Apple Watch Series 7 spotted in photos for the first time

The leak: The first real-world images of Apple Watch Series 7 have surfaced on a Facebook group…and published by MacRumors.

  • The larger display looks even more drastic than Apple’s official photos have shown…with arguably enough space for a keyboard to make sense here
  • Apple Watch Series 7 is rumored to be available for pre-order this Friday, October 8 according to multiple sources

Our take: As someone who was incredibly underwhelmed with the keynote presentation for Apple Watch Series 7, I’m actually digging the new look in these photos. The screen curve, for example, is much more pronounced and noticeable than Apple’s renders out now. Curious to see more about this soon.

Apple Watch Series 7 pre-orders start October 8, according to Hermès

The news: You’ll be able to pre-order the new Apple Watch in just over a week, according to Hermès, one of Apple’s official partners.

  • In multiple emails from Hermès, obtained by AppleTrack, customer service says “Apple Watch Series 7 will be available for preorder beginning October 8. 2021. Please let us know if you have any further questions!”
  • A source at Hermès has privately confirmed the validity of these emails without confirming the date specifically
  • Jon Prosser (74.6% accurate) has also heard a mid-October launch with pre-orders happening as soon as next week

Our take: Pretty sure we’ll be seeing pre-orders next week…likely on Friday. Excited to see if this year’s watch is as big of a design change as Apple has alluded to.

Apple Watch Series 7 release on-schedule, says Kuo

The rumor: Apple’s next watch won’t be impact by the delays in mass-production, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (76.6% accurate).

Our take: This closely mirrors a recent report from Mark Gurman (88.8% accurate), who also suggested that Apple’s next watch would also ship in close proximity to the event, and wouldn’t be delayed much if at all. Good news here!

Kuo says Apple Watch Series 7 production issues have been fixed

The rumor: Following brief delays, Apple has fixed production issues for Apple Watch Series 7, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (76.6% accurate).

  • Per a new research note obtained by AppleTrack, Kuo says the new design will be the “key selling point of the Apple Watch 7”
  • As suggested previously by Mark Gurman (88.8% accurate), the new display with slimmer bezels and a new lamination process was causing the brunt of the issues

Our take: Good news for everyone looking to purchase this at launch…although Kuo notes that mass production is not expected to start until mid-September with shipments happening at the end of the month. I would say a release for the Series 7 in October is almost certain due to these unforeseen issues, but still not as bad a delay as I feared.

Apple Watch Series 7 may see longest battery life yet

The rumor: Apple may make their watch battery last longer for the first time in the line’s history, according to Max Weinbach (68.8% accurate).

  • “The Apple Watch Series 7 is bound to see its first real battery life improvement since the original Apple Watch,” says PineLeaks on Twitter
  • Apple has promised up to 18 hours of battery life on Apple Watch since the device was released in early 2015

Our take: Finally. I can’t remember a single other Apple product that has seen battery life remain absolutely unchanged for this long…and I’m hoping the improvements could allow the watch to be charged every 2-3 days (instead of every night). Alongside the new design, perhaps this could wind up being the killer upgrade this year.

Gurman: Apple Watch Series 7 will launch alongside iPhone 13, but ship later

The rumor: Even amid notable production delays, Apple still plans to announce the next generation Apple Watch on September 14, according to Mark Gurman (88.8% accurate, via Power On).

Our take: This sounds perfectly reasonable amid the production issues. Glad we will still be seeing this on Tuesday and not at a later event in the Fall!

Apple Watch Series 7 to have larger 1.9-inch display, ‘Modular Max’ watch face & more

The rumor: Apple’s main focus for the Series 7 watch will be on a larger display and exclusive watch faces, according to Mark Gurman (88.8% accurate, via Bloomberg).

  • Apple is planning increases to 41 and 45mm screen sizes with 16% more pixels…the larger model will now have a 1.9-inch display
  • A faster processor is also expected alongside the chassis redesign
  • Plus, Apple is working on new, exclusive watch faces that take advantage of the new displays:
    • Modular Max: digital time alongside one complication, plus the ability to display longer complications that go across the screen below
  • Continuum: “will change based on the flow of time and the current hour”
  • Atlas/World Timer: Apple actually leaked this alongside the watchOS 8 reveal in June, see it here
  • New Hermès: numbers change each hour as time passes
  • New Nike: watch face changes with a person’s movement

Our take: This is the biggest evidence yet that the design will be almost the entire story for Apple Watch Series 7 this year. Unless Apple has something totally under wraps that hasn’t leaked, I don’t think there will be a major upgrade this year…aside from the new look.

Apple Watch Series 7 mass production delayed due to issues

The rumor: Apple has run into issues producing the new design for Apple Watch Series 7, according to Nikkei Asia (accuracy pending, source) and Mark Gurman (88.8% accurate, via Bloomberg).

  • Nikkei Asia reports that “manufacturers of Apple Watch 7, as the device is expected to be called, began small-scale production last week but encountered critical challenges in reaching satisfactory production performance, multiple people familiar with the situation said”
  • According to Gurman, a new lamination process used on the updated display could be also contributing to the issues

Our take: This is not a great sign, just days ahead of the expected unveil at the September event. Will Apple still announce the watches alongside iPhone 13 and provide later ship dates? I’m not sure. It’s possible they could also push the Apple Watch Series 7 to a different event entirely…

Apple Watch Series 7 will include new watch faces optimized for larger displays

The rumor: Apple is planning a revamped design and more for the upcoming 2021 Apple Watch models, according to Mark Gurman (88.8% accurate, via Power On).

Our take: Sure, the new watch faces sound great…but again, what new features are actually coming to the Series 7? We’ve heard essentially nothing other than it will look new, which will make upgrading year-over-year essentially pointless for even Apple’s most diehard fans. Don’t get me wrong, a new design goes a long way. But the past three years of which upgrades have been incredibly muted and the lack of competition to this product is showing.

New photo allegedly shows unreleased 45mm Apple Watch size

The leak: A new photo, posted to Twitter by user DuanRui, seemingly provides confirmation of a larger 45mm size for the Apple Watch Series 7.

  • The image, which appears to be heavily cropped, shows an engraving that says “45MM,” a size that Apple doesn’t currently sell
  • An earlier rumor also suggested Apple would offer the Apple Watch Series 7 in 41/45mm variants due to the new looks that includes a redesigned chassis and slimmer bezels on the display

Our take: Although the photo is top-tier sketchy…I think it’s real. With the screen upgrades that have been rumored by more credible sources, a subtle increase in size adds up.

Rumor says Apple Watch Series 7 could come in new 41/45mm sizing, old bands still compatible

The rumor: Apple is increasing the screen sizes for Apple Watch Series 7, according to UnclePan (not yet tracked).

  • “I vaguely feel that the two models of Apple Watch Series 7 this year are 41mm and 45mm, and the new and old have universal bands,” says UnclePan on Weibo
  • Larger screens have also been rumored by numerous other sources, but no one has mentioned a specific size until now

Our take: So UnclePan has gotten some things right and wrong, but I’m still not entirely sold on his credibility as a solid source. But…this sounds about right, as many other credible sources have mentioned screen upgrades coming this year. Super cool that all of your old bands will work again, too!