Fast Charge: The Apple Watch 7's speedy charging is a welcome upgrade

Opinion: The Apple Sentinel Series 7 finally striking shelves this week and I've had this rather fetching dark-green model on my wrist for a couple of days.

Information technology'due south fair to say this isn't a huge upgrade for Apple's wearable, especially equally many predicted a complete redesign for the start time. Instead, the Serial vii brings with information technology a bigger and brighter screen, tougher drinking glass and faster charging.

It's that faster charging that I have actually noticed the most out of these few new additions since I first strapped information technology to my wrist in place of the Apple Watch Serial vi and it'due south already started to alter how I utilise the clothing.

Included with the Apple Watch vii is a new charging cable that enables far speedier juice-ups than before. This USB-C -ended cable has a redesigned coil system in the magnetic puck that works with the improved coil in the spotter itself to accuse (as Apple says) 33% quicker.

It'south important to note that you lot won't become faster charging if you pair the newer charger with an older Apple Sentinel, nor volition you go the aforementioned new speeds with an older cable on the new watch. You demand that new cablevision and a Serial seven Spotter for this all to work.

This annoyed me initially, as I tend to charge both my iPhone 13 Pro and Watch on one of Apple's handy MagSafe Duo charging pads. Notwithstanding, this doesn't support the new speeds.

With the new cable though, the charging speed improvements are notable and very much welcome. A total charge took me around hr, but arguably more important is how fast it tin can accuse just a little.

For instance, a 10 minute accuse took me from 0-17% – that's more than enough juice to stop me flinging the scout on a charger overnight and employ information technology instead to runway my sleep. I can and then accuse it up fully in the morning while I have a shower or have some breakfast. A charge from ten-xc% took under 40 minutes.

Y'all'll exist able to use whatsoever USB-C (at least 5w) plug to achieve the new speeds, but at that place isn't one bundled alongside the watch. Hardly surprising given Apple's recent iPhone releases. At least you won't need a super-quick one to benefit from the changes though we're not yet at the stage where USB-C plugs are ubiquitous household items.

The faster charging, in part, makes up for the Apple Sentry 7'due south battery life nonetheless sticking around that aforementioned mark equally the last few generations.

I would take really appreciated an Apple tree Watch that could go for ii or three days between charges, but that's not the case and Apple doesn't seem overly bully on sacrificing features (or letting the states cede some of them in some sort of low ability mode) to stretch out the battery life.

The other characteristic missing from the Apple Sentry however is a more than universal charging standard. Y'all demand the specific Apple tree Sentinel charger, rather than just any Qi pad or stand that would accuse an iPhone and about other competing watches.

So, while the Apple Watch is still missing that multi-mean solar day endurance and support for Qi charging, the speedier juice-ups here are very welcome and already feel like a bigger update than the screen – at least for me.