Apple launched its new watch -- Apple Watch Series 7 -- in the latest move to further boost its presence in the growing smartwatch market.
The release came as the pandemic-driven stay-at-home trend and rising health concerns have fuelled the popularity of smartwatches fitted with health care and fitness features.
The latest Apple smartwatch comes with a 20 percent bigger screen and a 40 percent thinner body than the Apple Watch Series 6. Its battery runs for 18 hours, like the previous model, but charges 33 percent faster.
It also supports advanced health and fitness tools, including an ECG app that records one's heartbeat and rhythm using the electrical heart sensor.
The newest Apple Watch will directly compete with Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4, released in August, with new Wear OS, which the South Korean company jointly developed with Google, reports Yonhap news agency.
According to industry tracker Counterpoint Research, Apple was the world's largest smartwatch vendor with a market share of 28 percent in the second quarter. Samsung was the No. 3 player with a 7.6 percent share behind China's Huawei, which registered a 9.3 percent share.
The new Series 7 has been launched in all-new green, blue, midnight, starlight, and (PRODUCT) red colours. In addition, the stainless steel models will be available in silver, graphite, and gold stainless steel.
The Apple Watch Series 7 features a re-engineered Always-On retina display with significantly more screen area and thinner borders.
The new Mindfulness app, sleep respiratory rate tracking and Tai Chi and Pilates workout types can help improve overall wellness.
The Apple Watch Series 7 is the first Apple Watch to have an IP6X certification for resistance to dust, and maintains a WR50 water resistance rating, the company claimed.
*Edited from an IANS report