Apple Watch Series 7 Buyers and Owners Thread (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

I’m getting an S7. I’m a little confused by all the variations. But probably the basic model. Preferably with a sports loop band (but not a Nike watch).

Gotta decide if I’m pre-ordering launch day. Or waiting for holidays.

I’m also undecided about cellular. I have a cellular S3. But it’s not super useful; not sure it’s worth an extra $120 a year in perpetuity.

 

[Clinton McClure]

For me, the cellular option isn’t worth the extra money. I carry my iPhone with me when I go on walks so I don’t need a cellular watch.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

For me, the cellular option isn’t worth the extra money. I carry my iPhone with me when I go on walks so I don’t need a cellular watch.

Hey Clinton!

I have been paying $10 extra per month for cellular for years now and I can't justify why I do it.

There have been a few times I have accidentally left my iPhone behind when leaving the house and it has been great to still get phone calls or Internet related alerts on my watch. However, that happens quite rarely.

When you leave your iPhone behind and run on cellular-only, the watch battery is highly taxed. It can run it down quite fast.

I might disconnect the cellular plan when I get my series 7

 

[DaveF]

For me, the cellular option isn’t worth the extra money. I carry my iPhone with me when I go on walks so I don’t need a cellular watch.

When I started jogging avidly in the pandemic, I turned it on as “insurance” in case I took a bad fall or something and I was a couple miles from home. It’s also been nice at times in the park, enabling me to download podcasts on the fly. And even sending messages to my wife a couple times.

If I were still jogging 3+ times a week, I‘d pay for it as a cheap safety line. But I’m not. So it’s probably no longer worth +$130 Watch premium and +$10/mo. That’s literally a new Watch in three years.

As much as anything, I’ve got loss aversion: I don’t want to give up something I’ve got even if I hardly use it!

 

[Ted Todorov]

Ted, that's a great picture! Thanks for sharing it.

I don't think the 7 is going to give you increased battery life over the 5. Reason being, with each new iteration of the watch Apple has added battery-draining features such as "always on" and "increased brightness" to the watch without compromising the battery.

You should get 12 hours with the Apple Watch, which quite frankly, isn't bad. There's enough battery life for a day's use.

Some new rumors out suggesting that the Series 7 could go up for preorder next week

Prosser: Apple Watch Series 7 to Ship in Mid-October

The Apple Watch Series 7 will ship in mid-October with pre-orders to begin "as early as next week," claims leaker Jon Prosser, citing sources...

www.macrumors.com

That’s too bad, re battery life — my previous one was the Apple Watch 3, which my wife still uses and with the 3 we get close to 24 hours. 12~14 is definitely not enough — I usually get up at 5:30AM, I certainly don’t want it to be running out of juice by 7:30PM, before we even start dinner.

Yes, I’m sure the always on display did in the battery life. But if the EV people can keep lengthening battery life while at the same time introducing wild new features (0 to 60 in 1.9 seconds!) Apple needs to join the battery improvement party

 

[DaveF]

That’s too bad, re battery life — my previous one was the Apple Watch 3, which my wife still uses and with the 3 we get close to 24 hours. 12~14 is definitely not enough — I usually get up at 5:30AM, I certainly don’t want it to be running out of juice by 7:30PM, before we even start dinner.

Yes, I’m sure the always on display did in the battery life. But if the EV people can keep lengthening battery life while at the same time introducing wild new features (0 to 60 in 1.9 seconds!) Apple needs to join the battery improvement party

My wife has a S6 and she gets all day battery life. Wears it from about 8am to about 11pm every day, including days with workouts.

If you’re getting 24 hrs on an S3, I’d expect you’ll be fine with an S7. (Insofar as I only get about 4-8 hrs on an S3. So if your uses allow 24 hrs on an old-battery S3, my experience is that you’ll get great life from a new watch.)

 

[Clinton McClure]

My wife has a S6 and she gets all day battery life. Wears it from about 8am to about 11pm every day, including days with workouts.

If you’re getting 24 hrs on an S3, I’d expect you’ll be fine with an S7. (Insofar as I only get about 4-8 hrs on an S3. So if your uses allow 24 hrs on an old-battery S3, my experience is that you’ll get great life from a new watch.)

I get close to 24 hours on a single charge on my S4 so I agree 100% with Dave.

 

[Ted Todorov]

I get close to 24 hours on a single charge on my S4 so I agree 100% with Dave.

Keep in mind that the crucial difference between the 4 & 5/6/7 is not on display vs always on display -- always on kills the battery.

The other thing that really kills my battery life on the 5 vs 3: I wear my watch on the inside of the wrist (always have -- have worn a watch since I was a teenager - for the decades before the Apple Watch I wore a stainless steel Swiss Army Watch equivalent with a link bracelet. )

Apple while providing setting changes for left vs right wrist, never did for outside vs inside. With the 3 it obviously didn't matter, but with the always on 5 it absolutely sucks down the battery - when worn on the inside, I'm guessing the displays is needlessly in bright mode far more often. Apple really needs to provide a setting for that small minority of us who wear are watches on the inside of the wrist.

