Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch 6: How does Apple’s new wearable compare?

Apple’s next-generation wearable has been made official, and here’s everything you need to know about how the Apple Watch 7 stacks up against the Apple Watch 6.

After what feels like an avalanche of leaks and rumours, the Apple Watch 7 is finally here and it is nothing like what we had in mind. For the most part, internet leakers were way off the mark and as such there’s a lot to go through over how the Watch 7 actually improves over last year’s model.

There’ll be more information to come over the next few days – and we’re very much looking forward to getting our hands on the Apple Watch 7 for review – but as for right now, these are the main comparisons to be made between Apple’s two most recent wearables.

Price

As you may have already predicted, there’s no discernable change in price for Apple’s latest smartwatch. The Apple Watch 7 will have a starting price of $399 (UK pricing TBC), giving it the exact same going rate as what the Apple Watch 6 had at launch.

Size and screen

For the first time in several generations, the Apple Watch is growing up. Instead of the usual 40 and 44mm options that we’ve all grown accustomed to, the Apple Watch 7 will come in 41 and 45mm variants.

With that larger chassis, the Apple Watch 7’s screen will be getting a major update, offering a 20% larger surface area over the Watch 6, as well as being up to 70% brighter.

Battery

Even though battery life has long been a major issue with the Apple Watch, and more so now that it’s been overtaken by the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, the battery life on the Apple Watch 7 remains unchanged.

Just like the Watch 6, the Watch 7 should be able to hit up to 18-hours of use on a single charge. To make the charging process a bit easier however, Apple has implemented fast charging on the newer device that runs up to 33% faster than before. According to Apple, you can get up to eight hours of sleep tracking from just a quick 8-minute charge.

Durability

One of the big changes that Apple has drawn attention to is in upping the durability. The Apple Watch 7 now comes with an official IP6X rating, meaning that it is impervious to dust – a feature that should pair well with the new fall detection for cycling workouts.

Apple also claims that the screen is now crack resistant, thanks to a new crystal coating. While we don’t recommend putting that claim to work, it should at least offer piece of mind to anyone who enjoys rock climbing or hiking on a regular basis.

Specs

Perhaps most surprisingly out of all the Apple Watch 7’s announcements was a lack of any nod to a new chipset. An upgraded processor to go with each yearly update has long since been the norm, so it’s rather strange to see that the Apple Watch 7 will launch with the same chipset found in the Apple Watch 6.