REVIEW: APPLE WATCH SERIES 7 STILL THE BEST WITH THE SMALLEST OF CHANGES

MAYBE IT’S TIME FOR APPLE TO CONSIDER UPDATING ITS WATCHEVERY OTHER YEAR

- JASON CROSS

It’s not often that a major new Apple product could be fairly, and completely, reviewed in a single tweet. This may come as close as any review ever has: “It’s a Series 6 (fave.co/3DyyVuL) with a slightly bigger display and faster charging” is far less than 250 characters.

But it feels like a stretch to find other things to say about the Series 7. This could be the least-significant yearly update to the Apple Watch ever, and while that in no way makes it bad (this is still the best smartwatch around), it’s hard not to be disappointed.

A BIGGER DISPLAY

The star of the Series 7 is the display. It's about 20 percent larger than in the Series 6. Most of this increase in size comes from thinner bezels, but the case is also ever-so-slightly larger. The always-on display is also a lot brighter outdoors—by 70 percent, Apple claims.

A 20 percent increase in screen area is enough to be obvious at a glance, but it’s not life-changing. The jump in area from the series 3 to 4 was more significant, I think. The slimmer bezels are quite nice, and it’s clear this is the way forward for Apple’s smartwatch,but you shouldn’t expect it to drastically alter the way you use the Apple Watch. And while it's nice to have a brighter always-on display when in direct sunlight, it won’t make a huge difference in your day-to-day use.

As someone who needs reading glasses,I can definitely appreciate the fact that all the interface elements and text are larger on the series 7, thanks to the bigger display. For the first time, Apple has optimized the watch Interface for a specific watch, and if I’m being honest, the interface is the only real upgrade here. Everything else about it is minor to the point of near-irrelevance.

The Apple Watch Series 7, right, has a slightly bigger screen than the Series 6.