Maybe it’s got something to do with expectations. There were rumours of a massive design redesign early on in the debut. Because the Apple Watch has looked the same for a long time, an aesthetic change like the one suggested by the leaks was eagerly anticipated. In the end, though, Apple triumphed the leakers. The term “responsibility” refers to the act of determining whether or not a person is responsible for his or her own actions. Apple Watch has evolved over time, with each model introducing new features and capabilities. The new Apple Watch 7 released this year has a larger display. A new S7 SiP, a crack-resistant display, and quick charging, all while preserving capabilities like SpO2 tracking debuted with the Series 6 last year. So, is the Apple Watch 7 a significant upgrade over the Series 6, or merely a minor evolutionary step? To discover out, we put the Apple Watch 7 to the test.
Apple Watch 7 review: Design
If you’ve seen an Apple Watch in the recent past, you’ll recognize the Watch Series 8. Even in iterative design, Apple frequently modifies one or more elements to identify new products from old, such as vertical vs diagonal camera lenses in the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 pro max. But not in Series 8 of Watch. It has the same curves and proportions as the Watch Series 7 and looks just like it. The dial is the same size, square with rounded edges, as is the crown, which is also ornamented with a red ring, as is the case’s aluminum and steel finish, as is the glass layer. The screen is the same size (45mm) and has the same brightness (up to 1000 nits). It is also similarly smooth and smart-looking. Overall, we feel that the Apple Watch has the best design among all smartwatches. It is neither too huge, nor too small. It doesn’t have the tough and large appearance of a Chronograph, nor is it as small as thinner smartwatches like the Fitbit Versa or even Google’s Pixel Watch.
Interface and controls
Apple Watch 7’s beautiful display has approximately 20% more screen surface and narrower boundaries at only 1.7 mm – 40% smaller than those on Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch 7 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, thanks to an innovative design that maximises screen area while minimising total case size changes. The Always-On Retina display is up to 70% brighter indoors than the Apple Watch Series 6 while the wrist is down, making it easier to see the watch face without having to elevate the wrist or wake the display. The user interface is adjusted to take use of the form and size of the new display. Apple Watch 7 includes two new larger font sizes as well as a new QWERTY keyboard that can be tapped or swiped with QuickPath allowing users to slide a finger to type and uses on-device machine learning to anticipate the next word based on context, making text entry quicker and faster.
Apple Watch 7 review: Display
Even with the larger display, Apple didn’t expand the case size, so it’s not like you’re carrying a larger watch on your wrist. Instead, the bezels around the display have been reduced to 1.7 millimeters thick. The size increase is immediately evident so much so that gazing at the side of the Apple Watch allows you to view the outer rim of the watch face and even make out notifications as they appear. The glass OLED display has a distinct feature in that it slopes down the sides. The display is an always-on Retina display with bright colours and high contrast. Because the Watch is constantly on, you can look at it and see the time or whatever else is on your watch face without having to tap or engage the screen. Apple boasts that the 7’s display is 70% brighter than the Series 6, and we did note that the Series 7 presented complications with more clarity in side-by-side tests.
Tracking
The Apple Watch has always excelled at tracking daily exercise, with the three rings system serving as a solid source of motivation to keep you active. You are prompted to move every hour in order to log 12 total active hours, and you have an overall active calorie and active minutes target to meet each day. The Series 7 also has superior health-tracking functions. It can do an electrocardiogram (ECG) and monitor your blood oxygen saturation. The watch can also time your hand-washing, inform you if the ambient noise level is excessively high, and track your menstrual health. All of these capabilities stay unchanged from the Series 6, as does the native sleep tracking, which remains disappointingly inadequate. The watch will log your sleep length, and there is a graph that indicates nighttime disruptions, as well as your average sleep duration over the preceding week.
Other features
Apple Watch 7, like its predecessors, is a smart watch Swiss-army knife. Because WatchOS is a developing ecosystem, if you have an iPhone, you’ll find that many of your existing apps have Watch equivalents. To get the most out of your Apple Watch, you’ll need an iPhone in fact, you’ll need an iPhone to set it up in the first place. While improvements like the App Store have made the Watch feel more self-sufficient, much of the content on it requires an iPhone to manage. Yes, it’s all there, and it’s all done with Apple’s attention to UI detail. Sleep tracking is included, too, but that’s less successful more on that shortly. In terms of fitness tracking, the Apple Watch has a growing number of exercise alternatives. Along with the more traditional jogging, cycling, and walking, you’ll discover tai chi, Pilates, dance, hiking, and many more activities. It will even communicate with compatible machines at your gym if they employ Apple’s GymKit technology.
Apple Watch 7 review: Battery life
This is one of the few places where we believe the Apple Watch 7 should have been improved. The Apple Watch Series 7 lasted me a whole day with heart rate tracking and other notifications enabled. This implies you’ll have to charge the smartwatch every day. Utilized the Apple Watch to check alerts, steps tracking, exercise monitoring, heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, replying to emails and messages and much more. Another disadvantage is that it takes a long time to fully charge the smartwatch. Ideally it is better to set the Apple Watch Series 7 on charge at night and plug it out in the morning. The watch comes with the new Magnetic USB-C cable, but you’ll need to bring your own power adapter because the retail packaging doesn’t include one.
Price and Configurations options
If you’ve seen an Apple Watch since the line’s inception, you’ll be familiar with the Series 7. Regardless of the material used, the unit is square with rounded edges. The reduced bezel around the screen is the main selling point of this latest model. Indeed, because it wraps around the main enclosure, it lacks a bezel and instead slopes down to the outside shell. Apple claims that the new display has 50% greater total screen area than the previous model. It’s less visible when compared to the Series 6, Series 5, or Series 4, but there’s clearly more space for your stuff. Apple has cleverly modified the Series 7’s user interface to allow WatchOS to make advantage of the display in subtle ways, such as larger buttons. The Series 7 is also slightly larger than its previous siblings, although by a centimeter. It’s barely perceptible, but the important thing for long-term Apple Watch owners is that your existing band collection will still fit.
Final Words
The Apple Watch 7 is the best Apple Watch yet, which is understandable given that it replaces the Series 6 and adds additional functions. The larger display here revitalizes the experience, and faster charging solves a long-standing issue. That together with the ability to take an ECG, monitor blood oxygen and be always-on with increased durability chops makes it the ideal Apple Watch. However, it is part of Apple’s most powerful watch lineup to date. If you can live without all of the health functions and the always-on display, the Apple Watch 7 review is mentioned above.
