Apple showed off a lot when announcing the iPhone 7, with the iPad mini (6), the new iPad 7 (6), and the Apple Watch 5 all revealed at the same event. But for the last of these, Apple was uncharacteristically light on the details, especially when it came to the chipset. However, now we can know which chipset the Apple Watch 6 has and for what reason Apple kept silent on this matter. MacRumors claims to be able to "confirm" that the Apple Watch 7 has a new S6 chipset, which looks promising since we've assumed it's going to have an S1 like the Apple Watch 9 again since Apple hasn't mentioned any changes. But in truth, the SXNUMX is an SXNUMX Plus at best, as the site claims it has the same processor and the same XNUMX% performance improvement over the SXNUMX as the SXNUMX. So why this new name? Well, the SXNUMX is supposedly more power efficient than the SXNUMX, allowing it to offer similar battery life while powering the Apple Watch XNUMX's larger screen. However, that is not all that MacRumors discovered. The site also claims that the Apple Watch XNUMX includes XNUMXGB of storage (the same as the Apple Watch XNUMX and Apple Watch SE), and that it will come with a new XNUMX-meter USB-C fast charging magnet cable. in the box. In addition to this, the Apple Watch XNUMX supposedly has Bluetooth XNUMX (like its predecessor) and is compatible with Beidou (China's satellite navigation system), unlike its predecessor. Lastly, it's supposedly heavier than the Apple Watch XNUMX. MacRumors didn't give precise weights, but claimed it was XNUMX% heavier than the closest equivalent Apple Watch model XNUMX if you go for a XNUMXmm aluminum version, XNUMX% heavier if you opt for a XNUMXmm model in stainless steel.
(Image credit: Apple)
Analysis: the chipset looks jaded, but it's okay
It makes sense that Apple didn't detail the S7 chipset since it's supposedly very similar to the S6, but the efficiency gains it's supposed to offer are better than nothing, and arguably what Apple should focus on. Wearable devices don't require a ton of power, and the Apple Watch 6 is already powerful enough. In truth, there isn't even a real need for a new chipset every year; After all, even before the Samsung Galaxy Watch XNUMX, Samsung was using the exact same chipset in multiple smartwatch models, and that wasn't a problem. What smartwatches and especially the Apple Watch line need is better battery life. These are devices that are ideally with you day and night, tracking your activities and then your sleep, so taking them out to charge can interfere with that. The Apple Watch XNUMX's larger display might have been a real drawback here if Apple had really stuck with the SXNUMX chipset, but as it stands, it looks like battery life should be at least on par with the latest. model.