Apple Watch 7 review

The Apple Watch 7 in a nutshell

The Apple Watch 7 replaces last year's Apple Watch 6 as the brand's premium smartwatch. Upgrading isn't actually important here, the main distinction being in the screen, which is 20 per cent larger. It's still packed with an impressive set of features that make it worthy of consideration, and it's certainly the best Apple Watch yet... but by little.

While most smartwatch wearers will flock to this model so they don't have to take their iPhone out of their pocket, or because they're looking for a decent fitness trainer, you'll also get good heart rate monitoring and a range of useful applications, choosing it. All in attractive packaging.

The new edition comes in five colors, and the larger OLED display makes your data and notifications much more readable than on the Watch 6 or Watch SE, plus it adds an easier-to-use keyboard. It also has the always-on display, so you no longer need to lift your wrist to check the time.

We had hoped for a design improvement on the Watch 7 - flat edges to match the new iPhone design, an even larger screen... but in reality, there's not much to suggest a major upgrade of the Apple Watch.

The internal power is by no means a great leap forward, the S7 chip is content to miniaturize the previous chipset, to give more space to the screen. You will have the same fluidity appreciated on the Apple Watch 6, with an interface that is fortunately more intuitive. Indeed, watchOS 8 allows you to start a training session, view photos or read your messages with greater simplicity.

As for the fitness features of the Watch 7, you get an improved cycling mode - this watch can now detect fall hazards and alert you to avoid danger.

Overall, we've found the new Apple Watch to be a decent assistant during every workout - especially as its purchase entitles you to three months of free Apple Fitness+ membership. Enough to personalize your exercises in a professional and fun way.

On the other hand, the electrocardiogram and the monitoring of oxygen in the blood, presented as premium functions, will not be of much use to ordinary mortals.

While the Apple Watch Series 6 is still on sale, we can't really recommend the new Watch 7, especially if you can get the 2020 model at a now discounted price. With Black Friday promotional deals approaching, this one should get lower than ever. But when the Apple Watch of 2020 runs out, the Watch 7 will become your only high-end alternative. With a sizable display, good fitness tracking, and easy-to-read notifications, you shouldn't complain.

Apple Watch 7 price and release date

The Apple Watch 7 was presented on September 14, 2021, and it took more than a month for it to finally go on sale. It comes in the usual sizes small and large, although these have been widened slightly to 41mm and 45mm.

Pricing for the Apple Watch 7 starts at €429 for the 41mm variant, rising to €459 for the 45mm model. If you want to get the cellular version that lets you use it without a phone, it'll cost between €529 and €559 - depending on whether you choose the 41 or 45mm editions. There are also special Apple Watch Nike Edition and Hermès watches , whose prices can reach up to 929 €.

Apple Watch 7 is available in multiple colors, including five new hues: Midnight (black), Starlight (grey), green, blue, and (PRODUCT)RED (red).

Design and screen

The design of the Apple Watch 7 is probably the only change you'll notice when comparing it to the Watch 6 or Watch SE - the bezel appears slightly larger, and the screen area increases by about 20% per compared to that of older models.

What you won't be able to discern when holding it for the first time is its improved ruggedness - with the IP6X standard, this watch is dustproof as well as waterproof (up to 50 meters deep) . Dust and any other harmful particles cannot penetrate under the frame.

The glass that covers the bright, vibrant OLED display has also been toughened to reduce the risk of scratches or breakage - although we've never seen the slightest trace of damage on any of the Apple Watches we've reviewed over the years. years. We assume this protection is intended to make the Watch 7 appealing to lovers of outdoor adventures and water sports. Putting it in competition with the Garmin Fenix ​​range, which still offers greater resistance and more tracking options.

Apple has made a big point that the glass that covers the OLED display now curves around the sides of the display, and there's no doubt that reducing the bezels makes the watch more attractive (especially when looking at your favorite photos, which extend to the edges of the screen).

The larger screen area concedes more options available on Modular watch faces - for example, the Modular Duo watch face can now group together two large widgets, doubling the amount of information typically visible on an Apple Watch. Again, this is a nice plus, but not a compelling reason to upgrade from the Watch 5 or 6 to this one.

