Hands-On With the Apple Watch Series 7

It's Apple Watch Series 7 launch day, which means customers who pre-ordered last Friday are receiving their deliveries. We picked up one of the new Series 7 models and thought we'd go over the features and compare it to the Series 6 for those who are still awaiting their own devices or who are on the fence about purchasing.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

Compared to the Series 6, there's not a whole lot new with the Series 7. You're not getting new health features, and even the design is largely the same. The casing sizes are larger, though, coming in at 41mm and 45mm, and there's a noticeably larger display.

Apple has cut down on the size of the display bezels and it's a change that looks nice, plus the expanded size allows for features like new watch faces and a full keyboard for the first time.

The always-on display is brighter than before, and Apple says it's using more durable glass that's more resistant to cracking. There's also IP6X dust resistance certification, which is new and joins the WR50 water resistance rating.

Most people are going to enjoy the larger display, but it could be an issue for those who have smaller wrists and were content with the prior sizing, especially with the 44mm to 45mm jump.

Other than the changes to sizing, the slightly more rounded body, and the tweaked color options, there's not much else new. The Series 7 has all of the same features as the Series 6, like blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, heart rate monitoring, fall detection, and more, with the one other standout feature being a faster charging speed.

Using the new charging puck that comes in the box, the Series 7 can charge at up to 33 percent faster than the Series 6, as long as you have an 18W+ USB-C Apple charger or 5W or greater USB-C PD adapter.

If you're coming from an Apple Watch Series 6, there's no compelling reason to upgrade to the Series 7 unless you want that display increase, but those who have a Series 3, Series 4, or Series 5 will find this a much more notable upgrade that's worth the money. Did you upgrade to a Series 7? Let us know what you think of it in the comments. Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 7Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)Related Forum: Apple WatchThis article, "Hands-On With the Apple Watch Series 7" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums