I used to work for Apple – Here’s why you should buy an Apple Watch somewhere else this Black Friday

Black Friday is famously a great time to buy new Apple gear. Apple’s yearly launch cycle means that by November, all of its new products have been unveiled for the year. With the iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10, and new M4 Macs now available, the same is true for 2024. We’re already starting to see great Black Friday deals on various Apple bits and pieces, and generally, the savings are good.

Famously, Black Friday is also the only weekend of the year when Apple holds any kind of sales event of its own. Like clockwork, Apple has announced its 2024 event will take place on the usual days (November 29-December 2) and there are gift cards to be earned on a variety of purchases.

But if you actually want to save money on an Apple product this Black Friday, Apple is the last place you should be looking, especially for a new wearable. I should know; I used to work there.

Apple’s Black Friday disappoints again

I worked at Apple for several years before becoming a tech journalist, where I covered Apple for half a decade before taking on my latest role as one of Techradar’s fitness and wearables experts. It’s safe to say that I know a thing or two about buying an Apple Watch, and I can assure you that Apple isn’t worth your time this Black Friday.

On offer from Apple this year is a paltry $50 / £40 gift card when you buy the Apple Watch SE at full price. Look, it’s better than not getting a gift card, I’ll give you that, but let me give you a few reasons why this is really not a great deal.

That’s not even a discount

Most obviously, that’s not a discount, you still have to pay Apple $249 / £219 for the privilege of owning your new Apple Watch SE. Even a cursory glance at the best Black Friday Apple Watch deals will score you a whopping $80 off the Apple Watch SE at Amazon in the U.S., or £40 off the Apple Watch SE in the UK at Currys, now just £179.

While the U.S. deal is invariably a better saving, either of them is preferable to not saving any money, which is the prospect you’re faced with when buying from Apple.

Only the lowliest model

As you can see, Apple also isn’t offering any incentives to buy its best Apple Watch models, either the new Series 10 or the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The SE is already over two years old and likely to be replaced by a new model next year.

Sure, its age and impending replacement make it a great candidate for some hefty Black Friday discounts, but that’s exactly another reason why you should save money at a retailer like Amazon, rather than buying from Apple.

Who needs a gift card anyway?

While the aforementioned principles about discount can be applied to nearly all of the products in Apple’s Black Friday sale, at least a gift card accompanying an iPhone or MacBook will score you a nice protective case, screen protector, or charging accessory.

However, the Apple Watch accessory ecosystem is much more limited, so a $50/£40 gift card is far less useful to most prospective Apple Watch owners. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be better off just buying the Watch at a discounted price somewhere else and saving their money.

So if you’re in the market, be sure to check out the best Apple Watch Black Friday deals going, or scroll down to find more deals near you.