Rumors have been milling in the air that the Apple Watch Series 7 may be revealed at Apple’s September 2021 event! The much-awaited smartwatch could be going through some interesting redesigns. From a larger screen to an even larger battery life – these could be some of the potential changes we may witness in the upcoming Series 7! A faster processor and a better OLED screen could also be the cherry on the icing to the additions being made to the Watch Series 7. As we sit with our fingers crossed, with excitement lingering in the air, waiting for Apple’s latest smartwatch to make its debut, let’s take a moment to appreciate these innovative smartwatch designs that we believe Apple could take a couple of cues from! From a budget-friendly circular Apple Watch concept to a self-charging smartwatch that turns your wrist’s motions into an endless supply of power – these exciting wearables could be a major source of inspiration for the Apple Watch Series 7. We hope these designs inspire the next generation of Apple Watches. We would love to see their design language and innovation in other upcoming Apple products as well. Here’s to hoping!

Titled the Apple Watch Loop, this concept by Felipe Duarte does two things – it brings variety to Apple’s smartwatch offering and adds a beautifully basic ‘Air’ variant in Apple’s watch lineup, just like with their other products like the iPhone Mini, iPad Air, and MacBook Air. The Apple Watch Loop’s three drastic changes include A. its circular body, and B. the concave screen, and C. the watch strap, which forms a bumper around the smartwatch’s main hardware. Designed to provide a compact-yet-robust experience, Duarte outfitted the watch with a concave screen that’s extremely user-friendly, yet is impossible to damage when you accidentally bump your hand on a surface. Similarly, the large rubber bumper around the watch’s hardware component provides similar shock-absorbing features (although it does result in an unavoidably large physical bezel around the display).

This watch conceptualized by Michael Szczególski of 2sympleks Design draws inspiration from the OnePlus Concept One phone that has an electrochromic glass (based on electronic CMF technology) for the camera module glass covering. While on first look it might seem like any other smartwatch, there’s one thing that makes it stand out from the crowd. When the camera app is activated, the glass magically turns transparent to reveal the sensors otherwise hidden from plain sight. The Concept One Watch employs this technology to blur the lines between a classic analog watch with kinetic movement and modern-day smartwatch functionality. The Android WearOS watch is a perfect hybrid capable of satisfying proponents of classic watches and ones who like the more modern approach of the connected ecosystem of smartwatches.

The Sequent Titanium Elektron offers the best of both worlds – the activity/fitness tracking features of a smartwatch or fitness band, and the accurate time-telling and everlasting power supply of a Swiss-made mechanical watch. The Titanium Elektron eliminates the one major compromise with most smartwatches – the fact that you have to routinely charge them. It does so by refining and upgrading a technology that has existed in mechanical watches for years but hasn’t really seen mass adoption by tech companies, that have wholly embraced the lithium-ion battery movement.

The Nubia is to smart-watches what the plus-sized displays are to smartphones. The watch comes with an impressive 4-inch display that wraps around the upper half of your wrist, giving the Nubia the largest display on a smart wearable BY FAR. Designed to help lay the information out in a way that’s easy to see no matter the angle, Nubia’s vertical display is instantly eye-catching and is conveniently long enough so that you don’t need to scroll away on a tiny screen. It comes with a real-time heart-rate tracker, 4 dedicated sports/fitness tracking modes, the ability to accept and reject calls, find your phone if it gets lost, and summon your phone’s native voice assistant.

Introducing their own interpretation of Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch, a California-based group of designers completely redesigned the electronic company’s smartwatch with a new display screen and watch bands. Opting for a tank case shape for their smartwatch reinterpretation, the team of California-based designers equipped Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch with a curved, vertical display panel. Curved monitors are quickly taking over flat screens with a deeper immersive viewing experience and fuller screens with more vibrant colors and graphics. The team then conceptualized nine different ideations for their smartwatch straps, since the functionality of a smartwatch relies on customizing its watch bands.

The Muse is a hybrid smartwatch with practically no learning curve. Just as intuitive as a touchscreen display, the Muse comes with the added advantage of looking like a stylish timepiece, rather than a gizmo on your wrist. With two hands on the main dial, one subdial, and one window that doesn’t show you the date, but rather displays the functions of the watch, allowing you to know exactly which function you’re running, the Muse manages to find a great middle-ground between being analog and being essentially a smart wearable. Couple that with two control buttons on the side, and you have a watch that doesn’t need a display at all. Slick and stylish, the Muse is every bit a great analog timepiece.

Suunto’s collection of Spartan smartwatches highlights its robust package of smart sports-optimized features with an elevated user interface designed by Kallan & Co. Most impressive is that no part of the design’s face is spared from use. From sport-specific data tracking to real-time sleep analysis, there is a massive amount of data to be presented to the wearer, so each section of micro real estate serves a purpose. Organized in an intelligent and easy-to-navigate way, its large state-of-the-art touchscreen makes it easy to review your stats and check live vitals whether you’re swimming or competing in a triathlon.

You’d never guess that the Superbe was a hybrid smartwatch. With its incredibly fashion-forward aesthetic, the Superbe is a gorgeous looking wristwatch with a unique dial and a simple yet classy design that’s fitting of its Parisian roots… but the Superbe is more than just a gorgeous looking wristwatch. It’s a hybrid smartwatch too, with a world clock, activity tracker, sleep tracker, Bluetooth controls, and probably its biggest feature, its ability to work without needing to be charged. This eclectic combination of a great aesthetic, along with remarkable tech features is what makes the Nowa Superbe the best of both worlds.

The Neo watch has similar features to our smart-watches (snapping pictures, sending text messages, calling family members, etc.), but in a product that is easy for children to use. The watch’s display is a 1.2-inch touch screen, which is large enough for their not-quite-nimble fingers. Most functions can be controlled with the push of one button (located in the top corner), making it even easier for your child to use. The watch is also angled at 45-degrees, which provides a more comfortable viewing angle and reduces wrist strain. “The smartwatch’s durable and ergonomic design is coupled with an angled watch face that improves the viewing angle for the user, reducing strain on the wrist. The angle also provides a comfortable and natural way to use the front-facing camera. By tilting the screen at a 20-degree angle, we remove the need for problematic over-articulation of the arm, offering a more comfortable movement for viewing and interacting.”

From the inspired minds of the interns at Germany-based design studio PEARL CREATIVE, the Karlsson is the latest in wearable tech that aims to go beyond simple fitness tracking to make life better! This minimalistic mobile companion features a wrist strap that serves as a landing platform for a minuscule drone. In addition to the traditional capabilities of a smartwatch (like music playing and physical monitoring), the Karlsson drone can help you perform a number of other activities like scouting your keys, finding your lost car in a large parking lot, assisting in navigation, and doubling as a light source in the dark. For the selfie-obsessed, it can even capture moments from any angle you can imagine. When you’re finished, simply call it back to your wrist!