Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 7 during Tuesday’s iPhone 13 event, confirming almost every Apple Watch leak we saw in preceding months. Crucially, the most significant Apple Watch Series 7 rumors out there did not pan out. The Apple Watch Series 7 does come with bigger displays and better build quality. But the new wearable features almost the same design as all the models before it. There are no flat edges, as various leakers claimed. We expected the new Apple Watch design to free up some internal space. And we speculated that the extra real estate could be used to increase the battery capacity. But we won’t know how large the Apple Watch 7 battery is until someone tears down the new wearable.
During the show, Apple confirmed that the new watch will still deliver the same 18-hour battery life as its predecessors. However, Apple made a significant change to the Apple Watch battery this year, which should put an end to your battery life anxiety.
Battery life history
Apple has kept improving the Apple Watch since the wearable first launched in 2015. But the device’s battery life hasn’t taken a hit. The Apple Watch should last you throughout the day, depending on how you use it. Over the years, Apple added more efficient processors to the watch while expanding its health-tracking features. This meant that Apple couldn’t match what competing smartwatches and health trackers offer in terms of battery life. Every new Apple Watch still came with an 18-hour battery life estimate, which meant you’d have to charge it every day.
While some people charge the device overnight, Apple introduced sleep tracking features that obviously only work if you wear the Apple Watch while you sleep. This meant you’d have to find a different time of the day to recharge the battery. But now, the Apple Watch Series 7 battery fixes all that.
The best Apple Watch Series 7 feature is the battery
rumors that preceded the event said that the new wearable will feature a brand new processor. But that’s apparently not the case. The Apple Watch Series 7 will still pack the same S6 SiP as its predecessor. A newer processor would likely bring additional efficiency gains that could extend battery life. Apple said during the event that the Apple Watch 7 still has all-day battery life, which means 18 hours of use. But then it announced a surprise: The addition of fast-charging tech.
The Apple Watch will come with a USB-C wireless charger that supports charging speeds up to 20W. Apple didn’t specifically mention the charger speed, but it’s all written up in the fine print on the Apple Watch Series 7 product pages.
Apple said during the show that Series 7 will recharge up to 33% faster than the Series 6, thanks to the new charging architecture and a USB-C charger. In practice, this means you’ll get up to 80% of power in just 45 minutes. This will impact your Apple Watch Series 7 charging habits dramatically. You can recharge the device before your morning starts. This way, you can wear it at night for sleep tracking. Apple made a point of indicating that 8 minutes of battery charging would be enough for 8 hours of sleep tracking.
The Apple Watch Series 7 lacks other sophisticated health sensors beyond what Series 6 already delivers. And it doesn’t have the rumored S7 SiP. With that in mind, the improved battery charging speed might be the best thing about the new wearable.
Apple’s Series 7 battery segment from the iPhone 13 event follows below.
