If you’ve got some money burning a hole in your wallet and are shopping around for the best smartwatch on the market, the Apple Watch is the one. It’s not the cheapest wearable out there, though (something you probably already knew), but this year’s big Labor Day sales are a great opportunity — arguably the best one before Prime Day and Black Friday — to score a new Apple Watch at a nice discount. To give you a head start, we’ve already rounded up all the best Labor Day Apple Watch deals right here with juicy discounts on the budget-friendly Apple Watch Series 3 and the feature-rich Apple Watch Series 5.
Today’s Best Labor Day Apple Watch Deals
Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm, GPS)
— $169, was $199Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm, GPS)
— $199, was $229Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm, GPS, Refurbished)
— $389, was $429Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm, GPS) with Screen Protector and Charging Pad
— $494, was $504Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm, GPS) with AppleCare+
— $493, was $508
How To Choose A New Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is in its fifth generation now, with the Series 5 rolling out last September. The fourth-gen 2018 Apple Watch Series 4 was quietly discontinued after the Series 5 launch, but the previous 2017 model — the Series 3 — has remained so popular that Apple wisely decided to keep it on the market. That gives prospective Apple Watch buyers two choices, and deciding between the Series 3 and the Series 5 will largely come down to budget.
As you probably surmised, the Apple Watch Series 5 is the more expensive of the two at around $400 but it comes with a fuller suite of modern features. Some of the most notable upgrades that the Series 5 boasts over previous models include an always-on OLED display, a snappy new S5 chip, a magnetometer which allows for compass functionality, and increased internal storage space. Some critics noted that the Series 5 wasn’t a huge upgrade over the Series 4, but our review team found it to be a nearly perfect smartwatch — and the Series 4 isn’t readily available any more, making the Series 5 the obvious choice if you want the latest and greatest Apple Watch.
Budget-conscious shoppers (or anybody who just wants a solid smartwatch for $200 or less) will find a ton of bang for the buck in the Apple Watch Series 3. It’s still hugely popular and Apple has kept selling it for some very good reasons: It’s sleek, it’s a joy to use, it packs a bevy of great fitness- and health-tracking functions, and it’s an incredible value. It lacks some of the bells and whistles of newer smartwatches — perhaps the most noticeable of these being the lack of an always-on display — but if the $400-plus price tag of the Series 5 is too rich for your blood, then the Series 3 gives you a lot of wearable for the money. Labor Day Apple Watch deals are also a great chance to score one for shockingly cheap.
