Apple Watch Series 7 Review: You can take your time

With the Series 7, the Apple Watch has well and truly hit the "iPad stage" of its product lifecycle. As with the manufacturer's tablets, there are two main reasons to consider upgrading your Apple Watch: it's really old, or it's broken. If your Apple Watch is still holding up well, you probably don't need a new one - even if you're the kind of person who lusts after the latest shiny.

This ultimately speaks to how mature the Apple Watch is as a product. While initial year-on-year upgrades were major improvements that helped turn the Apple Watch from a curiosity into the most polished wearable on the market, newer models have been gradual refinements. It's not like the new functionality isn't welcome, we're just at the point where a new Apple Watch doesn't make an old model feel out of date.

The Apple Watch Series 7 has two key improvements: a larger display, and enhanced durability. Both are very welcome, but if you're on a Series 4 or newer, they're not system sellers.

This time around, the Apple Watch comes in a choice of a 41mm or a 45mm model. That's a millimetre more than the previous generation, but the physical device is roughly the same size; instead of making a bigger watch, Apple just cut down on the bezel, bringing the edges of the screen closer to the frame. This also means all your old Apple Watch bands will still work with the Series 7.

I'm never going to say "no" to a larger display in the same form factor, but while the move from the Series 3 42mm screen to the Series 4 44mm screen felt like a significant update that helped me get more from the Apple Watch, the increase isn't as meaningful this time. It's nice being able to see more of a message or email without having to scroll, but it doesn't really change my day-to-day experience with the Watch Series 7. Here's a Series 7 and a Series 6 side-by-side:

The one new piece of functionality enabled by the larger display on the Apple Watch Series 7 is a swipe keyboard for replying to messages. I was surprised by just how accurate the keyboard was, but for the most part, I'd rather just pull out my phone if I want to send a text.

Apple' also improved the durability of the Apple Watch Series 7. In addition to being swim-proof like past models, the wearable now has a crack-resistant crystal screen and IP6X dust-resistant. In theory, it should be harder than ever to break. Again, this is a great thing. Gadgets should be resilient, especially ones on your wrist, but also, not a reason to upgrade unless you've already broken your old Watch.

The Apple Watch Series 7 supports faster charging than previous models. Apple says an eight-minute top-up before bed should be enough for eight hours of sleep tracking, and a 45-minute charge will take you from flat to 80%. You will however need to use the new USB-C charging puck that comes in the box and pick up a USB-C wall plug to actually get these speeds. And despite improving charge times, Apple hasn't done much in terms of battery life. You can still expect around 18 hours per charge with the always-on display switched on, and about 48 with it off. I tend to keep the always-on display off for the extra longevity, but it's a shame you can't expect a full 24 hours.

Otherwise, the Apple Watch Series 7 is pretty similar to last year's Series 6. It's powered by the same processor, it has all of the same sensors and the same general aesthetic. Much like an iPad is an iPad, the Series 7 certainly is an Apple Watch.

Admittedly - other than battery - there aren't too many hardware changes I really want to see on an Apple Watch. Integrated blood sugar monitoring would be great for those that need it, but wearables already feature almost every sensor you can think of. It's certainly not lacking in terms of performance either.

Where I'd love to see more done is software. This year's update - watchOS 8 - felt like a big bundle of little changes. The most helpful is the ability to set multiple timers at once. Others include the ability to track your respiratory rate while sleeping, new workout types, and new watch faces. All useful, but iterative.

After seven generations, I'd love Apple to rethink how it tracks activity. The Apple Watch literally changed me, and I'm more active than I've ever been. I also have an unhealthy relationship with it. While I enjoy working out, I get serious jerk brain if I don't meet the lofty goals I've set for myself on a daily basis. Most of the time, I genuinely want to go out and go close my rings, but there have been days where I've pushed myself when I probably shouldn't have. When self-isolating for three days because it took forever to get a covid test result, I took to doing over an hour of weights per day and running up and down the apartment just to appease the Watch. I've got to keep the 578-day streak going.

A lot of this is on me and my broken brain, but the Apple Watch feeds into this behaviour, dolling out slick animations and shiny badges as you hit milestones. It's a great motivator and it helped me form better exercise habits, but my streak. I can't break the streak.

Sure, I could just drop down my goals manually, but that feels like quitting. A more elegant solution would be dynamic daily goals. The Apple Watch has a ridiculous amount of data on me. Hell, it probably knows if I'm getting sick before I am. There is no reason it couldn't look at the previous day's activity and how well I slept and scale my fitness goals accordingly. Asking a Watch for permission to have a rest day may seem like a ridiculous concept, but once again, the streak. Please, Tim.

Apple Watch Series 7 - Final Thoughts

The Apple Watch Series 7 continues to be the smartwatch to beat, but upgrades are just less essential now that it's such a mature product. If I bought an iPhone 12 Pro Max last year, I'd have already sold it to buy an iPhone 13 Pro Max. Even as a gadget-loving geek, I don't feel the same way about the Apple Watch Series 7.

If you've got an Apple Watch Series 3 or older, it's not only a great upgrade, it's definitely time to upgrade. The new screen is gorgeous and will make a big difference. If you've got a Series 4 or newer and it's working fine, you can return your credit card to its holster.

Annual Apple Watch refreshes will almost certainly continue to be a thing, we just need to temper our expectations around them. Even new phones are less exciting these days, but at least features like cameras make year-on-year improvements more obvious.

This, however, is fine. Every product category eventually matures to the point where adding more is either superfluous or gimmicky. While it's easy to want more from yearly updates, being in the "iPad stage" certainly isn't a bad thing for the Apple Watch. If you buy an Apple Watch Series 7 today, you don't have to worry about it feeling outdated next year. It won't have the same kind of lifespan as a traditional timepiece, but you can be confident that it will last you years.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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