However, if you're using an Apple Watch 4 or earlier, you'll notice one big change: the always-on display. You've had it since the Watch 5, but now it's brighter, making it easier to activate by just looking at your wrist.

It is also used by more Apple applications. Whereas previously the screen turned off and a clock was displayed in standby mode, always-on display support is now much broader - with a significant number of vendors adding add this option gradually to their programs. Finally, this enlarged screen gives you access to a keyboard that is easier to handle. A minor but valuable feature for those who want more accessibility on their smartwatches. Said keyboard is practical in most daily uses. you can type SMS type messages, although you would - by far - prefer to use voice dictation. Or just send an emoji in reply.

fitness features

The Apple Watch 7 is a fitness-centric watch: whether it's the simple Move rings that encourage you to be more active, the ever-growing number of built-in workouts, or the new Cycling mode, it's clear that 'Apple is trying to make the Watch 7 more attractive to beginners or more committed athletes.

However, if you're a very regular fan of running, swimming, or other similar activities, it's still hard to recommend the Apple Watch. It still lacks a few basic elements like support for interval sessions, heart rate alerts, and many other options found on sports watches - with the best Garmin models in mind.

Instead, you get a classic GPS that tells you the distance covered, your effort time, your average heart rate during training and... that's it. However, the precision of the GPS does not have to be ashamed of that of the top-of-the-range Garmin Forerunner 945, with a difference of 0.048 meters over a distance of nearly 13 kilometers.

Likewise, the heart rate monitor readings were nearly identical to those of the chest strap we tested it with, rising and falling within seconds of the strap as we transitioned from light trots to sprints. However, this precision was only achieved when we pushed the Watch 7 further up the forearm - which isn't a problem if you opt for a velcro sport strap, as other straps tend to slip . While we're on the subject of health, let's quickly mention electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring, premium selling points that appeared on the Watch 5 and Watch 6 respectively - and are again very useful and operational here.

We think the ECG sensor is a great inclusion. It seriously picks up on the warning signs of atrial fibrillation, and we've seen a few instances of the Apple Watch picking up undiagnosed issues, so that's a reassuring feature.

The SpO2 sensor is less relevant to us. First of all, it is not "medically" accurate, you will always have to supplement its data with the more legitimate opinion of your attending physician or a specialist with more adequate equipment.

There is also the lack of alerts which works against it: if your blood oxygen level drops too much during the night, it would be useful to receive an alert about this (in the same way that you will be warned if your heart rate drops too suddenly), so you can seek medical attention and get any sleep apnea checked. While it's nice to be able to check your blood oxygen saturation level throughout the day, this feature is more of a gimmick. If doctors can't use full data, and if the watch doesn't alert you to a problem, what is its real use?

We really like Apple Fitness+. These workouts from real coaches are available on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. You will need to connect your Apple Watch to read heart rate and other information and display it on the screen.

There is a wide variety of possible workouts and, by dint of practicing them, you will end up selecting more effectively what suits you the most. The difficulty is high but progressive - we like the competitive aspect of challenging ourselves individually with increasingly complex levels. The three-month free trial is a great way for you to get an in-depth look at the service and see if it can fit easily into your daily life.

Another powerful health feature we wanted to tell you about is the revamped Breathe app - it's now called Mindfulness and features a Relax mode. In the latter, you are asked a motivating question at the start of the activity, and you spend at least a minute watching colorful shapes that merge and clash on the watch while thinking about the notion posed.

Some of the suggestions are a bit basic, but putting them into practice made us feel calmer.

The animations of the "Relax" mode are totally spellbinding.

Sleep tracking is far too standard on the Apple Watch - more details and guidance would be welcome.

It's hypnotic as well as soothing. Combine this with the guided walks or meditation sessions of Fitness+, and you will achieve a calmness that will accompany you throughout the day. Without a doubt, the Watch 7 is one of the best relaxation devices we've used.

And then there's sleep tracking, popular last year on the Apple Watch 6. The data feeds into the Health app, where you'll be able to monitor changes in sleep time over a set period. There is no information, however, on the times of deep sleep, light sleep or REM sleep, nor any correlation with stress monitoring. Because of this, sleep tracking is quickly becoming a standard feature, as we expected more from Apple again this year.

watchOS 8

watchOS 8 is the new Apple operating system for its connected watches. Like the design of the ultimate Apple Watch, it doesn't add much new to the user experience.

