Black Friday 2021: The best Apple Watch deals

Black Friday falls on November 26 this year, but the “shopping holiday” has sort of morphed over the years into a weeks-long event. Apple typically holds a sale that lasts from Friday through Monday, but other retailers start Black Friday deals a week before the day itself and carry them through for days after.

If you’re looking to pick up an Apple Watch this holiday season, for yourself or as a gift, you might want to buy during that time. In 2020, there were quite a few deals on Apple Watch, especially if you weren’t concerned with buying the latest model. As the new Series 7 is such a small upgrade over the Series 6, buying last year’s model makes more sense than ever this year, if you can find one.

Black Friday Apple Watch deals from Apple

Apple has a holiday shopping event from Friday, November 26 through Monday, November 29. While there aren’t any actual discounts being offered from Apple, if you buy an Apple Watch Series 3 or Apple Watch SE you’ll get a $50 gift card for a future purchase.

Apple Watch Series 7: Best Black Friday deals

While stock has been fluctuating leading up to Black Friday, some stores have begun discounting the Apple Watch Series 7. Amazon is selling either the 41mm or 45mm for $19 off, the lowest price we’ve seen. This pricing is also available at Costco.

$379.99

Free

$399

Adorama

Not Available

Free

Apple Watch SE: Best Black Friday deals

Best Buy will give you $30 off the Apple Watch Series 3, but the much better deal is $60 off the Apple Watch SE. That brings the price down to $219, and it’s a real discount not a gift card. Best Buy also kicks in six months of Apple Fitness+, if you don’t already subscribe to it.

Amazon has the same deal, but you get 3 months of Apple Fitness+ (the standard with any new Apple Watch purchase).

Target has this deal as well, also with the standard 3 months of Apple Fitness+.

$219.00

Free

$279

$279

Not Available

Free

Apple Watch Series 3: Best Black Friday deals

Walmart will be selling the Apple Watch Series 3 for just $109 ($139 for the larger 42mm size), which is a real steal. We typically don’t recommend the Series 3 as it’s sort of an evolutionary dead-end for the Apple Watch. The smaller screen with with large bezels, the slower processor…there’s just no telling how much longer it’s going to get watchOS updates. But at that price, it can be a great stopgap to simply track some workouts or get started with Apple Fitness+ while you wait for a more capable Apple Watch in a year or two.

Apple Watch: Best Black Friday deals from carrier stores

If you’re interested in buying an Apple Watch with cellular access, and you’re okay activating it and probably being forced to buy on an installment plan, you can save a significant amount with a carrier deal. It’s a lot of “gotchas” but the discounts are steep.

Verizon: Get Apple Watch SE or Series 7 for $150 off if you buy it together with an iPhone.

AT&T: Buy any two Apple Watch models on an installment plan and get up to $330 off, as a monthly bill credit over 36 months.

T-Mobile: Apple Watch SE is only $99 when you add a qualifying line.