'Apple Watch Series 7' could use smaller chips to fit bigger battery

The 2021 "Apple Watch Series 7" upgrade to a thinner "S7" processor could help squeeze a bigger battery into the wearable device.

The "Apple Watch Series 7" is, as usual, anticipated to include improved features and performance compared to previous models, such as the Apple Watch Series 6. According to one report, a change in chips being used may enable Apple to beef up the battery life.

The supply chain report from UDN on Monday claims the new model will launch alongside the regular iPhone refresh this fall. The "S7" processor it uses will apparently be physically smaller, courtesy of a double-sided system-in-packagem which will provide more internal space within the Apple Watch body.

This extra space won't go to waste, with Apple believed to take advantage of the space to add in more hardware. While additional sensors are usually expected, the report proposes that Apple will be placing a larger-capacity battery inside the unit.

Along with battery life, previous reports and rumors put the new Apple Watch as having a redesigned chassis with flatter edges and a marginally thicker casing. Using thinner borders, the Watch could use a new lamination method to bring the display closer to the surface of the front cover.

Wireless improvements have also been claimed, with support for Ultra Wideband expected. A ruggedized version intended for extreme sports has also been proposed, though that may not arrive until 2022.

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8 Comments

22july2013 3725 comments · 11 Years

About 3 years ago

It needs a better battery. Mine dies before the day is done. I would like a multi-day battery hidden in the wrist band.

lipnorth 15 comments · 14 Years

Something with the the 7.4 or 7.5 updates had a dramatic battery impact on – my and spouses – watch

bageljoey 1997 comments · 18 Years

Lately I’ve been having erratic battery behavior. Overnight while sleep tracking it has drained from the 90%s to the 20%s twice. Other times I wake up still in the 90%s.

During a 1.5 hour bike ride using Strava it might drop 15% or 60%.

This is new behavior on my AW6 cellular.

Generally, no matter what I did, I could get 24 hours easy on a full charge. Can’t say that now…

elijahg 2822 comments · 18 Years

I thought my Series 4's battery was getting tired, as it was running out before day's end. I reset it and it has been much better since, usually with 50% left by the end of the day. Apple seems to have a bit of a problem with rogue processes eating battery on their phones and watches, drain issues are probably one of the most common issues I see in forums and the like. There are enough background processes running on Apple OSs nowadays to make a Microsoft exec happy, mostly sat doing nothing but still eating RAM and battery. 490 processes on my iMac right now, many for things that are switched off or not in use like dictation, SideCar, SafeEjectGPUService etc. Why are they still running? We need another de-bloating OS cycle much like Snow Leopard.

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

I've been wearing an Apple Watch since the Series 0 and never had a serious problem with battery life.

Originally I charged it overnight and seldom needed to give it booster charges during the day.

These days I use it for sleep tracking plus 60-90 minutes a day of exercise tracking and it runs 22-23 hours with no problem. (The worst case is it dies while I'm sleeping. But that only happens about once every month or two.)

Essentially my Series 4 gets charged for an hour or two when I wake up and then runs the rest of the day & night.

But, I can see how somebody working a 9-5 job might have a problem as they may not have enough time to charge it when they get up. For me, being retired, leaving it on the charger for an hour or two isn't a problem.

As Apple ventures more into sleep tracking (something that is desperately needed!) perhaps the watch needs fast charging more than it needs a bigger battery?