PRESS RELEASE
14 September 2021
Apple reveals Apple Watch Series 7, featuring a larger, more advanced display
A refined design with enhanced durability, faster charging, new aluminium case colours, and watchOS 8
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced Apple Watch Series 7, featuring a reengineered Always-On Retina display with significantly more screen area and thinner borders, making it the largest and most advanced display ever. The narrower borders allow the display to maximise screen area, while minimally changing the dimensions of the watch itself. The design of Apple Watch Series 7 is refined with softer, more rounded corners, and the display has a unique refractive edge that makes full-screen watch faces and apps appear to seamlessly connect with the curvature of the case. Apple Watch Series 7 also features a user interface optimised for the larger display, offering greater readability and ease of use, plus two unique watch faces — Contour and Modular Duo — designed specifically for the new device. With the improvements to the display, users benefit from the same all-day 18-hour battery life,1 now complemented by 33 percent faster charging.
Apple Watch Series 7 is the most durable Apple Watch ever, with a stronger, more crack-resistant front crystal. It is the first Apple Watch to have an IP6X certification for resistance to dust, and maintains a WR50 water resistance rating.2
The newest Apple Watch continues to offer indispensable tools for health and wellness, including an electrical heart sensor and ECG app,3 and a Blood Oxygen sensor and app.4 watchOS 8 helps users stay healthy, active, and connected through new workout types, the new Mindfulness app, innovative accessibility features, greater access with Apple Wallet, and more capabilities with the Home app, along with enhancements to Messages and the Photos app.
Apple Watch Series 7 introduces five beautiful new aluminium case finishes, along with a range of new band colours and styles. The entire Apple Watch Series 7 lineup will be available later this autumn.
“Apple Watch Series 7 delivers significant improvements — from our largest and most advanced display, to enhanced durability and faster charging — making the world’s best smartwatch better than ever before,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “Powered by watchOS 8, Apple Watch brings useful new capabilities to help customers stay connected, track activity and workouts, and better understand their overall health and wellness.”
New Design and Optimised User Interface
The stunning display of Apple Watch Series 7 offers nearly 20 percent more screen area and thinner borders at just 1.7 mm — 40 percent smaller than those on Apple Watch Series 6. Through an innovative design that maximises the screen area while minimally changing the dimensions of the overall case size, Apple Watch Series 7 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes. While the wrist is down, the Always-On Retina display is up to 70 percent brighter indoors than that of Apple Watch Series 6, making it easier to see the watch face without having to lift the wrist or wake the display.
The user interface is optimised to take advantage of the shape and size of the new display. Apple Watch Series 7 offers two additional larger font sizes, and a new QWERTY keyboard that can be tapped or swiped with QuickPath — allowing users to slide a finger to type — and utilises on-device machine learning to anticipate the next word based on the context, making text entry easier and faster. With watchOS 8, larger menu titles and buttons in apps like Stopwatch, Activity, and Alarms also make the screen even simpler to interact with.
Most Durable Apple Watch Ever
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 excellent swimming performance with a water resistance rating of WR50.
Faster Charging
Apple Watch Series 7 provides all-day 18-hour battery life on a single charge, and 33 percent faster charging compared with Apple Watch Series 6, through a new charging architecture and Magnetic Fast Charger USB-C Cable.5
watchOS 8
watchOS 8 debuts additional watch faces designed specially for the larger display on Apple Watch Series 7. The new Contour face takes the dial right to the edge of the display and fluidly animates throughout the day, emphasising the current hour. The new Modular Duo face leverages the extra screen area with two large, data-rich centre complications. Separately, the classic World Time face, based on heritage watches and ideal for travellers, tracks the time in 24 time zones around a double dial, and is available on Apple Watch Series 4 and later. The Portraits face uses the depth capabilities of iPhone Portrait mode to compose a beautiful, personalised experience.
The new Mindfulness app, sleep respiratory rate tracking, and Tai Chi and Pilates workout types can help improve overall wellness. New Wallet and Home app functionality provide more convenient access to the car and places users live, work, and visit. Enhancements to Messages and the Photos app make staying connected to loved ones even easier.
Cycling, Workout, and Fall Detection Updates
watchOS 8 also brings new features to anyone who rides a bike. Apple Watch uses advanced algorithms to analyse GPS, heart rate, accelerometer, and gyroscope data to detect when users begin a ride, and prompts them to start an Outdoor Cycle workout if one wasn’t initiated.6 As with all automatic Workout reminders, cyclists will see their metrics from when they first started their workout. Additionally, cycling workouts have auto-pause and resume, so metrics more accurately reflect time spent moving versus stationary, like waiting at a traffic light.
