Apple Watch series 7: When can you buy the new wearable in the UK?

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Apple held one of its famous product launch events on September 14, where it announced the new iPhone 13, as well as its latest smartwatch, called the Watch series 7.

The event, broadcast from Apple’s Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, was called California Streaming and came a year after the launch of the iPhone 12 and Watch series 6.

Its newest version of the Watch features a new design, unveiling a bigger screen, 40 per cent thinner borders on the edge of the display, as well as an improved display so it can be brighter while indoors. There’s also the introduction of an on-screen keyboard for the first time and a series of new faces designed for the new display, while the edges of it remain curved instead of flat, as had been rumoured.

Apple also said its made the watch more durable, and there are new software options for people on bikes, including support for ebikes. The charging experience has also been improved with the company claiming just eight minutes of charge can allow for eight hours of sleep tracking.

The new Watch is available with cases made of aluminium, steel and titanium, two size options, plus a range of colour options and straps to pick from.

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The Apple Watch series 7 is available to pre-order in the UK right now. Apple says the first deliveries will begin on October 15, and this is also when we can expect to see stock arrive in shops too. However, that date only applies to shoppers who were quick to place their order, and a Watch series 7 ordered now won’t arrive until mid-November.

The exact delivery date will vary by model, but as an example, Apple says a 41mm Watch series 7 with a blue aluminium case ordered today (11 October) won’t be delivered until between 11 and 18 November.

Apple at first said the Watch series 7 would be available in the autumn. It has since announced that the smartwatch will be available to buy from 15 October, with pre-orders having opened on 8 October. But as we said above, there is already a significant delay on orders placed now, with estimated delivery dates for some models of Watch series 7 already slipping back to mid-November.

The current model of Apple Watch, called the series 6 (from £369, Apple.com), is water resistant to 50 metres. More specifically, it meets the ISO standard 22810:2010, which means the smartwatch is safe to wear during shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or the sea. The Watch series 7 maintains this WR50 water resistance rating.

The Apple Watch series 7 can be bought with out without a cellular 4G connection. Without, and it connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth and shares its data connection. But the model with 4G has its own data connection, so can be used to make calls, send messages and more, all while your iPhone is left at home.

As such, the watch can be bought from all of the major UK phone networks, as well as electronics retailers and other stores. Here are some of the best deals for the Apple Watch series 7.

Data plans for the Watch series 7 from EE starts at £28 a month for 24 months. This gets you the watch itself for £0 and includes 4GB of monthly data; the Watchshares the minutes and texts of your EE phone plan, and the phone and smartwatch share the same number too.

Above this sits a £35 monthly plan that has unlimited data and includes a free 24-month subscription to Apple’s Fitness+ exercise platform, which incorporates the Apple Watch.

Vodafone deals for the Apple Watch series 7 start at £20 a month for 36 months and include no upfront cost. This is for the 41mm aluminium model with 4G and the watch shares the minutes, texts, data and phone number of your smartphone.

The larger 45mm version of the Watch series 7 is £21 a month, and the more premium stainless steel model is £22 a month for the 41mm or £23 for the 45mm version.

The Watch series 7 prices at Currys are the same as those directly from Apple. This means it starts at £369 for the 41mm version of the aluminium watch with rubber sports band, and £399 for the larger 45mm model.

Adding cellular connectivity increases the price by £100, and you can then seek out y our own monthly data package from any network that sells plans for smartwatches.

Nike doesn’t sell the Apple Watch from its own store. However, the Apple Watch Nike is available from Apple (£369, Apple.com). This version features a unique Nike-branded strap and is loaded with extra exercise-focused software, including the Nike Run Club app and Nike-themed watch faces.

This watch is the same price as the regular Apple Watch, which means the Nike series 7 starts at £369 and is available to pre-order now, ahead of being released on October 15.

John Lewis will stock a wide range of Apple Watch series 7 models once it goes on sale on 15 October. These span from the entry-level 41mm watch (£369, JohnLewis.com), up to the 45mm stainless steel example with matching Milanese loop strap (£699, Johnlewis.com). The retailer also plans to sell the aluminium models and Nike editions, too, in a broad range of colours and strap options.

Pre-orders aren’t available just yet, but the retailer says the latest Apple Watch will be available from 15 October.

The latest Apple Watch has the same quoted battery life of 18 hours as its predecessor, the year-old series 6. More specifically, Apple states how the Watch series 7 can survive an 18-hour day that includes 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use and a 60-minute workout with music playing from the Watch to a pair of Bluetooth earphones.

For the model without 4G, this is based on it being connected to an iPhone via Bluetooth for the entire 18 hours. For the Watch with 4G, this is based on using its own 4G connection for four hours, then being connected to an iPhone via Bluetooth for 14 hours.

If used only to make and receive phone calls, the Watch series 7 has a battery life of 1.5 hours when using its own 4G connection. When used to stream music from its internal storage, the Watch series 7 can last for 11 hours, which is reduced to eight hours when streaming over 4G.

When used to log exercise, the Watch series 7 can last for 11 hours of indoor exercise, or seven hours when outdoors and using GPS. This falls to six hours when also using 4G.

As for charging the battery back up again, Apple says the Watch series 7 takes about 45 minutes to reach 80 per cent and about 75 minutes to reach 100 per cent.

Apple usually announces its latest iPhone and Watch at the same event. This didn’t quite happen in 2020, with the iPhone coming a few weeks later. But, that minor delay aside, we’re confident to predict how the Watch series 8 will arrive alongside the iPhone 14 at a launch event in September 2022.

Looking for some great deals on existing Apple watches? We’ve compiled a shortlist of some of our favourite accessories and Apple products to help you get the most out of your device.

The GPS and cellular model of the Apple watch SE allows you to text, call, get directions and stream music all without your phone, making it a great choice for those who prefer to work out with empty pockets. In our review of the Apple Watch SE, our tester praised its “dazzling design, intuitive notifications, accurate heart-rate monitoring, slick activity tracking and sleep monitoring, scores of watch faces, warnings when you’re in an over-noisy environment, fall detection and much more”.

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Apple’s best ever smartwatch packs a full suite of health sensors, from an ECG monitor to catch a misbehaving ticker to your usual step counters, sleep trackers, heart-rate monitor and blood oxygen level indicators. The Apple Watch series 6 featured in our list of the best smartwatches, where our reviewer fell in love with it: “The Apple Watch is easily the classiest smartwatch, with gorgeous design and immaculate build quality,” they said.

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Launched in 2017, the Apple Watch series 3 is an older model of the Apple Watch, but it’s far from over the hill. For years it was the undisputed king of wearables, and now it continues to be sold as a cheaper, entry-level alternative to the cutting-edge series 6 and the dialled-back Apple Watch SE.

It has all the core functionality you might need from an iPhone-compatible smartwatch, allowing you to control music and see and respond to notifications and messages without having to take your phone out of your pocket. The display looks sharp and the UI is responsive. You don’t get the fancy ECG monitoring of newer Apple Watches, but the most vital fitness sensors are all there, enabling you to track workouts, count steps and monitor your heart rate around the clock.

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The newest iPad air is one of the most powerful and versatile tablets Apple has ever created, rivalling even the flagship iPad pro in performance terms. It took the number one spot in our round-up of the best tablets, where our reviewer praised the device’s cutting-edge specs: “It also has the most advanced processor Apple has installed in a tablet, the A14 Bionic, which is also found in the iPhone 12 pro.”

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For the latest discounts on smartphones and other tech offers, try the links below:

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