Apple Watch 7 review: A slightly better smartwatch than last year's

The Apple Watch Series 7 stands out for its bigger screen, despite the fact that progress in the tech industry is usually synonymous with making gadgets smaller, lighter and more compact. Apple's latest smartwatch was announced at September's iPhone 13 event and launches on Friday, Oct. 15, starting at a price of $399 (AU$599, £369). It comes with a new screen that has about 20% more screen area than the Series 6's and more than 50% compared to the Series 3's. The Series 7's roomier display also means it's the first to come with a QWERTY keyboard and other characteristics that make better use of that extra real estate, such as bigger buttons in apps like Calculator and Alarms.

While the enlarged screen is the Series 7's most significant change, it's not the only update Apple made to its new wearable. The design is more durable and dust resistant for the first time, it can charge up to 33% faster than the Series 6 and the aluminum casing comes in new color options.

Otherwise, the Apple Watch Series 7 has all the same goodies as the Series 6, including the more premium features missing from the Apple Watch SE like blood oxygen saturation measurements, an always-on display and the ability to take ECG measurements from the wrist.

To put it bluntly, the Series 7 doesn't feel like the type of generational upgrade we've come to expect from Apple's smartwatches in years past. But that's not necessarily a snub against it.

The Series 7 feels more like a refined version of a watch we already love -- the Series 6 -- rather than a major upgrade. And since it's the same price as its predecessor, the Series 7 is a promising option for first-time Apple Watch buyers or those upgrading from an older watch.

If you have a Series 6 or a Series 5, don't spend $400 on the Series 7. But if you have an aging model like the Series 3, Apple's latest watch will feel like a noticeable leap forward.

A new design with a bigger screen
The Series 7's larger display is the biggest change that differentiates it from the Series 6. Apple has reduced the size of the borders that frame the screen to allow for a more spacious display without meaningfully changing the casing's dimensions.

As a result, the Apple Watch Series 7 comes in 41-millimeter and 45mm size options, compared to the Series 6 which was available in 40mm and 44mm casings. The watch itself is technically a little heavier too; the aluminum 41mm model weighs 32 grams compared to the 30.5-gram 40mm Series 6. However, this wasn't noticeable while wearing the watch.

The Series 7 also has IP6X dust resistance and a front crystal cover that's more than 50% thicker, although I haven't had the opportunity to put that to the test just yet. The corners are also softer and more round, but you can really only notice this when examining the watch very closely. The aluminum model also comes in five new colors: midnight, starlight, green and updated blue and red options that are lighter compared to the shades that were available for the Series 6. I've been wearing the starlight model, which is like a blend of gold and silver.

You might be wondering why you even need a larger screen on a device like the Apple Watch, which is meant for short glanceable notifications rather than long interactions. Apple has made a few attempts at answering that question by redesigning the watch's user interface to make sense of its bigger screen.

Buttons in apps like timers, alarms and the calculator have been enlarged so that they're easier to tap. The most useful change in this sense is the keypad for unlocking your watch. Now that the buttons are larger, I can type in my passcode correctly on the first try when putting on my watch in the morning even when I'm in a hurry.

You can also see a couple of extra lines of text on screen when reading news clips or notifications. While it's a noticeable improvement, it didn't meaningfully change how I use the Apple Watch since I don't typically do a lot of reading on its screen.

The Series 7 also includes new font size options for making text appear even larger on screen, which could be particularly useful for watch owners with visual impairments.