Apple Watch 7: Everything you need to know

The Apple Watch 7 has officially been announced, here’s everything you need to know about the latest smartwatch.

Alongside products like the iPad 9, iPad Mini 6 and the iPhone 13, the curtain has finally been pulled back on the newest variation of the Apple Watch, and in a completely unexpected turn – almost all prior leaks about the device were incorrect. 

To know how the Apple Watch 7 actually stacks up, keep reading to find out everything we currently know about Apple’s next-gen wearable ahead of our in-house testing, and make sure to keep this page bookmarked as we’ll be updating it whenever new information is released. 

Price and release date

While Apple has confirmed that the Apple Watch 7 is said to be retailing at £369/$399. That’s £10 more than the Apple Watch 6, which had an entry level price of £379. 

There will be two models of the Watch 7, one at 41mm and one at 45mm, so we expect the exact prices to vary based on the size and the new GPS-only and 4G LTE version. 

As for the release date, Apple has announced that the Apple Watch 7 will be available to pre-order on Friday October 8, with the smartwatch due to hit stores on Friday October 15. 

Design and display

The Apple Watch 7 didn’t change too much about the design we’ve come to expect; it kept the rectangular shape with softer edges, but bought in thinner bezels, at 1.7mm, and made the screen 20% bigger than the Apple Watch 6’s display.

The bigger screen also helps to improve usability, with the display being up to 70% brighter indoors in the Always-On mode than its predecessor. 

With more space to play around with, Apple had included a full QWERTY keyboard on the Apple Watch 7, which you can type on by tapping or by using QuickPath. 

Apple also put a lot of focus on the durability of the new Watch, with a new crack-proof crystal coating, an IP6X dust resistance rating, as well as a WR50 water resistance rating. 

Features

In terms of feature changes, there isn’t a lot to report on. However, watchOS 8 will be on its way for the Watch 7, and as previously mentioned, there is the inclusion of the first every keyboard on an Apple Watch.

Several new watch faces have been made exclusively to make use of the Apple Watch 7’s larger display, including the Modular Max face which crams even more information into the home screen.

Specs

In terms of specs, very little has changed for the Apple Watch 7 – so much so in fact that it’s even using the same S6 chip that previously featured in the Apple Watch 7.

The battery life also remains the same, giving the user up to 18-hours on a single charge, although fast-charging has been included to make the experience a bit more forgiving.

Fitness

Despite speculation, the Apple Watch 7 has the same sensor suite as the Watch 6, meaning that we won’t be seeing any rumoured blood pressure sensors or glucometers this year.

It will still pack a lot of helpful features, such as tracking your blood oxygen levels and heart rate, alongside ECG. WatchOS 8 also brings the new Mindfulness app, which will also feature meditation sessions that can be accessed from the Fitness Plus app.

Plus, if you’re a fan of cycling, the Apple Watch 7 will be able to track if and when you fall off your bike, though we don’t recommend testing this out.