Apple has long positioned its wearable as an iPhone accessory, but the Series 7’s bigger screen and new capabilities make it a worthy contender as a temporary phone replacement. Ditching your phone means you’ll have fewer distractions and lighter pockets. There even could be safety benefits if you’re not tempted to glance at your phone constantly. “Mobile phone distraction has been a problem since the advent of smartphones,” tech expert Daniel Levine told Lifewire in an email interview. “In cities like New York, they have become agents of chaos, as mindless users routinely stop short in the middle of busy sidewalks. Of course, that’s not as dangerous as crossing a busy road without looking both ways.”
More Capable Than Ever
One of the biggest hurdles to greater usability with the Apple Watch has been its limited screen space. Even with Siri to help as a voice assistant, the Watch has a display that’s too small to type on and gives a limited amount of information. The new Series 7 offers more real estate to work with than previous models. Two of the most significant changes with the Apple Watch 7 are a slightly larger case at 45 and 41mm and a larger display. It’s 20% bigger than Series 4-6/SE and 50% larger than the Series 3 display. The new display is also brighter. The bigger display means you’ll be able to see more information at a time on the Series 7, opening a new range of possibilities for how you can interact with the device. Currently, I use my Apple Watch Series 6 as just a way to get reminders, because looking at pictures and text is painfully difficult for aging eyes. With more screen space, it will be practical to read news articles on the Series 7. The possibilities are endless. How about short stories that are downloaded automatically to your Watch? Even more revolutionary could be the new input methods made possible by the larger display. The Series 7 now boasts a QWERTY keyboard that can be tapped or swiped with QuickPath—allowing users to slide a finger to type. Apple says the keyboard uses on-device machine learning to figure out the next word based on the context, making text entry easier and faster.
Fewer Distractions
While the new Series 7 offers more, its most significant benefit is to give you less. If you ditch your smartphone, even temporarily, you might be surprised to find out how much more peaceful life is without it. I own the LTE version of the Apple Watch Series 6, and it’s a liberating feeling knowing that I can leave my phone at home and still get essential information. Modern smartphones have become miracles of miniaturization, with so many abilities that they can practically replace laptops and PCs. In contrast, the Apple Watch does a few things well, which may make all the difference. The new Series 7 is a turning point that may liberate us from the tyranny of smartphones. Social media apps on smartphones are tearing apart relationships. This distraction could be less of a problem if you used your watch instead of your phone. “It’s a fight for your attention,” relationship expert Deon Black told Lifewire in an email interview. “On one side, there is your partner, whom you love.” “On the other side, there is a billion-dollar company with an army of engineers who spend hours daily and are paid to find ways to manipulate your behavior by releasing dopamine (in the form of social media approval [likes], cute GIFs [novelty], and more) at just the right times to create addiction and have you stuck on that screen. You love your partner, but the phone wins sometimes.” Unfortunately, you still need an iPhone to set up the Series 7. But the day is getting closer when most of our computing may take place on our wrist.
