Is The Newest Apple Watch Worth It?

Tech Plus, how the Series 7 compares to the Series 6. by Melanie Mignucci Oct. 13, 2021 Apple

Apple Every fall, Apple debuts its latest Watch to great fanfare, and 2021 was no exception. The new Apple Watch Series 7 offers improvements over the 6, mostly in the design arena. Here’s what impressed me most over a week of testing the Watch:

Face

Apple Apple introduced two new Watch faces just for the 7, Contour & Modular Duo. Contour’s mid-century modern graphic served big Queen’s Gambit energy. The curved display allows the design to peek through the edge of the Watch, which is a nice if not strictly necessary feature.

Colors

Apple The aluminum Series 7 comes in five colors: midnight, starlight, green, blue, and red . I tested out the aluminum casing in Starlight, a creamy silver. The colorway was an upgrade from my Series 6, a dusky pink that felt en vogue in 2020, the year we’d all happily forget.

Workouts

Apple A Pilates fiend, I was stoked that WatchOS 8, which comes installed on Series 7, would start tracking the workout, along with Tai Chi. I tested it during a mat routine from Chloe de Winter . Being able to count the workout let me close my movement ring for the day (woo!).

Mindfulness

Apple The Breathe App has been renamed “Mindfulness” in WatchOS 8, with options to “breathe” and “reflect.” “Breathe” worked about the same as in WatchOS 7, though the animation prompting me to inhale and exhale was vastly elevated.

Apple The new bite-sized “Reflect” cues, however, felt like guided meditation without a guide. I found the display animation beautiful but distracting, and had trouble focusing on prompts like, “Think of a challenge you’re facing. Consider how a wise friend might view this situation.”

QWERTY Keyboard

Apple One of my biggest peeves with the Apple Watch 6 was how impossible it was to text on. (I’m not a voice-to-text or scribble kinda gal.) The 7 solves this by introducing a QWERTY keyboard that actually works. Swiping or typing, you’ll get the message across.

Charging

Apple The Series 7 offers the same 18-hour battery life as the 6, but with 33% faster charging. Because I don’t typically sleep in my Watch, a full charge gives me two full days of use. Unlike the 6, I don’t have to wait as long for the Watch to be ready to go.

Durability

Apple The Series 7 is the first Apple Watch to be dust-proof, and has a more crack-resistant screen than the 6. I am taking Apple’s word on this because I didn’t want to actually crack the screen in the name of science.

Price

Apple With the Series 7 available starting on Oct. 15 , Apple has removed the 6 from its official lineup, reports The Verge . The Watch Series 7 starts at $399, while the still-for-sale SE and Series 3 start at $279 and $199, respectively.

Apple The newest Apple Watch is a treat for designniks, and the larger screen accommodates useful innovations like the QWERTY keyboard. But if you’re most excited about things like Pilates tracking, you’ll likely be happy upgrading your 6 to WatchOS 8.