Apple Watch 7 Release Date, Price, Specs and Rumours

Apple month is here again and the Apple Watch 7 rumour mills are already in overdrive. Speculation is rife for when the latest Apple Watch 7 will arrive and what we can expect in terms of looks and features.

Apple Watch Series 7 Release Date

While Apple has consistently announced Apple Watch releases each September, this year the question seems to be if supply constraints will initially limit availability or possibly delay the shipping date. The next Apple Watch is typically announced at the same time as the next iPhone so it’s going to be a tough ask for Apple to get all that delivered on time in the current supply constrained environment. Regardless, we think they will still announce in September, probably on the 14th or 21st with the shipping date then being slightly later than normal, probably Friday Sept 24th.     

Apple Watch 7 Latest News and Rumors

The most persistent rumour currently doing the rounds is that the Apple Watch 7 will have a flatter and slightly larger screen compared to previous models. We may see the screen sizes increase from the current 40mm and 44mm to a slightly larger 41mm and 45mm. It doesn’t sound like much but optimising products is exactly the kind of thing Apple does best so this sounds more than plausible.

When the Apple Watch 6 came out there was a big focus on the new health monitoring features offered. So, can we expect similar with the Apple Watch 7? This would appear to be a big ask straight off the back of the features introduced last year. Developing these features takes significant time and we don’t see any new substantial health features arriving this year. Instead, we’re more likely to see an incremental release with a faster processor and slightly larger screen the most likely improvements.

Apple Watch 7 Price

Given the Apple Watch 7 is likely to be an incremental improvement, the price is likely to be on par with the Apple Watch 6 release prices. We expect Apple to continue with the Apple Watch SE at the same or very similar prices despite the technology now being a year old. We also expect Apple to stop offering the Series 6 and Series 3 models for sale.

Implications for Apple Watch Bands and Protectors

One of the great things about Apple Watches is that the bands are largely compatible across all the previous Apple Watch models. For the Apple Watch 7, we don’t expect Apple to change the locking mechanism they use to secure Apple Watch bands to the Apple Watch. Consequently, we expect previous model Apple Watch bands to still work in the new Apple Watch 7 even though there will be a 1mm increase in screen size. This is not without precedent as it was also the case when Apple moved up to 40/44mm screens for the Series 4 upgrade.  

For Apple Watch screen protectors, if the shape of the Apple Watch 7 is materially different to previous models then protectors bought for previous models may not be suitable for the Apple Watch 7. A similar thing happened when Apple released the Series 4 which had a thinner body and larger screen than the Series 3.

See Smarta Watches range of Apple Watch compatible bands and protectors here.

Conclusion

It’s likely that Apple will soon announce full details for the Apple Watch 7. How much of the above pans out we will have to wait and see. September is Apple’s month to shine and there will be plenty of people watching to see what the year will bring.