The Watch 7 is powered by a "new" chipset inside, the S7 chip, which is as powerful as last year's S6 but miniaturized to fit the new chassis. That said, the smartwatch responds fully to all its functions, and this with perfect fluidity. Switching from one application to another is done smoothly via the side button, while the digital crown ensures quick navigation within the menus.

As for Siri - invoke the voice assistant by raising the Watch 7 to your lips and indicating your request - the interface wants to be operational for 80% of the commands, which still turns out to be a little disappointing when you try just setting a timer... that doesn't necessarily inspire confidence, and you'll tend to go through the manual controls to get satisfaction.

One feature we liked in WatchOS 8 is the new theme that includes your favorite photos, overlaid with scrolling data on the home screen, and the clock in sleep mode. It's very elegant, and the possibility of rotating the digital crown to zoom in or out of the subject of the photo adds to the certain popularity of this function.

The other great feature we liked is Focus Mode. Introduced by iOS 15, this allows you to limit the reception of annoying notifications, unwanted calls (it's up to you to white-list/black-list contacts and applications in anticipation), as well as the use of your phone in general. This when you need to stay focused on your work or training. If Focus Mode is enabled on your iPhone, it will also kick in on your Apple Watch.

Autonomy

The Apple Watch's battery life has puzzled us for years, and the Watch 7 is no exception...because somehow Apple underestimates its performance. The company advertises that the Watch 7 can last 18 hours on a single charge, but we regularly exceeded 24 hours, even when using GPS in the middle of the day.

You can also charge your watch faster than ever, thanks to the faster coils inside and the new silver band charger.

This is the fast charger - it's included in the box, but it has a USB-C connector, with no block to charge it.

Here he is facing the original white puck.

Official stats suggest it will take 75 minutes to fully charge your watch, while we did it in 64 minutes, and the faster charging cable really makes a difference here: we managed to recover 50% of autonomy in 30 minutes, and more than 80% in 45 minutes.

While this fast charging proves useful, it does not solve one of the recurring problems with Apple Watches: it is necessary to recharge your device every evening or in the early morning to fully benefit from it the next day.

Also, we noticed we were losing about 15% of battery power overnight, which is a bit more than Apple suggests - it estimates you can charge the Watch 7 from a dead battery for eight minutes and have enough power to get through the night, but we only registered about 8% more charge during that time, which isn't enough to last until morning.

Anyway, it is not easy to find the time to recharge, even quickly, and we found ourselves regularly running out of battery for the needs of the present test. Autonomy of 24-30 hours from 'a single charge just isn't enough for a modern smartwatch - there are plenty of rival watches that can last for days without needing to be connected to a charger, and that's something Apple should be aiming for in the future.

We see that Apple manages to add new power-hungry features on a regular basis without diminishing battery capacity (it's very impressive that the SPO2 sensor doesn't draw a lot of power here, as it does on other devices). In addition, the bright screen is very appreciable, but of course it has a certain cost in terms of consumption.

Apple has also drastically improved the energy throughput of multitasking mode. We ran for 50 minutes with a third-party app giving voice prompts, the screen on, GPS showing our route, and Spotify streaming music offline - the Watch 7 only lost 10% of its battery, which looks pretty amazing.

Should you buy the Apple Watch 7?

Buy it if...

You're currently wearing the Apple Watch 4 (or a more dated watch) If you love your old Apple Watch, but lack the always-on display to fill it up, you'll love the larger screen of the Watch 7. Put an end to irritating wrist movements to get the time.

You're serious about your healthThe Watch 7 is a great fitness companion for those looking to improve their mental and physical well-being. It offers plenty of tracking options, and we found the Mindfulness mode really refreshing.

Don't buy it if...

You're a seasoned athlete While we love to play with Fitness+, if you're looking for structured workouts that will help you make real progress, the Watch 7 isn't for you. You can download a few decent apps, but you'll be best served by a dedicated sports watch like those from Garmin.

Charging a device every day annoys you If the Watch 7 doesn't need charging every night, it will need power pretty early the next day. With many other smartwatches offering several days of standard use without a nearby power outlet, Apple is falling behind on this.