Apple Watch Series 7 Teardown Reveals Battery Capacity, Display Updates and More

With the Apple event this week and the imminent launch of new MacBook Pro models, it's easy to forget that the Apple Watch Series 7 just came out last Friday. iFixit didn't forget, though, and has done one of its traditional teardowns on Apple's newest wrist-worn device.

Today's teardown features both the 41 and 45mm versions of the watch, and it unveils some secrets we weren't previously aware of. The 45mm Apple Watch Series 7 has a 1.189Wh battery inside (309 mAh), which is a 1.6 percent increase over the 1.17Wh battery in the 44mm Series 6.

ifixit apple watch teardown 1

Series 7 on left, Series 6 on right (44/45mm models)

The 41mm Apple Watch Series 7 features a 1.094Wh battery, a 6.8 percent increase over the 1.024Wh battery in the prior-generation 40mm model. Both batteries have slightly wider dimensions, but iFixit says the increase likely goes to the new, brighter displays rather than adding battery life.

The internals of the Series 7 are similar to the Series 6, but there are small differences, such as the removal of a bracket where the diagnostic port was once located.

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Series 7 on left, Series 6 on right (44/45mm models)

Apple has touted IP6X dust resistance for the Series 7, which older models may have had too, but Apple just didn't do the specific test for the certification. There are, however, some new ingress-protection measures such as a mesh covering the speaker grille. The removal of the diagnostic port may also contribute to the dust resistance, and removing this port saves some internal space.

iFixit teamed up with former Apple engineers who work at Instrumental for the teardown, giving us some additional context into why the Apple Watch may have seen delays prior to its October launch.


According to iFixit, the Apple Watch Series 7 has new display technology that was likely a "huge pain to manufacture at scale." The new Apple Watch appears to be equipped with a touch-integrated OLED panel, or an "on-cell touch," which is also used in the iPhone 13. Apple is also using just one flex cable for the display instead of two, which iFixit says is "not a trivial change."

Every teardown comes with a repair score, and the Series 7 earned a 6 out of 10. iFixit says that display and Taptic Engine swaps "worked great" in its testing, as did changing out the battery.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 9
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

Ghost31 Avatar
32 months ago
A whole 1.6 % better battery? Holy crap. Why didn’t Apple talk about this?!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
32 months ago
Sometimes, it is the little things that can make the biggest difference. I am happy with my Series 7.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmgregory1 Avatar
32 months ago
Looking at the internals, it’s understandable why Apple has shied away from making a round Watch. It’s tough enough to get everything into the rectangular Watch as is.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
32 months ago

Had a close look today and compared the Series 7 to the Series 5 on my wrist. Result: Absolutely no need to spend >500€ for something that looks exactly the same, despite a little bit bigger display. Furthermore I like the space grey of my watch and this color seems to be no longer available for Aluminium watches.
Erm, "congratulations" ??
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
32 months ago
I love iFixit's teardowns - it is always interesting to see what makes our devices tick.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BC2009 Avatar
32 months ago
I got a 45mm Series 7 GPS/WiFi Nike Watch in Midnight color to replace my Space Grey Series 4. I was nervous about the color but the color is awesome. I own some black bands that would have gone better with the black stainless steel from years past and those bands look perfect with the aluminum midnight color.

I much prefer this color over space grey now that I see it in person. The website makes it look blueish but I really can’t even see the blue hue at all. It just looks black.

And the watch is a big improvement over series 4. I felt every upgrade since series 4 has been very incremental (very S-like) — especially the series 5 and 6. The only reason I would not call series 7 an S upgrade is because Apple has never increased the display size in an iPhone S upgrade. But when you upgrade 3 versions in one shot those S-like upgrades add up:

- 20% bigger display
- virtually bezel-less display
- always-on display
- O2 sensor
- always-on altimeter
- compass for maps
- better heart rate sensor
- faster charging (S6 and S7 again)
- better battery life
- faster processor
- more durable

The new design with the bigger bezel-less display was the biggest upgrade to me, but the O2 sensor is nice to have though I own a more accurate SpO2 sensor that goes on my fingertip. It’s nice to always have it on my watch (like how we have better cameras than iPhone but having the camera always with you is the best). I almost got the Series 5 just for the always on display but I’m glad to have it now especially since they fixed the power draw issue by adding battery life in the series 6.

All-in-all I would call this a big upgrade for anybody wearing a series 4 or even a series 5. I would hold out for a few more incremental upgrades in the series 8 if you have a series 6 since that is only a year old. The display is better in series 7, but that’s a lot of money to spend for a more enjoyable display on your wrist.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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