Renders of the rumored Apple Watch 7

Are you on the lookout for a new smartwatch with a sleek, flat-edged design,  and possibly a new blood glucose monitoring sensor? If so, you may want to hold out for the Apple Watch Series 7. We don't know for sure yet, but we speculate the Apple Watch update could be coming just in time for , rumored to be in September, when we also expect the and to be unveiled.

The Apple Watch Series 7 will come with the new  software, this past June. If rumors pan out, the new Watch could be a worthwhile upgrade from last year's , which Apple unveiled at a virtual event in September 2020. Apple also released a more affordable midrange smartwatch last year, the , which could itself be .

Read more: Apple Watch SE vs Series 6 vs. Series 3: How to choose?

Here's everything we've heard so far about the Apple Watch 7, including rumors, leaks, speculation and dreams. We'll update this story as we hear more. And if you're thirsty for more Apple rumors, check out our iPhone 13 rumor roundup, our best guesses for the iPhone 13 release date, how the iPhone 13 might compare to the iPhone 12, and what the iPhone 13's camera specs might be. Plus, is it even worth it to buy an iPhone 12 right now? What about an iPhone 11 or an iPhone SE?

Release date: We'll probably see the Apple Watch 7 in September

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted last year that a redesigned Apple Watch could appear in the second half of 2021, so we are fairly sure that a next-gen Apple Watch is coming; we just don't know exactly when. We don't have much else to report when it comes to the Apple Watch 7's release date, but we expect the new wearable to be unveiled at a fall Apple event, likely alongside the rumored iPhone 13. 

We speculate that the iPhone 13 event will take place on Sept. 8, but this is an educated guess and not based on rumors or leaks. You can read more about our Apple event date predictions, including our patented (not really) "Labor Day hypothesis," in our iPhone 13 release date story. If both assumptions are correct, we'd expect to see the Apple Watch 7 on Sept. 8 as well.

Apple has a pretty consistent history of unveiling its new smartwatch models annually in mid-September. Even in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic brought product announcement events virtual and caused disruptions in the supply chain, delaying the unveiling of Apple's iPhone 12 line for a month, the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE both made their appearance on Sept. 15, 2020, at an online event, and they were released three days later on Sept. 18. 

Read more: The microchip shortage is one of the unforeseen outcomes of the pandemic

The biggest buzz around the Apple Watch Series 7 is whether or not it will include a blood glucose monitor.

Cost: Apple Watch 7's price will probably be similar to the Series 6

Apple's previous three Watch models launched with a $399 price tag, going up for the larger size and for cellular connectivity. (The Apple Watch SE deviated from the $399 price tradition, launching at $279. But the SE model is Apple's "affordable" smartwatch, meaning it sacrificed some bells and whistles for cost savings.) Here are the Apple Watch Series 6 launch prices, for reference.

While we haven't heard any credible rumors about the cost of the Apple Watch 7, we would expect Apple to stick with its usual structure and launch its next-gen model at around the same $399 price. Of course, it's always possible that Apple raises the price in 2021, but because we don't see any major hardware upgrades or new features on the horizon that would warrant a bump in price, this seems unlikely.

Design and colors: A green, flat-edged Apple Watch 7 would be pretty

Leaker Jon Prosser (whose rumor track record is fairly spotty), released Apple Watch 7 renders that allege a "major redesign" of the wearable. Kuo also predicted a "significant form factor design change" for the 2021 Apple Watch almost a year ago. 

The Apple Watch 7 could come in a new sage green color.

Prosser's renders, which he claims are based on a combination of real images and CAD files leaked to him by "sources," reveal thinner bezels and flat edges on the Apple Watch 7. Apple also flattened the edges of the iPhone 12 lineup last fall, giving its flagship phone a modern profile that CNET's Patrick Holland called a "slabular beauty."

A Bloomberg report in June also predicted thinner bezels for the Apple Watch 7, as well as a "new lamination technique that brings the display closer to the front cover."

Rumored colors for the Apple Watch 7 include a new sage green color, which Prosser compares to the green option for the AirPods Max, Apple's over-ear headphones. The Series 6 comes in silver, grey, Slot Online gold, blue and red (aluminum); silver, graphite and gold (steel); and titanium and black (titanium) colors. Prosser's renders of the Apple Watch 7 include red, blue, black and silver, in addition to sage green, though we don't know yet whether these are the actual colors Apple will release.

Read more: AirPods Pro vs. AirPods Max: Should you buy earbuds or headphones?

Battery life: Apple Watch 7's charge could last more than a single day

One of the biggest and most persistent complaints about the Apple Watch, especially as it compares to rival smartwatches and fitness trackers like Fitbit, is its poor battery life. CNET's Scott Stein says the Apple Watch has been "dead last" in battery life among its competitive set, which is a problem if you want to use its sleep-tracking feature (new in WatchOS 7), because the battery needs to charge daily. 

Apple Watch 7 could be a game-changer for Apple if its battery life were to improve dramatically. The past three models have all offered about an 18-hour battery life, with the Series 6 housing a 265.9 mAh battery. We haven't heard any rumors about the Series 7's battery specs in particular, but we have heard that it could boast a smaller, double-sided S7 chip, which would free up space for -- what else? -- a bigger battery. 

The next Apple Watch could feature a big redesign, including flattened edges like the iPhone 12.

Health features: Will Apple Watch 7 really get a blood glucose monitor?

Blood glucose monitoring would be an amazing addition to the Apple Watch, but don't hold your breath because rumors are mixed. Interest in the new sensor was stoked by Apple itself in a survey to Apple Watch users to gauge interest in new features -- one of which was blood sugar tracking. But a subsequent Bloomberg report all but killed those dreams. While the new sensor will likely be included in a future iteration of Apple's smartwatch, it is unlikely to arrive in the Series 7 and maybe not in Apple's 2022 Watch model either.

Samsung announced a new non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology last year and though it didn't specify where or when we might see this technology implemented, it's possible that the Galaxy Watch 4, expected to be unveiled this summer, could be its debut. Apple has a history of letting rivals release buzzy new features first, so an Apple Watch blood glucose sensor in 2022 or even 2023 wouldn't be a huge surprise, but a blow nevertheless to iOS users with diabetes.

That's all we know so far about the Apple Watch Series 7, but we'll update this story as new rumors come to light. In the meantime, here's everything we know about the iPhone 13, all the best new features coming in WatchOS 8, how to decide between the Apple Watch Series 6 vs. Series 3 vs. SE, settings to change on any new Apple Watch and the best Apple Watch apps.