The Apple Watch Series 9 was only released in September, so I wasn't too hopeful of any Black Friday deals coming up – or at least not until Black Friday itself. But both Amazon and Walmart have slashed the price of Apple's newest smartwatch two weeks before 24 November.
It's not unprecedented for a new Apple Watch to be reduced by this amount during Black Friday - we had similar deals on the Apple Watch Series 8 last year, but it is surprising for the discount to come so early in the sale period. That said, I'm not sure I would hold out for the price to fall any further. The most we tend to see Apple Watches reduced by in their first six months on the market is by $70, usually at Amazon, so there is a chance that this offer might be beaten, but if it is, it might be limited to certain colours.
See our Apple Watch generations guide if you want to compare Apple Watches to check which model is best for you, but when we compared Apple Watch Series 8 vs 9, the Series 9 was the clear winner thanks to new features and a better display.
Apple Watch Series 9
Was: $399
Now: $349 at Amazon Save: $50
Overview: The Apple Watch Series 9 introduced new features and an improved display. There are discounts of $50 on a range of sizes and colours.
Key features: The Series 9 introduced a new double tap gesture for certain actions and faster on-device Siri that doesn’t always require an internet connection. The display goes up to 2,000 nits in brightness, double the 1,000 nits you’ll find in the Series 8,
Price history: The RRP is $399 for this model, and we've only ever seen it reduced before by $10 at Amazon. This is a good saving on a device that was only released in September. Walmart is matching this deal in its Black Friday sale.
If you read our guide to Apple Black Friday deals, you'll see that you can save more if you go for the older Apple Watch Series 8. So why spend more for the Series 9? Well, the new Watch 9 has an S9 chip, which is 30% faster and a 4-core neural engine (twice as fast) – so if speed is your thing it's worth the extra outlay. Besides that there is that handy Double Tap gesture, Precision Finding for your iPhone, extra dimming functionality, HomePod integration and a brighter screen. Overall, I would say that the Series 9 is going to last you longer (see our guide to how long does an Apple Watch last?)
Not sure which Apple Watch you want? See more deals below.
Get the Creative Bloq Newsletter
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.
Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
