T3 - UK (2021-12)

DECEMBER 2021 T3 69

Apple Watch Series 7

something accurately while walking,
but it also improves the accessibility
of the Watch overall. It makes it a
better device for the elderly or anyone
with some slight mobility or precision
issues – people for whom its health
features can be a real boon.
Along similar lines, the bigger
screen is ideal for those who need to
make the text larger to find it legible,
since boosting its size doesn’t mean
you can only fit a few words on there
without needing to scroll.
The new brighter Always-On
screen is a noticeable difference too. In
the new model, it doesn’t dim quite as
far, and actually this makes it more
useful. In the Series 5 or 6, if you had
any kind of reflection on the Watch
when it’s lowered (such as from being
outside in the sunlight), you wouldn’t
really be able to see what it says.
Now, it’s able to punch through the
reflections and still make the time (or
other information, such as workout
stats) visible.
With the larger screen, Apple has
slightly changed watchOS so that it
fits even more on the display in one

go, and has added a QWERTY

keyboard for the first time, so that it’s

a bit easier to respond to messages

from the watch directly.

Looks familiar

When it comes to the rest of the

design, you’d be hard pressed to tell it

apart from previous models (though

we understand that the body has

technically changed slightly). There’s

now a single hole on the side for the

speaker/mic (instead of two), and the

sizes are very slightly larger than the

previous sizes, but any difference feels

largely academic.

The more subtle changes are that

the case is now dust-proof and is

rated to IP6X, and that there’s a new

redesigned chip powering it inside,

known as the S7, though don’t expect

drastic changes in performance.

There are new case colours, though.

In aluminium, you can choose from

Starlight (silver, but with a slightly

warm finish), Midnight (black, but

with a slight blue tint), Green, Blue

and Red. We had the green model for

testing, and it’s much darker than you

might expect – it’s easily mistaken for

black in dimmer lighting. In stainless

steel, you can choose Silver, Gold or

Graphite finishes, while in titanium

you have Space Black or Titanium.

The Apple Watch’s software,

watchOS, is the most capable

smartwatch operating system out

there to date. If you delve into

everything it can do, it feels like it’s

pushing at the seams of the Apple

Watch at times – nearly busting out

of the small size of the device – but

you don’t actually have to engage

with it on anything more than a

surface level if you prefer not to. You

can get complicated, or you can keep

it very simple.

Heart on your sleeve

Health and fitness is really the other

biggest practical area of the Watch

outside of general light interaction,

and some of this happens in the

background. The Apple Watch 7 takes

regular checks of your heart rate and

your blood oxygen levels, and can

warn you if your heart rate seems

high even though you haven’t been

Display 430x352 pixel / 484x396

pixel always-on 1,000 nits OLED

Processor S7 SiP with 64-bit dual-core

processor Storage 32GB OS WatchOS

Connectivity GPS / GPS + 4G, Wi-Fi 4,

Bluetooth 5 Dimensions 41x35x10.7mm /

45x38x10.7mm Weight 32g / 38.8g

The Watch can tell

you if your heart

rate seems to be

too high

TAKING CHARGE

Not only does the latest

Watch have a longer lasting

battery but its fast-charging

support means it can

charge 50% of its capacity

in just 30 minutes

STAY IN CONTROL

You can choose which

notifications you

receive – so you can

omit emails, but choose

to get, say, texts and

rain warnings