SEVEN UP AND APPLE’S STILL THE ONE TO WATCH
The most striking thing about the Apple Watch Series 7 is just how much it looks like the first Apple Watch, from six years ago.
All the talk prior to this year’s watch launch was about a redesign that would flatten the edges and make the device look more like a mini-iPhone. That did not happen.
There’s a reason for that – Apple got the design right the first time around. It’s an iconic shape that worked from day one.
What has changed over the years is what goes on inside.
It took Apple a few years to get that right, but since the power and battery life has been there, the device’s popularity has soared. So we come to the seventh series and not much has changed from the sixth. The case is more or less the same (the watch bands for previous generations will also fit this), just a little bigger to accommodate the one thing that really has been upgraded. The screen is a lot bigger – the slightly larger case size, and the reduction in the size of the bezels around the edges allow for 20% more screen.
That might not sound like much, but it does make a big difference. You can see more text in messages and emails, you can have more information displayed at once, and you can even have a usable QWERTY keyboard when composing messages. It’s just more useful all round.
Of course, everything the Apple Watch does remains – you’ve still got the same health-related features, communications options and notifications.
The cable that comes with a 7 does offer faster charging, but that’s not quite enough to merit the upgrade, unless you wear your watch for sleep tracking and find battery life an issue.
Aside from that, if you have the 6, you won’t need the upgrade. But everyone else in the market for a new smartwatch should form an orderly queue.
Apple Watch Series 7 starts at £369 and is available now. See apple.com for more.