The latest smartwatch from Apple is so similar to the previous Apple Watch Series 6 that only the biggest fans will be able to tell them apart.
Indeed, the Apple Watch Series 7's performance, battery life, and health and fitness sensors are identical to the Series 6. It's basically the same smartwatch with some minor, positive updates – and that's totally fine. The Apple Watch Series 7 is a great smartwatch that still feels powerful, stylish, and full of useful features for iPhone users.
Yet, while I love the Series 7, it doesn't change the fact that it's basically a slightly improved smartwatch from 2020, and the new tweaks feel like a sign of what's to come in future iterations. But "waiting for the next best thing" isn't a good reason to hold off on buying an Apple Watch now if you want one, and this is now Apple's best version available.
| Apple Watch Series 7 | Specifications |
| Size: | 41 millimeter or 45 millimeter |
| Sensors and health: | ECG sensor, blood oxygen sensor, Apple 3rd-gen optical heart sensor, fall detection, NFC, compass, accelerometer, barometric altimeter, GPS, gyroscope, microphone, ambient light sensor |
| Always-on display: | Yes |
| Software: | Apple watchOS |
| Battery Life: | Up to 18 hours |
| Water resistance: | 50 meters |
The new full keyboard that's exclusive to the Series 7 can tell which letter I want to press surprisingly well, and autocorrect helps with typos. Using the swipe gestures to type also makes it incredibly quick to write out a message, and it's also surprisingly accurate. It's much faster than drawing out letters, like you'd do on previous Apple Watches, but it's still slower than using your voice to send a message. It's a nice option to have if you're in a pinch when you can't use your voice — for example, it came in handy when asking my wife to bring me my phone while rocking our baby to sleep.
We've only been testing the Series 7for a couple months, and we haven't done any active durability testing for the screen, so we can't say for sure whether the glass is tougher than previous models. Our Series 6 review unit got a few light scratches after about nine months of normal use, so it's good to see that Apple is still developing and making improvements, but only time will tell whether the new glass is actually tougher.
In the same vein, Apple said during the Series 7's launch event that we didn't need to worry about using the watch in dusty environments, and that it's also swim-proof. That's nice, but I never worried about bringing the Series 6 into dusty places, and I swam with it many times without worrying at all.
The Series 7 doesn't improve one the Apple Watch's typical one-day battery life. I usually end my days with 50% to 55% of remaining battery life with simple usage of telling the time and getting notifications, and no active fitness tracking or active health sensing. That's not enough juice for another full day, and using the Series 7 for workouts will deplete the battery way down, so it's still a device you'll mostly charge overnight.
The new USB-C charger included with the Series 7 can charge the watch 33% faster than the previous included charger, as long as you use a good USB-C charging brick, which is regrettably not included in the box. It's noticeably faster and can be useful to give the Series 7 a quick boost if you forgot to charge the watch overnight, or if you need to give it some extra juice before a long activity, or for sleep tracking.
The Series 7 has exactly the same health, fitness, and heart sensors as the Series 6, including an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, blood oxygen sensor, Apple's 3rd-gen optical heart sensor, fall detection, NFC, compass, accelerometer, barometric altimeter, GPS, gyroscope, microphone, ambient light sensor.
Apple makes its health, fitness, and heart sensors easy to use and reliable, but they're still reliant on a good fit between the Apple Watch and your wrist, as well as the strap's tightness. I rarely face problems finding a good, comfortable fit with the Series 7 to get good readings. For me, the Series 7 can jiggle when I shake my wrist, which means it's comfortable and not too tight, and not too loose, either.
Just note that the ECG and blood-oxygen sensors aren't designed to replace professional medical equipment — rather, they're designed to give you an idea of health and wellness. If you spot an odd reading from those sensors, it's best to consult a medical professional rather than come to conclusions yourself.
Neutral color options like silver and space gray are notably missing for the Series 7, and they've been replaced with new and less neutral colors called "starlight" that looks like a beige-ified silver, and the new "midnight" is basically a very dark blue.
The new colors don't quite sit right because there's the slightest bit of tint that stops them from being neutral. It's such an odd move by Apple, but as with other surprising Apple moves, you get used to it. Still, the original silver and space gray looks better
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