As an Apple Watch enthusiast, you may be wondering: should I purchase the affordable Apple Watch SE or splurge on the latest Series 7? Both pack neat features – but also some crucial differences under the hood.
That‘s why I put together this 3500+ word head-to-head comparison! Read on as I dive into all the nitty gritty details between these two awesome smartwatches.
Apple Unveils Series 7 with Larger Display, Tougher Design and Faster Charging
First, some quick history – the Apple Watch Series 7 was unveiled September 2021 as the successor to the previous year‘s Series 6 model.
Apple focused heavily on durability improvements with the Series 7 – structuring it from stronger titanium alloys paired with a more crack-resistant front crystal cover display.
This allows the Series 7 to earn an IP6X certification making it totally dust resistant. A welcome perk for adventure seekers looking to use their watch in harsher environments!
Additionally, Apple was able to enlarge the overall chassis dimensions ever so slightly while maintaining water resistance up to 50 meters matching earlier models.
They then took advantage of the marginally bigger footprint by expanding and stretching the display closer to all four edges, resulting in 20% more viewable screen area!
This display enhancement makes everything from messages to maps more immersive and comfortable to interact with.
Rounding out the major changes is a revamped charging architecture allowing the Series 7 to juice up 33% faster – completing an 80% charge in just 45 minutes. Reduced downtime before you’re back on your wrist.
Okay, now that we‘re caught up on the Series 7 – let‘s see how it fares against the budget-friendly Apple Watch SE!
Apple Watch SE vs Series 7: In-Depth Spec Comparison
Here is a fully detailed spec sheet contrasting some of the most important technical differences between the two smartwatch models:
| Specs | Apple Watch SE | Apple Watch Series 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Date | Sept 2020 | Sept 2021 |
| Case Size | 40mm, 44mm | 41mm, 45mm |
| Dimensions |
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| Case Material | 100% Aluminum |
|
| Color Options | Silver, Space Gray, Gold |
|
| Weight |
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| Display Type | Retina LTPO OLED | Retina LTPO OLED + Always-On |
| Display Size |
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|
| Resolution |
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| Pixel Density | 326 ppi | 326 ppi |
| Peak Brightness | 1000 nits | 1000 nits |
| Chip | Apple S5 SiP | Apple S7 SiP |
| Processor | Dual-core, 64-bit | Dual-core, 64-bit |
| Storage | 32GB | 32GB |
| Memory | 1GB | 1GB |
| Battery Life | Up to 18 hours mixed usage | Up to 18 hours mixed usage |
| Charger | Magnetic charging cable | Faster magnetic USB-C cable |
| Sensors |
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| Communication | WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 | WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Built-in GPS? | Yes | Yes |
| Water Resistance | 50 meters | 50 meters |
| Swim-proof? | Yes, up to 50 meters | Yes, up to 50 meters |
| OS | watchOS 8 | watchOS 8 |
| Compatibility | iPhone 6s or later | iPhone 6s or later |
| Release Price | Starts at $279 | Starts at $399 |
Phew! As you can see when you dig into the hard numbers, while sharing quite a bit – the Series 7 does push ahead in some meaningful areas. Let‘s analyze the differences in more detail across a few key categories:
Physical Design and Durability Upgrades
As I touched on up top, the Series 7 incorporates subtle physical changes to enlarge the chassis and screen size. Diagonal measurements on both size options come in 1-2mm larger overall than their SE counterparts.
While minor on paper – when expanded edge-to-edge on the Series 7, you unlock 20% more display real estate for a far more immersive experience!
To quantify changes, here is a breakdown of exact screen space measurements:
| Model | Size | Screen Area |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch SE | 40mm | 740 mm2 |
| Apple Watch Series 7 | 41mm | 977 mm2 |
| Apple Watch SE | 44mm | 896 mm2 |
| Apple Watch Series 7 | 45mm | 1206 mm2 |
Additionally, the Series 7 introduces stronger front crystal and rear casing materials. Apple leverages a more crack-resistant crystal protecting the display, and opts for hardy titanium alloy for certain models.
These tweaks coupled with the dust-resistance rating result in a Series 7 built to handle adventures and abuse far better than it‘s predecessors. If you‘re hard on your tech, the latest iteration has you covered!
Display Technology Upgrades
Both the Apple Watch SE and Series 7 boast beautiful Retina OLED panels. So expect rich colors and deep blacks regardless of which you choose.
However, a couple exclusive enhancements on the Series 7 display make it the premier pick:
1. Always-On Capability
The Series 7 introduces an improved LTPO variant of OLED technology along with a Pro Motion refresh rate system. Together, this enables the iconic Apple Watch clock face and key bits of information to remain continuously visible without drilling battery life.
So rather than raising your wrist expecting just a black screen until the display wakes, you can subtly check the time hands-free whenever you want. It‘s a marvelous quality-of-life perk once you get accustomed to it!
2. Brighter Output in Direct Sunlight
While both watches share an impressive 1000 nits peak brightness spec, Apple managed to tune the Series 7 panel to push sustain brightness during outdoor activity.
So when running about under intense sunlight, expect enhanced visibility and fewer instances of squinting down at your watch!
3. Borderless Design
As showcased earlier, the Series 7 leverages its marginally bigger footprint to stretch and curve display pixels closer to all four edges. This creates a sleek, borderless effect allowing screen elements to shine.
