Apple Watch Series 7 after 24 hours
Like a ton of people, I've had my Apple Watch Series 7 for around 24 hours now and, like some people, I have thoughts. Opinions, you could call them. You only need to follow me on Twitter to know that I am never short of an opinion.
So here they are.
I'm writing this at a kids' birthday party, so don't expect Shakespeare. Never expect Shakespeare. Do expect opinions.
See the theme? Let's get started.
The display
I picked up a 45mm Apple Watch Series 7, upgrading from a 44mm Apple Watch Series 5 that I've had for about 18 months or so. Before that, I had a 42mm Apple Watch Series 0, or whatever it's called nowadays. The OG, from launch day 2015.
I honestly think that the majority of early reviews and hands-on videos very much slept on this display situation. While the 45mm relates to the case size, not display, the space for pixels has obviously increased considerably here. Apple shrunk the bezels to make that happen – to the tune of making Apple Watch Series 7's display 20% larger than Apple Watch Series 4, 5, and 6. I thought that was a big number when Apple announced this thing, and I expected more to be made of it when people got their hands on it. It wasn't, and I don't understand how.
Putting my Apple Watch Series 7 beside my Apple Watch Series 5, the differences in display are night and day. That 20% is in full effect, and not just because it makes buttons bigger like some have claimed. Sure, touch targets are larger and that's a welcome change for my sausage fingers. But there's better use of that space as well – you only need to look at the new Modular Duo watch face to see that in effect.
I can't emphasise this enough – if you're in doubt about how big these new displays are, go see them in the flesh. You can't buy one for immediatel availability anyway so you've time. Go take a gander. I genuinely believe this display *could* be a reason to upgrade from a recent Apple Watch.
Could.
The color
A lot has been made about the new aluminum Apple Watch colors. Gone are Space Gray and Silver, in come Midnight and Starlight. I can't speak to the latter, but I can definitely discuss the former. Because I adore it.
I'd heard a lot about the new Midnight looking almost blue and that's definitely the impression it gives in the press shots. But in person, it's a different animal. I see such a small amount of blue that it essentially isn't there. It's black, to my eyes at least. It's *much* more black than the Space Gray I'm used to and it looks all the more premium for it. To me, Midnight aluminum looks like the previous Space Gray stainless steel models. It looks *that* good. I'd buy this color without hesitation in the future and I hope that this is the color we get in future models, too.
The Bug
As I'm writing this I still dont really know what happened. But everyone installing specific Apple Watch apps on the new Apple Watch Series 7 found that they didn't have any icons and their complications were ... weird. The general consensus seems to be that the App Store is doing something weird because everything works fine in the Xcode simulator.
I also don't know why this is something that reviewers didn't spot unless it's something that went awry *after* they all did their thing. Either way, what a clanger to drop on launch day. Most people, anyone using the grid app view – most people, I suspect – don't know which apps they're looking at. That's grim. Hopefully that's fixed soon, if it isn't already.
The other stuff
I initially pre-ordered my Apple Watch Series 7 with the intention of seeing what the early reviews had to say before deciding whether to cancel that order. Then, the reviews, weren't. Most rehashed Apple talking points but didn't get into whether they actually have any impact on the useror their experience. So I kept the pre-order – those 14-day return periods come in handy, see.
So here I am, 24 hours into Apple Watch Series 7 ownership. Will I keep it? Probably. Most likely. Every time I glance at it, it immediately seems like a different watch to Apple Watch Series 7. That isn't something I expected given the number of times I heard and read words like "incremental" and "minor update" in reviews. It's more than that, I feel.
How much of this is because we didn't get the radical Apple Watch redesign we'd been promised by leaks? It does feel like a tinge of disappointment found its way into opinions and reviews somewhat – rightly or wrongly.
So should you buy an Apple Watch Series 7?
- If you have an Apple Watch Series 4 or older, absolutely.
- If you have no Apple Watch at all and want the best wearable on the market, definitely.
- If you're wearing an Apple Watch Series 5 or Series 6, that depends on you and whether you have the cash burning a hole in your pocket. And whether you're someone who feels a bigger screen is important to you.
The upshot? Go take a look at these things if you're on the fence. That was mode difficult last year for obvious reasons. This year, thankfully, not so much.