Apple Watch can more accurately measure active calories when riding an e-bike, with an updated cycling workout algorithm that evaluates GPS and heart rate to better determine when users are riding with pedal-assist versus leg power alone. New voice feedback through the built-in speaker of Apple Watch, or through AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, will also automatically announce workout milestones and Activity ring status, helping users stay focused during activities like running or HIIT.
Since its launch in 2018, fall detection on Apple Watch has proven to be a valuable safety tool, recognising if a user is immobile for approximately one minute if a hard fall is detected, and initiating a call to emergency services right from the wrist. With watchOS 8, fall detection algorithms are updated and optimised for detecting falls during workouts — including cycling — and have been tuned to recognise the unique motion and impact of falls from a bike and other workout types.7
Apple Watch Lineup
The Apple Watch Series 7 collection unveils five brand new aluminium case colours, including Midnight, Starlight, Green, and a new Blue and (PRODUCT)RED, along with an exciting palette of Apple Watch bands compatible with all models of Apple Watch. Additionally, Apple Watch Series 7 offers backward compatibility with previously released Apple Watch bands. Stainless steel models, Apple Watch Edition, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Series 3 continue in existing colours.
Apple Watch Nike and Apple Watch Hermès also introduce exclusive new bands and watch faces this autumn. The refreshed Nike Sport Loop comes in three colours, and features the Nike Swoosh and logo text incorporated into the weave of the band, pairing smartly with the new Nike Bounce watch face, which dynamically animates with the tap of the screen, scroll of the Digital Crown, or move of the wrist.
In addition to the vibrant colour updates across the Classic, Attelage, and Jumping styles, Apple Watch Hermès introduces two new styles. Circuit H is a bold graphic representation of a signature anchor chain design, printed in Swift leather with a complementary watch face, and the Gourmette Double Tour pays homage to 1930s Hermès collars, with links weaving fluidly together in supple Fauve Barénia leather. This band wraps gracefully twice around the wrist and is an iconic representation of the recurring chain motif.
The Apple Watch Hermès Gourmette Double Tour pays homage to 1930s Hermès collars, with links weaving fluidly together in supple Fauve Barénia leather.
Apple Fitness+
On Monday, September 27, Apple Fitness+, the first fitness service built entirely around Apple Watch, will introduce a new body-conditioning workout type with Pilates and a simple way to practice mindfulness anywhere, anytime, with guided Meditation. Fitness+ is also introducing a new program called Workouts to Get Ready for Snow Season, featuring two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion skier Ted Ligety, along with Fitness+ trainer Anja Garcia. Later this autumn, Fitness+ will introduce Group Workouts with SharePlay, where users can work out with up to 32 people at once to keep each other motivated.
Later this year, Fitness+ will be expanding to 15 new countries — Austria, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates — where it will be available in English with subtitles in six languages, so more people around the world can experience the workouts led by a diverse and inclusive team of trainers whose approach is welcoming to all.
Apple Watch and the Environment
In line with Apple’s commitment to the environment, Apple Watch Series 7 has more recycled content than any other Apple Watch, featuring 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, including in the Taptic Engine; nearly 100 percent recycled tungsten throughout the product; and a 100 percent recycled case on aluminium models. Apple Watch Series 7 is also made without harmful chemicals like mercury, PVC, beryllium, and BFRs.
Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, plans to have net zero climate impact across the entire business, which includes manufacturing supply chains and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will be 100 percent carbon neutral.
Pricing and Availability
- All Apple Watch Series 7 models will be available later this autumn.
- Apple Watch SE with USB-C charging cable, new Apple Watch bands, and Apple Watch Nike bands will be available to order today from apple.com/ie/store and the Apple Store app, with availability in stores beginning Thursday, September 16.
- Apple Watch Hermès Series 7 and new Apple Watch Hermès bands will be available later this autumn.
- watchOS 8 will be available for Apple Watch Series 3 and later on Monday, September 20, and requires iPhone 6s or later with iOS 15 or later. Not all features are available on all devices and in all regions.
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- Battery life varies by use.
- Apple Watch Series 7 has a water resistance rating of 50 metres under ISO standard 22810:2010. This means that it may be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean. However, Apple Watch Series 7 should not be used for scuba diving, waterskiing, or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth. Stainless steel and leather bands are not water resistant.
- ECG app is not available in all regions.
- Blood Oxygen app measurements are not intended for medical use, including self-diagnosis or consultation with a doctor, and are only designed for general fitness and wellness purposes.
- Faster charging is not available in all regions.
- Available on Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 6, and Apple Watch Series 7.
- Fall detection for workouts will come in a watchOS 8 update later this year for Apple Watch Series 4 and later. This feature applies to workouts initiated in the Workout app or third-party workout apps that sync with the Health app.