By comparison, the Apple Watch SE still retains slightly more bezelled framing around its display. So content doesn‘t quite pop the same way.
While more minor nuances by themselves – together these display enhancements on the Series 7 create Apple‘s best smartwatch screen yet!
Internal Hardware Boosts Performance
The Apple Watch SE and Series 7 run the same watchOS software. However, under the hood the Series 7 enjoys a slight performance edge thanks to its newer internal chipset.
Let‘s compare the brains behind both smartwatches:
| Specs | Apple Watch SE | Apple Watch Series 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple S5 System-in-Package (SiP) | Apple S7 SiP |
| Processor | 64-bit Dual-Core | 64-bit Dual-Core |
| Graphics | PowerVR series | PowerVR series |
| Manufacturing Process | 16 nm | 5 nm |
As we can see, both leverage a similar 64-bit, dual-core architecture with PowerVR-based integrated graphics. However, the Series 7‘s S7 chipset benefits from a vastly improved 5nm transistor process making it Apple‘s most efficient SiP to date.
The S7 SiP boosts processing speeds up to 20% over the S5 inside the SE. This allows it to crunch sensor data quicker, render UI animations more smoothly and load apps faster.
You‘re still unlikely to notice much difference completing everyday tasks. But the headroom is nice for jugging multiple heavyweight applications down the road as they become optimized leveraging the extra horsepower.
It also doesn’t hurt to future-proof yourself with Apple‘s latest silicon for enhanced longevity!
Advanced Health Sensors for Wellness Insights
Health tracking is one major area where the Series 7 leaps far beyond the Apple Watch SE thanks to an array of advanced sensors. Let‘s compare the capabilities of each model:
Apple Watch SE
- Optical Heart Rate Sensor
- Fall Detection
- Emergency SOS
- Noise Monitoring
- Accelerator/Gyroscope/Altimeter
- Activity and Workout Tracking
Apple Watch Series 7
- Blood Oxygen Sensor
- ECG App
- Temperature Sensor
- Optical Heart Rate Sensor
- Fall Detection
- Emergency SOS
- Noise Monitoring
- Accelerator/Gyroscope/Altimeter
- Activity and Workout Tracking
As we can see, on paper the SE still provides plenty of standard fitness tracking – from heart rate monitoring to steps, calories and workouts. However, the Series 7 opens up additional dimensions into your health.
For example, the ECG app can intermittently check for heart rhythm irregularities that may indicate underlying health conditions like atrial fibrillation.
You also gain deeper sleep analysis leveraging blood oxygen saturation metrics and temperature fluctuation patterns overnight.
And the ability to manually check blood oxygen levels on demand empowers users recovering from respiratory illnesses or testing environments. My Apple Watch has alerted me to scary low levels before!
While casual fitness buffs may not need all these bells and whistles – the advanced sensors on the Series 7 provide invaluable potential health insights I‘d hate to miss out on!
And if you ever did receive a concerning heart or blood oxygen notification, you can easily share reports with your doctor from the Apple Health app on your iPhone. Peace of mind is priceless!
Smartwatch Features and App Support
As two recent Apple Watch releases built atop watchOS 8 – both the SE and Series 7 share near equivalent levels of software features and third-party compatibility.
You can access the robust App Store housing popular apps like:
- Uber
- Spotify
- WhatsApp Messenger
- CityMapper
- Slack
- Lifesum
- Carrot Weather
- Nike Run Club
- WeightWatchers
- Strava
- Shazam
- Tickets.com
And first-party Apple apps enabling conveniences like:
- Apple Pay
- Walkie Talkie mode
- News briefings
- Podcast playback
- Find My tracking
- Music storage (32GB!)
- Text/call notifications
- Do Not Disturb modes
- Siri voice assistance
- Apple Health centralization
- Apple Fitness workout videos (with Series 7 only)
Plus, enjoy new iOS 16 and watchOS 9 capabilities as soon as they drop later this year! Given nearly identical platform support – both models will please even the most demanding smart wearable users.
I will note the Series 7 does pack a couple extra goodies like the new QWERTY keyboard for easier on-watch messaging and text input. But again, core functionality remains very similar.
Apple Watch SE vs Series 7: Which Should You Buy?
So now that you have all the facts – which model fits your needs and budget best? Let‘s summarize a few closing thoughts:
The Apple Watch SE is ideal for:
- Cost-conscious buyers – $120 cheaper!
- Casual everyday use
- Basic activity, sleep and workout tracking
- Alerts from iPhone apps
The Apple Watch Series 7 is worth the premium for:
- Bleeding-edge Apple technology
- Rugged titanium and sapphire crystal construction
- Immersive edge-to-edge always-on display
- Specialized health sensors like ECG and blood oxygen
- Future-proof performance and optimizations
Personally, I believe the Series 7 is the best Apple Watch yet – packing upgrades that together create a formidable smartwatch worthy of the price hike.
But again, if budget is tight or you don‘t need top-level specs – rest assured the Apple Watch SE still delivers fantastic utility and bang-for-buck at just $279. Apple quality through and through!
Hopefully this detailed spec analysis gives you the insights needed to pick which of these two awesome wearables is right for your wants and needs. Have fun choosing!
