Does bigger necessarily translate to better? For Apple Watch Series 7, that slight 1mm increase to 41mm and 45mm as well as 20 percent more screen area, compared with the Series 6, are noticeable differences that will benefit wearers. These are made possible by downsizing the screen bezel and rounding the watch’s face edges further. Size does matter.
Apple has introduced two watch faces specifically designed for the Series 7 with WatchOS 8 to illustrate its bigger display. The Contour face has groovy numerical ‘indices’ that bleed over its curved edges and gradually changes to highlight the current hour, while the Modular Duo features digital time and allows two large complications to be shown with more detail.
Also leveraging on the bigger screen would be the inclusion of a touch-sensitive QWERTY keyboard. Born with above-average sized fingers, I was able to successfully craft a message assisted by the keyboard’s autocorrect function. Otherwise, tracing out individual letters with Scribble or Slide to Type on the keyboard works too.
There have been improvements with Series 7. The Maps UI app appears larger and includes more landmark information; on-screen buttons from Calculator to Control Centre are easier to tap; text size can be larger; there’s room for extra lines of text such as notifications. Hardware-wise, the Series 7 supports IP6X dust resistance and has a stronger crack-resistant front crystal. Those particular with aesthetics will be glad that the aluminium model sports five new colours—midnight, starlight, green, and slightly different hues of blue and (product)red from Series 6.
Faster charging comes exclusively to the Series 7 as Apple has redesigned the charging wire adapter to have a USB-C connection, making the magnetic charging connector more power-efficient. Statistically, according to Apple, the Series 7 charges 33 percent faster than the Series 6 but battery life still remains the same at 18 hours. The deal here is to pair the mentioned new wire with Apple’s own USB-C wall adapter for the accelerated charge. Docking the Series 7 to Apple’s MagSafe Duo or similar won’t achieve this advantage, unfortunately.
The preinstalled WatchOS 8 in the Series 7 packs the latest features, including advanced fall detection from specific workouts like cycling and the new Mindfulness app that replaces Breathe. All of which can be executed with the Series 6 too, but then, experiencing these would be optimal with the newest and improved device.
Apple Watch Series 7 starts at SGD599 and is available from Apple’s physical and online stores, Apple Store app and authorised resellers.
