The Apple Watch Series 7 has arrived, and here are the new features from the Series 6:
- It’s larger, 45 mm Retina display (the watch face)
- The borders of the display have been reduced, with the redesign providing more screen space than any other Apple Watch
- It’s more durable and less prone to cracking
- A new user interface optimised for the larger display
- Faster charging (33% faster compared with Series 6)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMdQ-gWBNZE
Is it worth the upgrade?
I think people need to start thinking differently about upgrading tech.
Years ago, we would upgrade our phones, watches and computers almost every year. Why? Because when those pieces of tech were new, every upgrade has significant leaps of innovation. Now in 2021, phones, watches and laptops are so incredible that the yearly upgrades are iteratively better, not orders of magnitude better.
I now think about upgrading my tech like upgrading a car.
Sure, Toyota might release a new Prius every year, but very few Prius owners would upgrade their car every year. Car upgrades are more on a five year cycle, so when drivers finally do upgrade, they notice a big change as they’ve sat out five years of iterative improvements.
Love Tech?
Get the latest Tech news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
I think this mentality now applies to tech too. Watches, phones and computers all should be upgraded every two-four years and when you do, you’ll notice a huge difference. If you’re still upgrading annually, you’ll experience only minor improvements.
Take the proposed question for example; “Is it worth the upgrade?”
Well that depends on two things;
- Your use case for the Apple Watch
- What series of Apple Watch you currently have
Sleep Tracking
If you use your Apple Watch all day and track sleeping all night, then the fast charging improvement is worth the upgrade alone. Fast charging now means you can think of charging like a “quick top up” rather than scheduled time away from a device. With the Apple Watch Series 7, I’ve now begun to top up my watch battery both before bed time and immediately when I wake up as I get ready for work, this gives me enough juice to get through all day and night with plenty of battery to spare.
The fast-charging feature is hugely underrated. My previous Apple Watch was a Series 4 and I was never able to track my sleeping until now, so fast-charging unlocked sleep tracking for me.
Display
The other things I love about upgrading from a Series 4 to 7 is the always on display, and the larger screen.
I will admit the difference between the screen size jump from the Series 2 to the 4 (which was my previous upgrade) had a much bigger wow factor than experiencing a the leap from the Series 4 to the Series 7. However that shouldn’t take anything away from this screen size bump. The bigger screen is notably bigger, and the watch is far easier to use.
The main value I get out of the bigger screen now is that I can use the ‘photos watch face’ and also have it display my next meeting from my calendar. On the smaller screen size the photo watch face wasn’t able to fit a widget for my calendar.
Apple Watch Series 7 new calendar widget on Photos watch face
Something else people seem to forget when considering upgrading their Apple Watch is how much the older versions retain their value. I sold my Series 4 for $300, meaning the price difference between the 4 and 7 was only $499 (rather than the $799 price tag of an Apple Watch with Cellular).
So yes, all things considered, the Apple Watch Series 7 is certainly worth the upgrade. It has fundamentally changed how I use my watch.
Design
I just want to give a shoutout to the combo I’m rocking pictured below. Graphite Stainless Steel Case with a Braided Solo Blue Loop. Stunning, Apple continue to bring technology and art together better than anyone in the game.
The braided loop is also incredibly light and comfortable. I was surprised how well in breathed, even with long hot days on the golf course.
Apple Watch Series 7
Should the Series 7 be my first Apple Watch?
Those who don’t have an Apple Watch always ask me what I think.
My answer is simple” “If I lost my Apple Watch in the middle of the day, I’d stop by the Apple Store on the way home to replace it. That’s how much I love it.”
The Apple Watch gives me 4 key values which make it mission critical for my set up;
- I can check my watch when I get a phone call to see if it’s worth getting my phone out of my pocket to answer or not.
- At a quick glance I can see both my upcoming meeting, and the time of three difference cities (with the modular watch face).
- Apple Pay is such a delight. It’s so easy to pay for almost anything with just your watch. No wallet, not even a phone is needed now. Incredible user experience.
- The Golfshot app. I play a lot of golf and love this Apple Watch app.
The Verdict
As you’ve probably gathered by now, I think the Apple Watch 7 is an incredible piece of technology. For those that use Apple Watches they’ll tell you it’s as essential to their day as their phone.
The only people who I have encountered who didn’t like the Apple Watch are those that don’t turn off most notifications. Yes, you don’t want your wrist buzzing and distracting you all day, but having the right notification set up will actually reduce you from distractions not increase them, but maybe that’s a topic for another article.
The Apple Watch Series 7 is a must have, at least for me. Highly Recommended.
Read my other Apple reviews:
The M1 iMac finally makes sense
Are the AirPods Max headphones really worth the price?
No bullshit; Listening to Apple Music’s Spacial Audio gave me butterflies