 

[DaveF]

Keep in mind that the crucial difference between the 4 & 5/6/7 is not on display vs always on display -- always on kills the battery.

The other thing that really kills my battery life on the 5 vs 3: I wear my watch on the inside of the wrist (always have -- have worn a watch since I was a teenager - for the decades before the Apple Watch I wore a stainless steel Swiss Army Watch equivalent with a link bracelet. )

Apple while providing setting changes for left vs right wrist, never did for outside vs inside. With the 3 it obviously didn't matter, but with the always on 5 it absolutely sucks down the battery - when worn on the inside, I'm guessing the displays is needlessly in bright mode far more often. Apple really needs to provide a setting for that small minority of us who wear are watches on the inside of the wrist.

How old is your S3? Mine is original release cellular, so four years old? The battery life is noticeably degraded. Exercise consumes about 25% capacity per hour. My big Saturday workouts use half the battery and I have to charge again afterwards to get through the day. Without a workout, I think it can get through the day of modest / normal use.

If your S3 is four years old and you get 24 hours out of a charge, your usage is very minimal I'm guessing, and a new watch even with always on screen, should certainly work great for you.

But if you've got a brand new S3, then I'm less sure, except that my wife does ok with her S6 (and the smaller size with the smaller battery).

 

[Johnny Angell]

My Apple Watch 5 gets much use for hour long “open swims’ in the Mediterranean

I know they advertise the watch as water resistant but I find it amazing that an electronic watch can survive that much immersion in salt water.

I’m getting an S7. I’m a little confused by all the variations. But probably the basic model. Preferably with a sports loop band (but not a Nike w

I went from my 4 to a 6 when the battery got hinky. The 4 was a stainless steel model and cost a boatload. For the 6 I went with a red basic model with the red stretch band. If I’m going to buy a watch more then once in 10 years I’m spending the least I can.

As an aside, my wife’s 5 developed a problem with the stem, it wouldn’t depress. I googled and found one source saying to run warm water over it. I kept searching and found the same advice on apple. So I did it and it fixed the problem. Obviously there was some debris between the case and the stem. Than I did the expel water bit.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Both of my watches have been the basic sliver aluminum GPS models. I like that they’re lightweight and I like the regular aluminum color better than stainless or space gray.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Official announcement that watches will go on sale Friday @5am PDT.

As of right now, Apple is not allowing you to go into store app and pick out the watch you want to add as a favorite but that could change within hours/days.

Apple Watch Series 7 orders start on Friday October 8; availability Oct 15

Apple has announced that Apple Watch Series 7 orders will open this Friday, October 8. The first orders will deliver from a week later ...

9to5mac.com

 

[DaveF]

Anyone know the details and restrictions on $100 rebate for buying and activating a cellular watch? I can’t find the details on Apple’s site; don’t know if they didn’t actually publish them or if I’m overlooking them.

 

[DaveF]

I don’t think I’m pre-ordering. Mostly, I’m waiting to receive credits for device trade-ins that I plan to use to pay for the Watch. I’m not in a hurry; my S3 still works adequately.

And also, feeling a bit burned by the “blue” iPhone 13 Pro being actually boring gray, I wouldn’t mind sees the watches in person before committing to a color.

And I have no idea what band to get. The options are confusing and I don’t really like the basic rubber band (and am wary of the non-sizable options).

 

[Ronald Epstein]

And also, feeling a bit burned by the “blue” iPhone 13 Pro being actually boring gray, I wouldn’t mind sees the watches in person before committing to a color.

Really? The new iPhone 13 blue color is more gray than blue? Didn't Sam get the same color?

 

[DaveF]

Really? The new iPhone 13 blue color is more gray than blue? Didn't Sam get the same color?

IPhone 13 Pro’s “Sierra Blue” is basically pale blue-gray. Super boring.

If you want actual color, you have to buy the normal 13. That blue I’ve heard is rich, saturated blue.

 

[Sam Posten]

I’m not bothered by sierra but wish the pro phones had the normal ones shades.

 

[Johnny Angell]

IPhone 13 Pro’s “Sierra Blue” is basically pale blue-gray. Super boring.

If you want actual color, you have to buy the normal 13. That blue I’ve heard is rich, saturated blue.

I agree with you that apple doesn’t provide enough colors. It’s almost like they’re taking a cue from Henry Ford. Their attitude is “You can have the phone you want as long as you don’t like the color.”

Next time we are ready to upgrade, I’m going to wait for the Red to be available.

 

[Clinton McClure]

The best colors Apple ever offered were for the iPhone 5c.

 

[DaveF]

The best colors Apple ever offered were for the iPhone 5c.

View attachment 115113

I loved the look and feel of the 5c. But again, the aesthetics are in the lower-end phones. I don’t get it. Make the most expensive, most capable phones look the most awesomest. Apple’s so good on look and feel, but they’re getting it so wrong on iPhones the past few years.