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Black Friday may be over, but new deals are still emerging out of the woodwork. The Apple Watch SE 2 (40mm) cellular model has just dropped by another $20 on Amazon to a lowest price ever of $199 in its Midnight color. Get it now, before it’s gone!
When will the Black Friday Apple Watch deals end?
Black Friday is officially over, but to paraphrase the immortal lyrics from All-Star by Smash Mouth, the deals don’t stop coming. You’ll be able to find Apple Watch deals right up until 11:59pm on Cyber Monday, December 2, so you still have all weekend to shop around.
Some of the best deals will end over the course of this weekend, so you’ll see a few discounts disappear and potentially some new ones crop up. We’ll keep you posted with major developments, including where to find the best deals.
Whew. Black Friday’s drawing to a close and we’ve covered a lot of ground today. The deals, however, keep coming thick and fast: the Apple Watch SE 2 in its larger 44mm size (GPS only) is no longer discounted at Amazon, but it can be found at Walmart at the same awesome $179 price point (down from $279). That’s a big $100 off.
If you’re in the market for a new Apple Watch, you might also want some cool accessories to go with it, no? We’ve got a list of our best ever Apple Watch bands, from the carbon-neutral, unique recycled pattern of the Nike sport loop pictured above (on my wrist, strapped to the Apple Watch Series 9 review unit I tested last year) to leather, metal and finewoven bands from both Apple and third parties alike.
Should you buy a refurbished Apple Watch on Black Friday?
There are some unbelievable renewed Apple Watch deals going around on Black Friday if you know where to find them, but should you buy them?
One top deal would be this $379.99 Apple Watch Ultra at Amazon, a huge saving on a full-price Ultra.
In the box, you’ll get all the accessories you might expect with a new watch (a charger and strap). The products are professionally cleaned, inspected, and tested, but crucially not by Apple.
You’ll get a 90-day guarantee, but our personal preference would be to buy a refurbished watch straight from Apple, just because the standards are generally higher. However, at current Black Friday rates, many models, such as the Apple Watch SE, are cheaper new during the sales than they are from Apple refurbished.
The Apple Watch SE is a brilliant cheap Apple Watch, but you can drastically improve its usefulness, as mentioned below, by buying a cellular model. Down to the lowest-ever prices in the US, buying a cellular Apple Watch gets you on-the-go music streaming, calls and texts using the internet, and more all without an iPhone present. Perfect for workouts when your phone is at home, or in a gym locker.
It also makes the Apple Watch SE a perfect first smartwatch, using the Apple Watch For Your Kids feature to set up your family as a unit. Younger family members can go out without a phone, but still receive and reply to messages.
GPS vs Cellular: which Apple Watch should you buy?
You’ve probably seen in some deals, we’ve specified whether the watch is GPS-only, vs GPS & cellular. An Apple Watch capable of cellular connectivity means that you can add it to a data plan. Once you do so, just like your phone, you can use the internet (maps, Whatsapp, email and so on) independently of your phone. A GPS-only Apple Watch has to rely on using your iPhone’s roaming data.
In practice, this means you can leave your phone somewhere and stay connected on your wrist, making the Apple Watch a mini-phone instead of an accessory. You can also use maps and music streaming away from your phone, allowing you to go for a run and leave your phone at home.
It’s pretty cool, but not everyone will need this feature, and as you have to pay a premium for a cellular-capable watch, if you’re just after the cheapest Apple Watch you can buy you may want to skip it. It’s worth noting that all Apple Watch Ultra series watches come cellular-capable as standard.
Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Series 9: Which should you buy?
If you’re looking at the Apple Watch Black Friday sales, but you’re struggling to choose between the Apple Watch Series 9 vs Series 10, let us break down the difference for you.
The Series 9 is last year’s mainstream Apple Watch model, while the Series 10 is new for 2024. The Series 10 model is larger in display across the board, 42mm and 46mm vs 41mm and 45mm. However, it’s got a thinner chassis that sits more comfortably on your wrist.
It comes with a snappier, newer chip that will help with longevity and future software updates, and there’s also a titanium option where the Series 9’s premium finish is stainless steel. One of the biggest upgrades is the Series 10’s uprated OLED display which is 40% brighter when viewed from an angle.
Finally, the Series 10 is more water resistant than the Series 9.
Naturally, the Series 9 is cheaper due to its age, but it’s also getting some more generous discounts. By contrast, you’ll only find around 5-10% off the Apple Watch Series 10 at most retailers.
