Apple Watch 7, or Apple's next-generation smartwatch, could offer a display upgrade that stands out among other annual improvements.

Why the display? For one thing, the Apple Watch display is one of the reasons it is the best smartwatch every year. The company continues to improve the face of its flagship models, introducing an always-on mode with the Apple Watch 5 and a brighter screen with the latest Apple Watch 6.

Apple Watch's respect for displays goes beyond hardware. With watchOS 8, Apple plans to expand support for the smartwatch's always-on setting to more native programs, and some third-party apps.

Still, the Apple Watch 7 screen could offer some physical upgrades compared to current Apple Watch models on the market. Here is what we have heard about the upcoming smartwatch's display and how likely these rumors are to come true when the Apple Watch 7 arrives later this year.

On July 18, Twitter user Michael Burkhardt, a self-described Apple analyst, shared a succinct sentence: "120Hz Apple Watch."

Referring to the display refresh rate, Burkhardt did not clarify whether the tweet was wishful thinking, mere nitpicking, or actual information. Since this user has no track record regarding Apple leaks, we are inclined to believe it is one of the first two. We reached out to Burkhardt for comment, but did not hear back.

If the Apple Watch 7 display offers a 120 Hz refresh rate, it may copy the iPhone 13's most anticipated feature. While faster refresh rates are old news for Samsung smartphones, the upcoming iPhone lineup is expected to be the first Apple product to support smoother scrolling and gaming.

The benefits of the Apple Watch's 120Hz refresh rate are unlikely to be worth the effort, as not much scrolling or gaming will be done. Perhaps the fitness tracking interface could be improved, but not without taking a hit to battery life; the 120Hz setting can only be considered an option. In any case, the Apple Watch has no room for stamina.

So if a 120Hz refresh rate won't be on the Apple Watch 7 display, what will be on it? Note that there are conflicting reports from two reliable Apple leakers. Watch leak says that the display "will probably remain the same as the past few generations."

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says otherwise; Gurman's sources say the Apple Watch 7 will have a thinner bezel. The company is also reportedly testing a "new lamination technology" that will bring the watch's display closer to the top cover.

The result could be a more responsive display and extended long-press tools, but it is difficult to predict what this new lamination technology will mean for the Apple Watch 7. A reporter at Front Page Tech leaked information from Apple with a respectable 74.2% accuracy rate (via AppleTrack), while Bloomberg's reporter has an impressive 89.1% accuracy rate.

If Apple is planning any changes to its smartwatch displays, we will soon find out. Assuming Apple sticks to its usual September launch event, the debut of the Apple Watch 7 is just a few weeks away.