The debut of the Apple Watch 7 is just weeks away.

Despite rumors of production delays, the Apple Watch 7 is one of the most anticipated devices at the upcoming (yet unannounced) Apple event. What is revealed about the company's flagship smartwatch, which is expected to take place in late September, could shape the next few years of wearable computing.

So what exactly is planned in terms of upgrades and new features? While the limited Apple Watch 7 leaks have left much to the imagination, I have been watching closely for reports of radical design changes, performance improvements, etc.

I've also been wearing the Apple Watch 6 for months now in anticipation of what's next. While it is the best smartwatch ever, I can name a few practical changes that I think will make Apple's watch even better.

Here are five features I'm looking forward to in Apple Watch 7, ranging from a few solid updates to a more forward-looking wish list.

The Apple Watch 7 will look different from Apple Watch models we've seen in the past if the rumors of a surge and recent redesign are true; the Apple Watch's appearance has changed little since the first model debuted in 2016, but the iconic screws could be tweaked to follow the newer, flat-edge iPhone design language.

Accordingly, the next Apple Watch could come in two new sizes: 41mm and 45mm. In a recent Bloomberg report, Mark Gurman claimed that the Apple Watch 7 will offer larger displays with more 40mm and 44mm variations; the bezels on the Apple Watch 7 display may also shrink somewhat.

The current size of the Apple Watch makes the user experience small and excellent for piecemeal operation, but impractical for productivity. I truly believe that a larger Apple Watch could be completely independent and separate from the iPhone 13 and other future iPhones. With more space, there could be more battery, health sensors, and at-a-glance information. It could also mean more power, and with the Apple VR headset said to be in development, the Apple Watch could serve as a tether.

There have been conflicting reports about whether the Apple Watch 7 will have new health features and what they might look like. Early Apple Watch 7 rumors suggested that the smartwatch would get non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards anymore. I helped a friend find an Apple Watch suitable for diabetes monitoring, so I know the benefits that built-in sensors could bring to many users.

Similarly, references to blood pressure monitoring on the Apple Watch have recently begun to appear. However, we have seen Samsung and its Galaxy Watch 4 struggle to meet the FDA's non-invasive blood pressure monitoring guidance. If Apple were to release a smartwatch that promised blood pressure monitoring, it would probably do so when as many of the Apple Watch's 100 million users as possible have access to it.

Since blood glucose and blood pressure monitoring is unlikely to happen this year, I wondered what health features would appear on the Apple Watch 7. We know that Apple is working on a skin temperature sensor similar to the one in the Fitbit Sense. This is probably the additional feature I would most like to see sooner rather than later. If the Apple Watch had a mechanism to measure body temperature, it could alert users early to fevers and other symptoms that may require further medical attention.

The Apple Watch features on my upgrade wish list are not all hardware-driven. While I don't expect to see many new features offered in software this year that we haven't already seen in the watchOS 8 beta, there is one feature I would like to see Apple Watch 7 adopt from Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4: automatic workout pause.

As I explained in my Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 workout test, Auto Pause uses haptics to let me know when to stop and resume workout tracking based on my movements or lack thereof. This feature is perfect for my dog, who greets everyone who walks by and stiffens the trees in Central Park, averaging 30 minutes on the Apple Watch, compared to 22 minutes on the Galaxy Watch 4.

The Apple Watch 7 versus the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is likely to be the closest of the two product lines to a showdown. With many people using smartwatches instead of the best fitness trackers, the Apple Watch should look to expand its activity monitoring capabilities. More accurate heart rate sensors, accelerometers, and gyroscopes could pave the way for automatic workout pauses and other advanced exercise tracking tools.

No, I don't expect the Apple Watch 7 to have Touch ID. But I do expect Apple to be working on a feature that would allow users to unlock their smartwatches without having to type a passcode into a small screen.

The Apple Watch is home to a lot of personal and sensitive information, so added security for privacy options is always a plus. And now with enhanced support for digital keys (including government-issued IDs), I would like more biometrics to keep my data secure.

A patent reveals how Touch ID on the Apple Watch could work. The patent details an in-display fingerprint sensor, similar to the technology used in some of the best Android phones. Personally, I am hoping for a fingerprint reader built into the digital crown or side buttons.

I don't think there is a single Apple Watch user who would turn down improved battery life; Apple Watch battery life has been estimated at 18 hours for several years. And while the company has added loads of features like Always On Display, you can't go without a charge every day.

According to one report, Apple will use Taiwanese supplier ASE Technology's system-in-package (SiP) technology to produce a double-sided S7 processor for the Apple Watch 7. This move is expected to free up space inside the next smartwatch.

What could Apple do with the extra space? No one outside the company can say for sure. I am optimistic that it could be used for a larger battery. Perhaps a larger battery capacity and a more efficient processor could improve the Apple Watch 7's stamina over the previous generation model. That possibility alone is a reason to wait for the Apple Watch 7 instead of buying the Apple Watch 6 now.