Review of the Apple Watch 7
The Apple Watch 7 succeeds the Watch 6 as Apple's premium
wearable, joining the Watch SE and Watch 3 as options for consumers looking for
a second screen to go with their iPhone.
The biggest difference I would like to bring out in our Apple Watch 7 review
is the screen, which is 20 percent bigger than last year's model. It still has
an incredible feature set that makes it well worth your time, and it's the
greatest Apple Watch yet, as well as the best smartwatch... but only by a hair.
While most people would buy this Watch to avoid having to
pull their phone out of their pocket as much or to have a solid fitness
companion, you'll also get superb heart rate monitoring and a variety of helpful
applications, all wrapped up in a stylish design.
The bigger screen means everything is somewhat more apparent
than on the Watch 6 or SE, and the package comes in five new colors. It also
features an always-on display (which the Watch SE lacks), and the glass
covering the gorgeous OLED display is somewhat curved – though we couldn't see
the value of this.
With the Watch 7, we're hoping for more of a design change -
flat edges to mirror the new iPhone design, a larger screen... anything that
would plainly justify upgrading to the most recent version of the Apple Watch.
The larger screen does allow for more functions, such as
being able to read more of your messages or having a wider surface area to hit
larger buttons. Apple also believes that with more screen real estate, it's
time to add a keyboard to the Watch - and we have to agree, pecking out
messages on the Watch 7 was a breeze (although dictation was just as good and
less fiddly).
Because the power within hasn't been updated year after
year, the chip here is designated the S7, but it doesn't deliver any additional
power - it's merely been redesigned to accommodate the slightly larger design.
That's not to suggest you'll be short on power, as the Watch 7's WatchOS 8
platform makes it simple to start a workout, see photographs, or read messages.
When it comes to the Watch 7's fitness capabilities, you'll
notice an improved cycling mode - this watch can now recognize when you're
riding, which worked OK for us, but it didn't notice when we stopped and neglected
to finish the workout.
Overall, we thought the new Apple Watch was a good fitness
partner – plus you get three months of Fitness+ for free, so you've got a
workout in your pocket at any time of day or night.
The Watch 7 does a good job of monitoring jogging, cycling,
and swimming (among other activities), and there are some great additions like
the meditation app, which we used frequently, and Apple's ring system, which
shows how busy you are throughout the day, is both helpful and entertaining to
watch.
The ECG and blood oxygen monitoring won't be of much help to
most people; we'll go over that in more detail below, but these headline
features won't be a major selling point for most people.
While the Apple Watch Series 6 is still on sale, we can't
endorse the new Watch 7, especially if the 2020 model is available at a
reasonable price.
When that sells out, this will be your only option if you
want a high-end Apple Watch – and with a nice display, solid fitness tracking,
and easy-to-read alerts, Apple is gradually eliminating all the reasons not to
buy one of its wearables.
The Apple Watch 7 costs $399 / £369 / AU$599 for the 41mm
version and $429 / £399 / AU$649 for the 45mm version.
The cellular version, which allows you to use it without the
phone, costs $499 / £469 / AU$749 for the 41mm size and $529 / £499 / AU$799
for the 45mm variant - plus the cost of an extra data plan.
There are also Apple Watch Nike Edition and Hermès
variations of the Series 7, which have much higher pricing.
Midnight (black), Starlight (gray), Green, Blue, and
(PRODUCT)RED are the five new aluminum finishes offered. Three new Nike Sport
Loop colors are also available, as well as new Apple Watch Hermès bands.
When comparing this model to the Watch 6 or Watch SE, the
only difference you'll notice is the Apple Watch design, which is slightly
larger in the frame and has a 20% larger display than the prior models (and a
heckuva lot bigger than on the bezel-heavy Watch Series 3, which is also still
on sale).
When you first hold it, you won't notice the increased
toughness - with IP6X on board, this watch is now effectively dustproof as well
as waterproof (to WR50, for open water swimming and diving), preventing dirt
and other harmful particles from getting inside the frame.
The glass on top of the bright and vivid OLED display has also
been hardened to reduce the risk of scratching or breaking – though we've never
seen a scratch on any of the watches we've reviewed over the years (aside from
a deep nick we managed to push into the Watch 6), and the same was true here,
with no scratches seen at all during our testing with the Watch.
This protection, I presume, is intended to entice more
adventurous, white-water-rafting types to consider the Watch 7, but they're
probably already considering the Garmin Fenix line, which provides even greater
protection and additional activity-tracking features.
In a side-by-side comparison of the Watch 7 and the Watch 6,
you can see the more information accessible - the larger screen actually does
make a difference in the amount of data you can see on screen, and it makes it
simpler to engage as a consequence.
However, after I examined both at the same time, I didn't
detect much of a difference, with the accuracy of the Watch 7 and Watch 6 being
almost identical.
Both have the same brightness, as Apple hasn't changed the
number of nits the Watch 7 can produce, but the 70 percent higher brightness in
'dimmed' mode feels like a contradiction.
With the Watch 7, there are five new colors available, which
have fancy names like 'Starlight,' but are simply gray, green, blue, silver,
and red; however, the colors are subdued here than on prior models, making them
more appealing.
The Watch 7's back has the customary array of LEDs that fire
light under the skin - this isn't the first time this has happened.
The battery life of the Apple Watch has baffled us for
years, and the Watch 7 is no exception... Apple, however, downplays the
performance.
The Watch 7 is supposed to last 18 hours on a single charge,
but we often obtained more than 24 hours, even with some battery-draining GPS
use in the middle of the day.
Because of the faster coils inside and the new silver-banded
charger in the box (although it connects via USB-C and doesn't come with a
block - once again, Apple has upgraded the tech but removed the thing you need,
forcing payment to buy one, as few people will have a USB-C plug lying
around), you can charge your iPhone faster than ever before.
Is the Apple Watch Series 7 worth your money?
If you want to buy
it, you should...
You've got the Apple
Watch 4 on your wrist.
If you like your previous Apple Watch but haven't tried the
always-on display, you'll like the Watch 7's larger screen and the ability to
finally get rid of those annoying wrist flicks to view the time.
You want to start
living a healthy lifestyle.
The Watch 7 is an excellent workout companion for people
looking to improve their mental and physical fitness. It has a lot of tracking
tools, and the mindfulness options were very appealing to us.
If you don't want to
buy it, don't.
You're a fitness
freak.
While we like dabbling with Fitness+, the Watch 7 isn't for
you if you're looking for planned routines that will help you improve your
fitness. You can get some good applications, but a specialized fitness watch
will serve you better.
While the Watch 7 does not require a daily charge, it will
require a top-up very early the next day — Apple is trailing behind in this
area, with several competing smartwatches giving multiple days of usage before
requiring a charge.
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