Apple Watch Series 7: the brand recycled last year’s SoC

The Apple Watch Series 7 is really no different from the brand’s previous connected watch, the Apple Watch Series 6. Apple has also recycled the same SoC as last year, the Apple S6. In the context of a shortage of computer chips, the group probably encountered production problems.

During the iPhone 13 keynote, Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 7, a new generation of connected watches. The smartwatch differs from its predecessors thanks to a larger screen, thinner bezels, a thinner case, better brightness, 30% more efficient fast charging and increased resistance.

Contrary to rumors, this generation is particularly stingy in novelties. Apple Watch Series 7 does not ship no new functionality dedicated to health (like a blood pressure sensor) and is not distinguished by a revised design. Apple is content to use the same design as that of the Series 6, Series 5 and Series 4. That’s not all.

Apple recycles the Apple S6 Series 6 SoC

During the keynote, Apple has ignored the identity of the SoC of the connected watch. Conversely, the company has extensively discussed the performance of the A15 Bionic chipset for iPhone 13. On its website, Apple does not detail the technical sheet or the characteristics of the Apple Watch.

To find out, developer Steve Troughton-Smith dug into the latest version of Xcode, a platform that allows developers to build apps. In the platform code, the Apple Watch Series 7 is advertised with a “t8301” SoC. This is the code name of the chipset that already equips the Apple Watch Series 6, the Apple S6. Obviously, Apple used the same chipset as the Series 6 within the Watch Series 7. It is rather a surprise even if Apple has already reused the same chip on two consecutive generations of Watch.

We imagine that the shortage of computer chips, which has crippled the entire IT industry since the health crisis, may have forced Apple to disrupt its plans. Rather than producing a new chipset, the Californian giant has resolved to rely on a chip announced in 2020. Note also that Apple has encountered production difficulties with its new watch. Faced with the accumulated delay, the brand postponed the marketing of the Apple Watch Series 7. The company promises a release in the course of the fall.