JOIN USApple Watch Series 7 long-term review: Bigger and better
Apple, particularly after the Series 3 launch in 2017, took the market by storm and it continues to widen the gap not only in terms of market share but also technology-wise too. Each new iteration has come with valuable health tracking sensors that actually saved more lives than any other in the industry.
Amid the Covid pandemic-induced shortage of chipsets and difficulties in sourcing raw materials and components, there was little uncertainty of Apple Watch Series 7 making its way to the market. Also, there were rumours that the new design and quality issue, may force apple to shelve the plan to launch the new Watch for 2021.
But, in mid-September, to everyone's relief, Apple announced the Watch Series 7 along with iPhone 13 series. In India, the former was released a month later on 15 October.
The new Apple Watch comes in bigger screen sizes and improved sensors for activity tracking and more, compared to the Watch Series 6.
I have been using the Watch Series 7 for more than three months and here are my thoughts on Apple's most advanced smart wearable yet.
Design, display and build quality
The Watch Series 7 comes with a larger screen real estate but retains the familiar squarish lozenge design language with a digital crown, a mic, and a side button on the left, and a speaker on the right side.
As said in the introduction, the latest Apple Watch iteration comes in bigger --41mm and 45mm-- sizes, as compared to predecessor's--40mm and 44mm-- sizes.
Apple says the display is 20 per cent bigger and yes there is a noticeable distinction between them when placed side-by-side together.
The border around the display is said to be reduced by up to 40 per cent to increase the functional touch screen on the top panel.
The Retina OLED LTPO (Low-temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) display of the Watch 7 series supports up to 1,000nits peak brightness.
Add to that, the always-on brightness is said to be 70-per cent better compared to the Series 6 (review) and I was clearly able to see the distinction.
Replying to the messages on the Watch Series 7 is such a huge improvement. It now comes with a new QWERTY keyboard, wherein users can do both types or swipe with the QuickPath feature by sliding fingers across the on-screen keypad. I am also told that it utilises on-device machine learning to anticipate the next word based on the context and this way, it will help us compose the message faster.
Also, the support for the bigger font size of the characters helped me a lot to read the messages better than ever before. These are really good value-addition at least for me, as I am diagnosed with Keratoconus eye disorder.
Add to that, the bright big screen makes the watch face look better and eye-catchy too. Apple has rolled out several new watch faces since the Watch Series 7 released in October and the latest being the Unity Lights, launched recently to mark black history month.
The Unity Lights is one of the most unique watch faces and is designed using 2D ray tracing, a technology never before implemented for a watch face, says Apple.
Each pixel on the screen simulates the light and shadow falling across it and the movement of the clock hands simultaneously reveal and hide the light. It changes dynamically throughout the day.
And, of course, the Contour, Modular Max, and Nike Bounce exclusive to Watch Series 7, which spread to the edges of the widescreen and definitely make the onlookers understand that the user owns the latest Apple Watch.
Apple offers Watch Series 7 in aluminium and stainless steel cases. The former comes in five colours including midnight, starlight, green, and a new blue and (PRODUCT)RED, along with a range of new band colours and styles.
The stainless steel models are available in silver, graphite, and gold finish.
Also, there is a special Apple Watch Edition, which by way comes in titanium and space black titanium variants. They are the most expensive of the lot. The prices start at Rs 89,900.
Our Watch Series 7 (aluminium) review unit is a green model and I love how the dark shade of the enclosure beautifully blends with matching leafy green strap that comes with the retail box.
Speaking of green, Apple's new Watch is the most eco-friendly smart wearable. This aluminium model is said to come with 100 per cent recycled metal cases. Also, some of the key components feature 100 per cent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, including in the Taptic Engine and nearly 100 per cent recycled tungsten throughout the product.
Also, the device has no harmful chemicals such as mercury, PVC, beryllium, and BFRs.
Though the company has used recycled materials, there is no cause for worry in terms of durability and in fact, it is touted to be the sturdiest Apple smart wearable to date.
