Apple Watch Series 7: To buy or not to buy – Times of India

In the last few years at its annual September event, the Apple Watch has always been a big talking point. With Watch Series 4, Apple increased the size and tweaked the design a bit. More importantly, it got the ECG detection feature. A year later with Series 5 came the always-on display and with Watch Series 6 there was SpO2 monitoring feature. The Watch Series 7 gets a bigger size, new OS-related features but no significant health feature. So should you buy the Apple Watch Series 7 or not? We break it down in the following points:

Design, colours and size: Buy

If you are looking for a bigger Apple Watch then the Series 7 could be the one for you. Though the size has increased by 1mm only, Apple says that it has used it to make the display stand out more.
An all-new strikingly good green colour option has also been added.

Price: Not to buy

While Apple hasn’t announced the prices yet, chances are it will cost somewhere around the Watch Series 6, which starts at Rs 40,900. Considering that there hasn’t been a major health feature added, the Watch Series 6 — if you can buy from e-commerce sites — could be a better option as you might find it cheaper.

Processor and performance: Not to buy

It was a rather peculiar announcement of the Watch Series 7 as Apple didn’t mention a word about its performance. And more significantly, it didn’t say what processor is being used in the Watch Series 7. A developer has now ‘confirmed’ that the Watch Series 7 uses the same processor as the Watch Series 6, based on the latest version of Xcode. Xcode is a platform that developers use to create apps for Apple devices.

Battery performance: Buy

The battery performance of the Apple Watch has always been a contentious issue. Apple claims that while the battery life — 18 hours a day — is the same as Watch Series 6, the Series 7 charges 33% faster than its predecessor. It’s a big plus because at times you do feel that the Apple Watch charges quite slowly.
Sturdy and more durable: Buy
Apple Watch Series 7 features a redesigned front crystal with a stronger and more robust geometry that is over 50 percent thicker than that of Apple Watch Series 6, making it more crack-resistant without compromising optical clarity. Apple Watch Series 7 is also certified IP6X dust-resistant, making it more durable in environments like the beach or the desert, while still maintaining swimming performance with a water resistance rating of WR50. So if durability matters, then this is by far the most sturdy Apple Watch you will get.

No ‘significant’ upgrade in health features: Not to buy

Apple takes enormous pride in making the Watch a device that is health-focused and oriented towards wellness. In the Watch Series 7 news release, health gets a cursory mention, which means there isn’t any significant upgrade in health features. You get almost everything that’s available in Watch Series 6 or the more affordable Watch SE.
Should you upgrade from Watch Series 6? No. On the face of it, the Watch Series 7 gets bigger and better display, new colours. If those things are important for you then go for it. If you have a Watch Series 3 or 4 and you can’t get your hands on a Watch Series 6 and really want to upgrade, then you can go for the Watch Series 7.