Contrary to some recent media reporting, MacRumors can confirm that the new Apple Watch Series 7 is powered by a new S7 chip, although the S7 is based around the same CPU found in the S6 chip from the Series 6.
Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 7 during its event yesterday, but the watch will not be available until "later this fall." As a result, Apple has so far offered relatively little detail about the new watch, not even publishing a specifications page on its website detailing the specific features of the Series 7.
Nonetheless, MacRumors can confirm several details about the Series 7 not currently shared by Apple. First, the Apple Watch Series 7 is indeed powered with an S7 branded chip, which Apple indicates will offer the same 20% advantage in performance compared to the S5 chip found in the Apple Watch SE and Series 5 as the Apple Watch Series 6 did.
As noted by Steve Troughton-Smith, the CPU in the S7 chip carries the same t8301 identifier as the CPU in the previous S6 chip, which explains why Apple's performance claims are unchanged relative to the S6.
There is more to an Apple Watch chip than just the CPU, however, and that's where there have apparently been a few changes that have led Apple to brand it with a new name despite offering the same performance. With the larger display on the Series 7, the S7 chip is likely to have been tweaked to continue providing customers with all-day battery life while still powering the larger, more advanced display.
This isn't the first time Apple has done something like this. For example, with the Apple Watch Series 5, Apple included the S5 chip that carried the same CPU as its predecessor but with the addition of a gyroscope.
As far as internal storage, the Apple Watch Series 7 includes 32GB, the same as on the Series 6 and SE models.
We can also share a number of details about the weight of the upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 compared to the Series 6:
- Apple Watch Series 7 41mm in Aluminum: 4.9% heavier than 40mm Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7 41mm in Stainless Steel: 6.5% heavier than 40mm Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7 41mm in Titanium: 6.9% heavier than 40mm Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7 45mm in Aluminum: 6.6% heavier than 44mm Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7 45mm in Stainless Steel: 9.3% heavier than 44mm Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7 45mm in Titanium: 9.2% heavier than 44mm Series 6
With the Apple Watch Series 7, Apple includes faster charging, claiming that it can charge to 80% in just 45 minutes and that 8 minutes of fast charging will provide sufficient battery life for 8 hours of sleep tracking. To support the new fast charging, Apple will be offering a new 1-meter USB-C magnetic fast charging cable.
We can confirm that Apple will be including the new fast charging cable in the box with the Apple Watch Series 7. Using the older USB-A cable with the Series 7 will still charge the device at normal, non-fast charging speeds.
On the connectivity front, the Series 7 includes the same Bluetooth 5.0 protocol as the Series 6, but, unlike the Series 6, the new Apple Watch Series 7 also has built-in support for Beidou, China's satellite navigation system. The Series 7 also includes the U1 chip, with no apparent improvements compared to the ultra wideband chip found in the Series 6 or last year's iPhone 12.