The aluminium Apple Watch variant sports an Ion-X glass display. It is said to be a redesigned crystal glass and 50 per cent thicker compared to the predecessor. Also, it comes with an IP6X dust-resistant and WR50 water-resistant rating as well, meaning the device can be taken for a dip in both fresh water and salty oceans and is capable of surviving up to 50-meter depth underwater.
I, with a clumsy hand, am happy to note that there is no physical damage on the Apple Watch Series 7 so far. For a handful of times, I have accidentally touched metal grills of the garage gate, but thankfully, it has remains to be scratch-free and I hope to keep it that way for long.
It should be noted that the ultra-premium stainless and titanium models come with a sapphire crystal glass display and obviously, the latter is sturdier than our review unit's display in terms of protection against daily wear and tear.
Performance
Inside, the Apple Watch Series 7 houses a new generation Apple S7 SiP (System-in-Package) with a 64-bit dual-core processor. It is paired with Apple W3 wireless chip and U1 Ultra Wideband chip. The former comes in handy for pairing with devices smoothly and the latter for tracking items via the Find My network app to the precise location.
Also, the device comes with 32GB storage and this will help users store thousands of music tracks to listen to while offline. But, given how affordable mobile data is in India, I bank on Amazon Prime Music and Apple Music to listen to songs on the go.
FYI, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea offer the cellular plans for Apple Watches only to post-paid customers, but Reliance Jio offers the same for all types of tariff plans.
As far as the health tracking sensors are concerned, it boasts a new SpO2 (blood-oxygen saturation) sensor, electrical heart sensor, and third-generation optical heart sensor. They help in notifying high and low heart rates, irregular heart rhythm, and run ECG app (Electrocardiogram) app.
Add to that, it boasts ultra-sensitive Fall Detection capability and continues to be the gold standard in the industry. Even the heart rate tracking features too are the best in the class. We have proof of several reports of lives saved in the last few months.
Also, Apple Watch Series 7 has an incredible and ultra-sensitive physical activity tracking sensor. During the three-plus months of usage, it was able to auto-detect my outdoor walking every single time. Big thumbs up from me to the Apple engineers.
Also, another feature exclusive to the latest model is the Outdoor Cycle workout. The advanced algorithms can make use of on-device GPS, heart rate sensor, accelerometer, and gyroscope data to detect when users begin a ride, and prompt them to record.
Besides the potential life-saving heart rate rhythm and fall detection features, the native activity tracker ring is the most I love about Apple Watches. These are more than enough to convince me to buy this device to improve my fitness regime.
The activity rings are simple; users just have to reach three activities-- move (burn calories), exercise (minimum of 30 minutes), and stand (walk or move your hands around standing at least one minute per hour).
It ensures the user develops a steady routine. Whenever Watch notices, the owner has not completed the target, it nudges with notification, by walking or doing an activity for this number of minutes helps to complete a particular activity. The reminders never come off as nagging, but a subtle nudge. I love this aspect of the activity rings feature and is very unique to Apple Watch.
Also, the colourful and creative badges that Apple Watch awards to the user for completing an activity challenge for the week/month or on a special occasion such as International Yoga Day, Earth Day and others. This further motivates us to keep going through the year.
Having used multiple iterations of the Apple Watch for more than three years, I am convinced Apple Watch is the only smartwatch that can subliminally engineer our mindset to develop a healthy active lifestyle. Yes, the three waves of Covid-19 disrupted our daily routine, but the Apple Watch has helped me get back to my physical activity routine soon after each of the pandemic-induced lockdowns.
Apple Watches can track several sports and physical activities such as Yoga, high-intensity interval training, outdoor run, indoor walk, Badminton, outdoor cycling, indoor run on a treadmill, indoor cycling, elliptical, rowing machine, hiking, and more.
Also, with the sleep tracking feature, Apple Watch will help the user develop a healthy lifestyle and stick to a regular bedtime routine so he/she can meet the sleep goals all through the year. As you can see from the screenshot (below), I really have to get my act together to improve my sleep routine and also my cardio health soon.
With the new watchOS 8, Apple has introduced a truckload of value-added features including respiratory (breathing) rate, native contacts app, focus app and more.
