Bloomberg: Apple Watch Series 7 to get faster processor, thinner bezels, ultra-wideband support

By Oliver Haslam
published

Apple Watch Series 7 Render
Apple Watch Series 7 Render (Image credit: Matt Talks Tech)

What you need to know

  • Apple Watch Series 7 will feature a faster processor and thinner bezels according to a new report.
  • The watch will also feature ultra-wideband for Find My support.

Apple Watch Series 7 will feature a faster processor and thinner bezels according to a new report. We can also look forward to support for ultra-wideband for the first time, too.

According to a new Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman and Debby Wu, the 2021 Apple Watch will be faster than those that came before it while also moving the display closer to the screen. The device's bezels will also be smaller this time around.

The Cupertino, California-based tech giant is planning to refresh the line this year -- with a model likely dubbed the Apple Watch Series 7 -- by adding a faster processor, improved wireless connectivity and an updated screen, according to people with knowledge of the plans.

The device itself will likely be thicker than Apple Watch Series 6, although the report believes that we shouldn't expect the difference to be so large that it's noticeable during wear.

Support for ultra-wideband will include the same chip used by the AirTag to allow support for the Find My app and watchOS 8 features like the ability to unlock doors.

The model will include updated ultra-wideband functionality, the same underlying technology in the Apple AirTag item finder. At its developer conference in early June, Apple previewed the upcoming watchOS 8 software update that will let the device unlock door and hotel rooms.

Bloomberg's report doesn't say when the Apple Watch Series 7 launch will happen, but conventional wisdom has it taking place towards the end of this year.

Don't fancy waiting until then? There are some great Apple Watch deals to be had before then.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

3 Comments
  • I am ... optimistic, but I have to say a lot of this sounds kind of bad. The squared sides in particular are something that will make the watch *appear* larger and thicker even if there was no change in physical size. To hear on top of that, that it will in fact be made thicker (again!) is not so encouraging. The biggest design problem of the Apple Watch is absolutely how big and chunky it is.
  • Agree. The apple watch could stand to get less chunky.
  • I thought the Series 6 already had the U1 chip? https://www.apple.com/watch/compare/#mn_p (under the chip section)