If you’re looking for last year’s Apple Watch Series 9 this Black Friday, then there are some great savings to be had in the US. It’s not got the redesigned chassis or fast charging of the Series 10, but it’s still an excellent watch packing the advanced S9 chipset to enable it to interface with newer iPhones, using the Ultra Wideband technology introduced last year.
Stateside, the best we’ve seen is a 30% saving on the 41mm Series 9, now just $279.99 instead of $399.99 at Amazon. You’ll also find savings on the 45mm case version at that same link, now down to $306.89.
This deal on the brand new Apple Watch Series 10 is too good to be true. At Walmart, you can save a cool $70 the 42mm (bringing it down from $399 to $329) and the larger 46mm models (from $429 to $359) in Jet Black or Rose Gold colorways. As it’s a watch that was only released in September, both are lowest-ever prices on their sizes.
A top-down redesign, the Apple Watch Series 10 is the thinnest and lightest Apple Watch available right now, with the biggest screen real estate – topping even the Apple Watch Ultra for size, despite the smaller chassis, due to its new curving design. It’s got an onboard ECG and sleep apnoea detection, it’s easier to read at a glance, and it’s now able to charge up to 80% battery capacity in just 30 minutes.
Should I buy an Apple Watch SE on Black Friday?
The Apple Watch SE 2, or SE (2nd Gen) as it’s otherwise known, is the best Apple Watch for most people. It does everything people expect an Apple Watch to do including calls, texts, emails, third-party apps and so on. It uses the same watchOS 11 software as all the other up-to-date Apple Watches do, while offering solid workout tracking comparable to the best fitness trackers.
However, because it’s the cheapest in the range, it’s missing a few bells and whistles. Its battery life is the equal of the Apple Watch Series 10 at 18 hours, but the watch is missing the 10’s useful fast-charging capability. Unlike the Apple Watch Series 9 and 10, it doesn’t have the advanced S9 or S10 chipsets. These allow you to use the hands-free “double tap” motion control, and make the Series 9 and Series 10 faster, more powerful wrist-based computers.
However, most people just want a cool Apple Watch that does the job for a reasonable price, and we can wholeheartedly recommend the Apple Watch SE 2.
Next up, the Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen), or SE 2. The Apple Watch SE 2 is almost the opposite of the huge, titanium-wrapped Apple Watch Ultra 2 discussed below: instead of a super-advanced watch at a premium price point, it’s a new watch made with slightly older parts sold at a lower price point. It’s the best value Apple Watch for most people, even at full price.
Right now, you can get the smaller 40mm, GPS-only Apple Watch SE 2 in its Starlight Aluminium case for just $149 on Amazon, a massive $100 saving. That’s the lowest price this super-popular watch has ever been, making it the deal to beat this year. Its larger 44mm variant is also down from $279 to $199 at Amazon.
Should I buy the Apple Watch Ultra 2 on Black Friday?
Should you buy the Apple Watch Ultra 2 on Black Friday? Well, if you’re an iPhone user who craves longer battery life, a bigger and better screen (although this is partially mitigated by the incredible screen on the cheaper Apple Watch Series 10, but more on that later) and advanced exercise metrics, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a solid get.
We’ve rated it the best smartwatch on the market for a reason: it’s a high-performance workhorse, with an in-built dive computer, highly accurate GPS (it’s allegedly incredibly accurate for running in cities) and programmable Action Button. The titanium casing and safety tools like emergency siren differentiates it from the standard Apple Watch, along with its 36-hour battery life.
It won’t last a full weekend without a charge, especially if you’re doing GPS workouts which drain the battery life considerably. However, if you love running, cycling, scuba or the great outdoors in any capacity, this is the best Apple Watch for you, especially at a 10% discount. If you don’t care about any of that, maybe it’s not for you.
US deal: First up we’ve got this ace Apple Watch Ultra 2 black deal, down from $799 to $719 at Best Buy (and price-matched at Amazon), saving you $80. The coolest thing about this deal is that it comes in its new-for-2024 satin black color, complete with matching black Ocean band. We don’t normally see significant discounts on new watches, so this is a welcome surprise.
Even if it is last year’s model with a new lick of paint, the Ultra 2 is the best smartwatch on the market today, and doesn’t normally see big discounts, so this is well worth snapping up if you’ve been eyeing Apple Watch Ultra 2 users with envy.
With the chunky nature of the watch and its rugged black titanium exterior, it looks like the sort of watch Batman might wear. We love it at this price: this satin black Apple Watch Ultra 2 deal has taken what might otherwise be an excessive, expensive piece of wristwear, and made it 10% cheaper and 100% cooler.
