Apple Watch Series 7 – The world’s best smartwatch just got a tiny bit better

That is its bigger screen. Apple has increased the display by 20pc (1mm) without noticeably making the overall watch any bigger on your wrist. The difference is obvious the second you switch it on. Everything seems a little bigger and easier to read or tap.

While this is a boon to older people and those with less-than-perfect eyesight, it also opens up a new sartorial possibility for those who want a more discreet presence on their wrist but need a decently-sized display. The smaller Watch 7 model is now 41mm, just a shade off the 42mm the larger Apple Watch once was. But because the extra screen area is mostly at the expense of bezels, the overall size of the watch on your wrist is far smaller than the original ‘large’ Apple Watch.

To me, this is a very underappreciated wearability issue – I know several people who like the idea of the functionality of an Apple Watch but dislike giving the sartorial impression of wearing a mini-computer on their wrist. They now have a much better option than they did a few years ago.

Do any of the other upgrades on the Watch 7 stand out in everyday use?

Sort of. It has faster charging. And this isn’t just down to the USB-C cable included in the box; in my tests it charges about 60pc faster than all previous Apple Watch models. 

This is somewhat useful, especially if you need a quick charge to get you through the night (8-10 minutes of charging can give the watch 8 hours’ life through the night).

And it has a dust-resistant IPX6 rating as well as a tougher, more scratch and crack-resistant screen, not that I’ve ever really had a problem with damaging Apple Watch displays before.

There are also some small additional attractions, such as two new watchfaces, one of which (‘Contour’) bleeds the numbers into the edge of the screen.

And there are some new colours.

My test model was a very dark green, which could almost pass as black; other colours (only available for the Watch 7) are blue, ‘starlight’, ‘midnight’ and Product Red. On balance, I like the colours.

But there aren’t any new health sensors or other major feature differences between the Series 7 and the Series 6 from last year.

Battery life, which is arguably the biggest single issue that Apple Watch owners would like to see improved, is almost exactly the same at around 18 hours of normal use (although you can easily get twice that if you don’t use it much for fitness or playing content).

So the Watch 7’s bigger display is overwhelmingly the reason that you might consider upgrading to it or getting it as your first Apple Watch.

This spurs two basic questions for most people. (i) Is this enough of an upgrade to entice existing Watch owners? (ii) And does it have enough to tempt some who have held out from getting one up to now?

The first question seems straightforward and can be divided into two parts. If you have a Watch Series 4 (2018) or before, there’s easily enough here to justify the upgrade. People with those older models won’t have an always-on screen (important in my view) or some of the more advanced health sensors, such as ECG or blood oxygen measurement.

But if you have a Series 5 (2019) or Series 6 (2020) Watch, which have most or all of the better health sensors, the upgrade rationale gets much narrower. It circles back again to the screen size, mainly.

The second question is probably the one that gets more to the heart of the issue: is this Apple Watch appealing to people who have never had one?

It’s worth recapping what an Apple Watch is and isn’t. As I said above, it’s the most capable overall smartwatch out there for iPhone users (it doesn’t work with Androids). No other smartwatch gives you the combination of fitness, health, music control, maps and paying for things as comprehensively or as simply as this device. Little things, like its ability to bypass your iPhone’s Face ID or pin code when you’re wearing a mask, make you love it. And the watch’s increasing focus on health – from fall detection technology to warnings about irregular heartbeats it detects – make it attractive to a growing number of senior citizens.

As I see it, the Watch Series 7 is a slightly more appealing first Apple Watch than previous versions because its larger screen makes it a little easier for novices to get around the watch. Is this, starting at €429, a better choice than the mid-tier Watch SE at €299?

For me, it would be a toss-up if the difference were only the extra screen size and ECG and blood oxygen sensors, neither of which the SE model has. But the clincher is the always-on display. With the SE or entry-level Series 3 model, you have to flick your wrist up to see basic information, like the time. With the Series 7, it has a dimmer version of the main screen that is always on, so you can glance at your watch without having to flick it once or twice to make sure it wakes up. So if you’re going to get an Apple Watch, you’re better off going all-in for the sake of an extra €129.

In summary, this is a great smartwatch if you want a do-it-all device. It also easily outshines all of its main rivals if you’re an iPhone user. 

If I was buying one, though, I’d now be tempted by the smaller 41mm model. It’s big enough to get things done while being that bit smaller on your wrist.