The Apple Watch 7 is a minor improvement to the Apple Watch 6, with almost identical core functions and a little bigger touchscreen.
So where does that leave Apple’s low-cost option, the Apple Watch SE? In contrast to the Apple Watch 6, it is still available for purchase through Apple.
This is how these two smartwatches compare. Our result may come as a surprise to you.
Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch SE: price and availability
The Apple Watch 7 will be available for purchase on October 15, 2021. Prices for the non-cellular 41mm model start at $399 / £369 / AU$599 and rise to $429 / £399 / AU$649 for the 45mm variant.
The 41mm cellular variant costs $499 / £469 / AU$749, while the 45mm cellular model costs $529 / £499 / AU$799 – without including the cost of a data plan, of course. Also 49ers vs Rams live stream: How to watch the NFC Championship game online anywhere
The Apple Watch SE will be available on September 18, 2020. However, unlike the Apple Watch 6, it is still available for purchase. Except for a dip for UK consumers owing to currency fluctuations, pricing has stayed mostly same.
The iPhone SE begins at $279 / £249 / AU$429 for the 40mm GPS variant. Adding LTE to the mix will set you back $329 / £319 / AU$429.
The bigger 44mm GPS variant is $309 / £279 / AU499, while the 44mm LTE model is $359 / £329 / AU$549.
Each Apple Watch 7 will cost you more than $100 / £100 more than its Apple Watch SE counterpart. Is the price increase worthwhile?
Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch SE: design and display
Despite the pricing difference, the Apple Watch 7 and Apple Watch SE have a similar design. After all, Apple’s ’rounded square’ technique applies to every Apple wearable.
There are two key distinctions here. The Apple Watch 7 boasts a more durable casing and a larger display.
The former comes in the form of an IP6X dust-resistant designation, as well as a harder sapphire crystal glass display that is more resistant to scuffs and scratches than the Watch SE’s Ion-X strengthened glass. However, both gadgets are water-resistant up to 50 metres.
In the latter’s instance, the Apple Watch 7 display measures 1.9 inches, which is 20% bigger than the 1.78-inch equivalent on the Apple Watch SE. This provides a considerably sharper view of material and allows Apple to add features like as a complete keyboard and more information-dense clock displays.
The Watch 7’s display slopes away from the user more than the SE’s. Apple’s new Contour watch takes use of this by displaying the numbers on the side.
What the Apple Watch SE lacks that the Watch 7 has is an always-on display, which gives the newer and more costly gadget an immediate usage benefit. It continues to irritate me that Apple did not integrate this in the Watch SE, despite the fact that it still has the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technology that would allow it.
Despite its larger display, the Apple Watch 7 is just slightly larger than the Apple Watch SE. It’s the same width as before, 1mm higher, and a fraction of a millimetre thicker. The smallest Apple Watch 7 is 6g heavier.
There’s also a millimetre increased to both base strap sizes, but there’s not much more to it.
Fundamentally, the Apple Watch 7 is available in both aluminium and stainless steel, but the Apple Watch SE is only available in aluminium.
Apple Watch 7 comes in five new colours: Starlight, Midnight, blue, green, and Product Red. They’re not the most eye-catching or intriguing hues, but they outperform the Apple Watch SE’s modest gold, silver, and Space Gray selections.
Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch 6: OS, power and battery
The Apple Watch 7 is powered by Apple’s newest wearable S7 processor, which is substantially the same as the S6 that before it. This implies it’s just a generation more sophisticated than the S5 processor in the Apple Watch SE.
Finally, you’re unlikely to notice a significant difference in performance between these two smartwatches. Because of Apple’s bespoke processor knowledge and great optimisation, they’re both among the slickest, smoothest runners in the smartwatch sector.
Both devices come with a large 32GB of internal storage.
Both now operate on WatchOS 8, thus the only distinction between the two is a few distinctive watch faces (such the Modular Duo face) that highlight the bigger display on the Watch 7. Users of both wearables may access features like as the new Portrait Mode photographs watch face, handwashing notifications, and Assistive Touch.
Apple claims that both watches have a battery life of 18 hours. In our experience, the Apple Watch can last up to 24 hours, and the Apple Watch SE can last even longer.
With the Watch SE, we were able to acquire up to 36 hours of battery life on a single charge. This prolonged endurance is most likely due to the lack of an always-on display and those advanced monitoring functions.
The Apple Watch 7 responds by offering speedier charging. The Apple Watch 7 can charge from 0% to 100% in 64 minutes, which is almost twice as fast as the Apple Watch SE. This is due to the adoption of quicker coils and a faster USB-C charging connection.
There’s also a millimetre increased to both base strap sizes, but there’s not much more to it.
Fundamentally, the Apple Watch 7 is available in both aluminium and stainless steel, but the Apple Watch SE is only available in aluminium.
Apple Watch 7 comes in five new colours: Starlight, Midnight, blue, green, and Product Red. They’re not the most eye-catching or intriguing hues, but they outperform the Apple Watch SE’s modest gold, silver, and Space Gray selections.
Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch SE: fitness and features
The basic feature sets of these two smartwatches are comparable, and both are powered by WatchOS 8.
They also feature a comparable set of health-monitoring sensors. Both watches offer GPS and heart rate tracking, putting them on par with the majority of specialist fitness trackers. They are not, however, as accurate or as comprehensive as the greatest of these.
Another feature that both apps have in common is sleep tracking, albeit it is rather simple in both cases.
Where they truly vary in this regard is that the Apple Watch SE lacks the electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood oxygen (SPO2) capabilities of the Apple Watch 7. These were debuted with the Watch 6 in 2020, but did not make it into the less expensive Apple Watch SE.
The ECG allows the Watch 7 to scan heart rhythm data and detect abnormal heartbeats, which might help you avoid more serious cardiac diseases if that’s a worry.
Of course, one of the most significant health and fitness features introduced by Apple in recent years is the Apple Fitness+ service, which provides a whole platform of guided video content for your Apple TV, iPad, or iPhone. And it is available independent of device.
Takeaway
The Apple Watch 7 is unquestionably a better smartwatch than the Apple Watch SE. It includes a bigger, always-on display, a broader selection of finishes and colours, apparently speedier performance, and the ability to test with an electrocardiogram (ECG) and measure blood oxygen levels (SPO2).
However, we believe that the majority of potential purchasers will be uninterested in these extra features. Or, at the very least, not enough to justify a price increase of more than $100 / £100.
If you want the greatest wearable money can buy and a gadget that will last for years, the Apple Watch 7 is the best money-can-buy smartwatch on the market.
If you’re looking for a small, multi-functional wristwatch that gives you access to basic fitness monitoring and Apple’s exclusive applications and services – like Apple Fitness+ — the Apple Watch SE is a superior option for most people.