For the first time, Watch Series 3 and newer models with watchOS 8 can be able to track breathing rate.
To view the Respiratory Rate, open the Health app on your iPhone, then tap Browse at bottom of the screen. Tap Respiratory, then tap Respiratory Rate. In the Health app on the iPhone, users can also see the Health Trends and Health Data monitored by the Apple Watch, to help understand the overall body fitness.
It offers a simple summary of heart health including heart rate variability, resting heart rate, flights climbed, stair speed up & down, step length, walking steadiness, walking distance, stand minutes, resting energy, blood oxygen level, sleep pattern and more, all at one place.
Also, with a bigger screen, the characters can be resized to a bigger font. Users can scribble, do dictation, and add emojis within the same message, and for dictated messages, users will have the option to edit the presented text.
This comes particularly handy while commuting on a mass transport vehicle such as bus, metro train and avoiding using the phone during the rush hours.
With the native Contacts app Apple Watch, users can directly browse, add, and edit phone numbers and other details, and also be able to share contacts directly from the app.
Also, if you don't like to be bothered, the Focus app offers options to enable do not disturb mode to block calls and messages during the particular time slot. Users can create custom name such as meeting, power nap for the Focus mode and activate it when required.
Furthermore, with the new update, the Weather app now supports severe weather notifications, display government alerts (in select countries) about certain severe weather events and follow up with hourly real-time updates.
Another notable aspect of the watchOS 8, is that more Apple Watch apps support the Always-On display such as Maps, Mindfulness, Now Playing, Phone, Podcasts, Stopwatch, Timers, Voice Memos, and others.
Must read | Apple watchOS 8: Key features you should know
The watchOS 8 also improves the Find My app and helps the user track and locate all tagged items, which are linked with Apple ID.
As far as the battery life is concerned, it delivers a full day (18 active hours) as promised. To be precise, the device used to have more than 30 per cent before I could retire to the bed.
Also, thanks to the intelligent reminder feature, the Apple Watch used to always alert me how much battery capacity is left, almost one hour before my bedtime (pre-set). This helps me charge up the device and sufficient enough to last the night and be able to record my sleep pattern.
In the morning, I ensured the Apple Watch is fully charged before I headed to the office.
It should be noted that Apple Watch Series 7, though it supports fast charging, is not activated in India for want of regulatory nod from the government agency.
There is no word when it might be approved, but just like the ECG app, which was originally announced in 2018, got introduced a year later in India; the fast charging feature is certain to be enabled on Apple Watch Series 7 sooner or later.
Final thoughts
For the last three years, the company has been bringing iterative upgrades to the Apple Watches. But, truth to be told, all of them were several leagues ahead of any other rival smartwatch in the market, in their respective launch year.
It's very hard for Apple or even other companies for that matter, to bring new game-changing innovations to compact gadgets like smartwatches every year. And yet, the utility and the intelligence of every Apple smart wearables continue to be at top of their game.
In this Watch Series 7, I am mighty impressed with how the device manages to offer a full-day battery life despite the bigger and brighter display. The hardware is fully optimised with watchOS to offer a really good user experience.
Another most remarkable attribute I noticed during the review period was that the Watch Series 7 auto-tracked my outdoor walks every single time. The sensors are really active and sensitive to note the physical activity of the users. The ECG app, fall detection, activity tracker and the intelligent reminder to get the watch charged to more than 30 per cent, much before bedtime, so that users can track their sleep during the night, is such a great value addition.
I don't think there are reports of other than Apple Watches saving more lives with timely heart rate alerts or auto SOS emergency calling features. Also, the big bright display gets big thumbs up from me and others with sensitive eyes.
Considering the overall aspects, Apple Watch Series 7 is a gold standard for smart wearable and there are very few, who can even come close matching in terms of intelligence or hardware. It's a pity that Apple Watch is not compatible with Android phones or else it would sell more around the world.
As per the latest report, Apple tops the global smartwatch market and there are more than 100 million active Apple Watch active users around the world.
Apple Watch Series 7 price ranges from Rs 41,900 to Rs 83,900 in India.
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