Pre-orders have officially opened on the Apple Watch Series 7.
Apple announced the new wearable last month, and said it would be available ‘later this fall.’ The company has now made the smartwatch available to pre-order, with the first units shipping October 15.
The new model will be sold in five beautiful new aluminum case finishes, along with a range of new band colors and styles. Speaking at the September Event, Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, said: “Apple Watch Series 7 delivers significant improvements — from our largest and most advanced display, to enhanced durability and faster charging — making the world’s best smartwatch better than ever before. Powered by watchOS 8, Apple Watch brings useful new capabilities to help customers stay connected, track activity and workouts, and understand their overall health and wellness.”
Though the Series 7 design might not be as striking as we’d seen in some leaked renders, it’s still a refinement on the now-iconic smartwatch. Apple has transformed the display of the Apple Watch Series 7 and it now offers almost 20% more screen real estate, with thinner borders that are just 1.7mm thin. Compare it to the Series 3, and even the Series 6, and you’ll see just how far the smartwatch has come in recent years.
The model comes with an Always-On Retina display that’s up to 70% brighter indoors than that of Apple Watch Series 6, so you can see your watch face without having to lift the wrist or wake the display, and Apple has tweaked the user interface to maximize the shape and size of the new display. Indeed, for the very first time on Apple Watch, there’s a QWERTY keyboard that can be tapped or swiped, so you can send full-on text messages and email from your wrist for the first time. What’s more, watchOS 8 adds larger menu titles and buttons in apps like Stopwatch, Activity, and Alarms to make the screen simpler to use, which should go some way in combatting the oft-controversial ‘sausage finger’ complaints.
One thing that makes this year’s Apple Watch even more attractive is that it sports a redesigned front crystal with stronger, more robust geometry that is 50% thicker than the Series 6. This makes the model more crack-resistant without compromising optical clarity, and for the first time, it’s IP6X dust-resistant, making it more durable in environments like the beach or the desert, without compromising on swimming performance or water resistance.
Apple has also confirmed it will bring faster charging to the Apple Watch Series 7. It offers an impressive 18-hour battery life on a single charge, and now charges 33% faster than the Apple Watch Series 6 thanks to a new charging architecture and Magnetic Fast Charger USB-C Cable. One common complaint about the Apple Watch was that, if you wanted to wear it in bed to monitor your sleep, you’d need to take it off for hours. According to some reports, the new model will charge enough to track eight hours of sleep in just 8 minutes, so if you place it on the charger whilst you get ready for bed, it should be good to go all night.
Are you planning to pre-order the new Apple Watch? Let us know and check back soon for more.