they have other differences which make them less powerful such as the lack of a U1 chip, lack 5GHz Wi-Fi, and lack of fall detection in the Series 3.
Conclusion
The Apple Watch Series 7 has a larger screen, it is more durable, it is brighter when it is in power-saving mode, and it charges more quickly, all of which will help you to stay connected, active, informed, and healthy. And those new features are in addition to the features added to the Series 6 and earlier models. If you are ready to get your first Apple Watch, you cannot go wrong with the Apple Watch Series 7.
If you are considering an upgrade from a prior model, it is always difficult to recommend upgrading from another Apple Watch that is only one year old. But if your current Apple Watch is two or more years old, then there are enough new features to consider upgrading. That's what I plan to do this year. I currently use an Apple Watch Series 5, and I put it through its paces every day, using it frequently for communication, checking information like the time and weather, and working out almost every day. As a result, the Series 5 model that I bought two years ago no longer has an 18-hour battery life; I often get a message that I am down to 10% battery after only about 14 hours, which is a problem for me because I often work out at night. So for this reason alone, I was thinking about getting a new Apple Watch this year even before I knew what Apple would announce.
Now that I know what is coming, I'm excited because the Apple Watch Series 7 looks like a great model. I look forward to learning more about the prices and the release date, and I especially look forward to trying it out for myself.
