The Apple Watch Series 7 is the best smartwatch you can buy, but it’s not worth an upgrade if you already own the Series 6

Apple Watch Series 7	Specifications
Size:	41 millimeter or 45 millimeter
Sensors and health:	ECG sensor, blood oxygen sensor, Apple 3rd-gen optical heart sensor, fall detection, NFC, compass, accelerometer, barometric altimeter, GPS, gyroscope, microphone, ambient light sensor
Always-on display:	Yes
Software:	Apple watchOS
Battery Life:	Up to 18 hours
Water resistance:	50 meters

Few people will be able to tell you have the new Apple Watch, but some things will be obvious to Series 7 owners.

The slimmer bezels around the screen allow for a larger screen without making the Apple Watch much bigger than its current size, and it makes a positive impact. As a result of those slimmer bezels, the Series 7 has a slight modern edge over previous generations’ design, and it makes the Series 3 look utterly ancient.

Equally important is the positive impact on functionality that the slimmer bezels have. It’s minor, but on-screen items and buttons are easier to see and require less precision to tap, whether you prefer the smaller 41mm size, or the 45mm option.

The new keyboard is comically small, but surprisingly accurate.

The new full keyboard that’s exclusive to the Series 7 can tell which letter I want to press surprisingly well, and autocorrect helps with typos. It’s faster than drawing out letters, like you’d do on previous Apple Watches, but it’s still slower than using your voice to send a message. It’s a nice option to have if you’re in a pinch when you can’t use your voice — for example, it came in handy when asking my wife to bring me my phone while rocking our baby to sleep.

The glass is stronger on the Series 7, but only time will tell if it’s more durable or scratch resistant.

We’ve only been testing the Series 7 for a couple months, and we haven’t done any active durability testing for the screen, so we can’t say for sure whether the glass is tougher than previous models. Our Series 6 review unit got a few light scratches after about nine months of normal use, so it’s good to see that Apple is still developing and making improvements, but only time will tell whether the new glass is actually tougher. 

In the same vein, Apple said during the Series 7‘s launch event that we didn’t need to worry about using the watch in dusty environments, and that it’s also swim-proof. That’s nice, but I never worried about bringing the Series 6 into dusty places, and I swam with it many times without worrying at all. 

You still get about a day’s worth of battery life, and the new, faster charger is a nice bonus.

The Series 7 doesn’t improve one the Apple Watch’s typical one-day battery life. I usually end my days with 50% to 55% of remaining battery life with simple usage of telling the time and getting notifications, and no active fitness tracking or active health sensing. That’s not enough juice for another full day, and using the Series 7 for workouts will deplete the battery way down, so it’s still a device you’ll mostly charge overnight. 

The new USB-C charger included with the Series 7 can charge the watch 33% faster than the previous included charger, as long as you use a good USB-C charging brick, which is regrettably not included in the box. It’s noticeably faster and can be useful to give the Series 7 a quick boost if you forgot to charge the watch overnight, or if you need to give it some extra juice before a long activity, or for sleep tracking.

Health, fitness, and heart tracking are as good as always, but there’s no improvement over the Series 6.

The Series 7 has exactly the same health, fitness, and heart sensors as the Series 6, including an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, blood oxygen sensor, Apple’s 3rd-gen optical heart sensor, fall detection, NFC, compass, accelerometer, barometric altimeter, GPS, gyroscope, microphone, ambient light sensor.

Apple makes its health, fitness, and heart sensors easy to use and reliable, but they’re still reliant on a good fit between the Apple Watch and your wrist, as well as the strap’s tightness. I rarely face problems finding a good, comfortable fit with the Series 7 to get good readings. For me, the Series 7 can jiggle when I shake my wrist, which means it’s comfortable and not too tight, and not too loose, either. 

Just note that the ECG and blood-oxygen sensors aren’t designed to replace professional medical equipment — rather, they’re designed to give you an idea of health and wellness. If you spot an odd reading from those sensors, it’s best to consult a medical professional rather than come to conclusions yourself.

And lastly, Apple did something strange with the colors.

Neutral color options like silver and space gray are notably missing for the Series 7, and they’ve been replaced with new and less neutral colors called “starlight” that looks like a beige-ified silver, and the new “midnight” is basically a very dark blue. 

The new colors don’t quite sit right because there’s the slightest bit of tint that stops them from being neutral. It’s such an odd move by Apple, but as with other surprising Apple moves, you get used to it. Still, the original silver and space gray looks better.

The bottom line

The Apple Watch Series 7 is a clear choice for most iPhone users — it works seamlessly with the Apple ecosystem, it performs well, looks great, and has a great set of health/fitness tracking sensors and features. 

Starting at $400, the Series 7 is expensive, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most people have no need for many of the advanced sensors, like the ECG or blood-oxygen sensor. There’s always the $280 Apple Watch SE that’s plenty powerful and includes a core set of health and fitness sensors and features that fulfill most people’s needs. However, its biggest drawback is that it doesn’t have an always-on display, which is a real bummer. 

Personally, I couldn’t buy a smartwatch without an always-on display after having used one like this. To quickly glance at the time without making a time-checking arm gesture or pressing a button is just so much more natural. 

Whether you should upgrade is a tough question. If you have held off on upgrading to the Series 6 from an older model when it first came out, then there isn’t much reason for you to update to the Series 7 now. Simply put, while an impressive device, there isn’t that much about the Series 7 that makes it so much more attractive than the Series 6.

Pros: Maintains one-day battery life, larger screen, full-sized on-screen keyboard, stronger cover glass

Cons: Pricey, faster USB-C charging brick not included

What are your alternatives?

If the Apple Watch Series 7 is too expensive, and you want an always-on display, as well as health and fitness tracking, we love trackers and smartwatches from Fitbit that range from $150 to $300, especially the Fitbit Versa 3 smartwatch. Plus, Fitbit smartwatches have way better battery life. The catch is that the screen isn’t as sharp and impressive as the Apple Watch’s, and you don’t get the full Apple ecosystem experience with iPhones and other Apple devices.

On the other hand, if you’re a true fitness enthusiast, you might want to consider a wearable specifically designed for athleticism with more advanced health and fitness features. Garmin wearables are the first that come to mind for those who need more than what the Apple Watch offers for tracking fitness. We love the Garmin Forerunner 935 for its long battery life and advanced metrics that you won’t find on most other wearables, including the Apple Watch.