Apple Watch Series 7 Tidbits: S7 Chip, Storage Remains 32GB, USB-C Fast Charging Cable in the Box, and More

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 watch series display lineup
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.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...

Top Rated Comments

djlythium Avatar
53 months ago
[HEADING=2]Apple Watch Series 7 Tidbits: It’s just a Series 6 Max. Don’t Get One.[/HEADING]

FTFY.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
53 months ago


[HEADING=2]Apple Watch Series 7 Tidbits: It’s just a Series 6 Max. Don’t Get One.[/HEADING]

FTFY.
Really? don't get one? but I have a series 4 and know all my needs..and decided to get one.

guess I won't then.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantracht Avatar
53 months ago
Definitely keeping my 6 and waiting for the 8. This is more of an upgrade for older watch owners, if even that.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannys1 Avatar
53 months ago

Wow, and I thought last year’s bump was minor. This is basically nothing except a 1 mm bigger display.
1mm sounds like nothing, however it's 20% bigger than the Series 4, 5 and 6...

It's also 70% brighter always on
You've got software enhancements like keyboard typing, swiping and calc
It's stronger, more durable, has better screen protection and is more dust proof (which is useful for someone who actually damaged the sensors in their watch with building dust)
Plus fast charging - being able to get enough for sleep tracking with just 8 minutes of charging is pretty cool/useful
And then of course the new colours.

Put yeah apart from that, it's basically no different...
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iksnirks Avatar
53 months ago
Kinda surprised at the comments in here. Yes, the screen is the only difference, but for many people the screen is the watch's main feature. What have they added in the past few years that was more worthy of an upgrade?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anshuvorty Avatar
53 months ago
I am glad that I can still stay on my S6 for another year without any feelings of FOMO.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)