Today is the final day of Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale, so if there’s any Prime Day deals you want, you should nab them right now. That’s right, now before they’re all gone. If you’re in the market for an Apple Watch or any of the best fitness trackers, Amazon probably has a steep discount or two just for you. The event runs for the next two days until October 12, and Amazon is promising huge discounts. With the Apple Watch at the top of the wearables list for many shoppers, it will be a popular device to keep an eye on.
The Prime Day Apple deals earlier in 2022 included discounts on the popular Apple Watch SE, and any deals during the last day of the Prime Early Access Sale are expected to compete with the discounts we’ve seen previously. Apple has even released the Apple Watch Series 8 in the time since Prime Day, and its presence in the Apple Watch lineup could mean discounts for other models. Of course, the best Apple Watch deals you can shop today have already dropped, so read on for more details on those, and how best to navigate this event with Black Friday around the corner.
Today’s best Prime Day Apple Watch deals
Apple Watch SE — $199, was $299
The Apple Watch SE may no longer be the newest Apple Watch anymore, but it’s still well worth checking out. Generally, it’s the best Apple Watch for many because it’s cheaper than the Apple Watch Series 7 while still packing in the key features most people use. The Apple Watch SE looks great too, and it’s both stylish and comfortable on your wrist. You’ll soon forget you’re wearing it.
The Apple Watch SE does pretty much what most of use need from a smartwatch and adds some extras. At its simplest, you can take calls with the SE and reply to texts from your wrist. It’ll also receive pretty much every notification imaginable, reducing the need to pull your phone out of your pocket. The Apple Watch SE is also great for tracking your fitness. Extensive health metrics help you track your daily activity, giving you a reminder to stand up regularly, take some exercise, and generally see how your fitness trends develop over time. In addition, it helps you set personalized fitness and wellness targets that are achievable.
Other features include a built-in compass and real-time elevation readings — both useful when you exercise. It’s also able to monitor if your heart rate is unusually low or high, as well as to detect irregular heart rhythms. Finally, a mindfulness app helps you take time out during the day to feel calmer and more rested through guided meditations. It’s an effective way to improve your life in various different ways, all on your wrist.
Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS) — $340, was $399
We’ll just say it: The Apple Watch Series 7 is the best smartwatch you can buy. The Series 7 offers everything the Apple Watch SE provides and much more. In addition to its gorgeous display, the Series 7 has an Always-On Retina display which provides you with 20% more screen area than the Series 6. That means it’s instantly easier to see and use, which means you’re more likely to use it. In addition, the watch face is more robust than before, it also offers IP6X dust resistance and a swim-proof design too.
The Apple Watch Series 7 has superior smarts, as well. It can measure your blood oxygen levels via a neat new sensor and app that helps you keep more aware of how well your body is performing throughout the day. On top of that, you can take an ECG at any time. The watch also tracks your heart rate, giving you a heads up if it’s unusually high or low. You’ll also get notifications if your heart rhythm suddenly becomes irregular. It’s a great way of seeing how truly healthy you are, potentially giving you a heads-up on any issues that may arise. Throughout, you can track all your daily activities and see how your trends develop via the fitness app on your iPhone.
Other features include the ability to sync your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks to the watch, so you don’t need to completely rely on your phone at all times. It’s also possible to pay instantly and securely from your wrist using Apple Pay, saving you even more hassle. Smartwatches have finally come of age, and this is the ideal purchase for the tech lover in your life, but like most Apple Watch Series 7 deals, this offer won’t last long, so act fast.
Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm, GPS) — $329, was $429
The Apple Watch Series 7 is already the best smartwatch you can buy right now, but if you have a larger wrist or you simply want more screen space, then you need the Apple Watch Series 7 45mm version. It means you get a larger smartwatch but that’s not a problem if your wrists are larger too. In exchange, you get to see more of what’s on-screen and Apple’s watchOS is pretty great to use. The display itself is the company’s most crack-resistant front crystal yet on an Apple Watch, meaning it can handle a few knocks and blows without breaking or cracking than previous Apple Watches. It’s also IP6X dust resistant plus it has a swim-proof design so you’re fine to jump in the pool with it without having a problem.
You get all the key features that make the Apple Watch Series 7 so great. It’s able to monitor extensive parts of your health, including heart rate monitoring. Besides simply tracking what your heart rate is, it’s able to notify you if you suddenly have a high or low heart rate. It also keeps an eye out for an irregular heart rhythm, again sending out a notification if there’s a problem. In conjunction, the watch’s ECG app means you can monitor your heart rate at any point, kind of like having an ECG in your pocket. In addition, you can also measure your blood oxygen levels via its sensor and app, which means it can monitor more than many other smartwatches right now.
The Apple Watch Series 7 can entertain you with its ability to sync up your favorite podcasts and music. Plus, its mindfulness app means you can take some time out to rest and feel calmer throughout the day. It’s a great all-rounder.
More Prime Day Smartwatch Deals
Apple Watch Series 8 — $349, was $399
Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 8 at its September event, with the biggest improvements being the inclusion of things like the new temperature sensors. One placed on the back of the watch and another just below the screen, the sensors take your temperature every five seconds with surprising accuracy of 0.1 degree Centigrade. Theoretically, not only can it help keep track of your potential rise in temperatures, but Apple has also built into the Series 8 an ovulation cycle tracker that could potentially predict polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Also, in case you’re worried about security given recent events around reproductive health, the data is encrypted and stored behind biometric security, so it would be really hard for anybody besides you to access that data.
Another big addition is the car crash detection feature, which has had over a whopping million hours worth of testing on a huge variety of vehicles and can sense four different crashes: front impact, side impact, rear-end collisions, and rollover. Once a crash of this type has been detected, the Watch Series 8 automatically contacts emergency services with your location so that help can come as soon as possible. According to Apple, this new feature is mainly reliant on two new motion sensors, as well as an upgraded accelerometer, so we’re likely to see a couple more upgrades or features revolved around that when the watch comes out.
Finally, one really great new feature, the low-power mode, will allow you to push the normal 18-hour battery life to a whopping 36 hours, which is really impressive. This comes courtesy of WatchOS 9 and will be available on Apple Watch Series 4 and later models.
We have a deeper look into the Apple Watch Series 8, and if you want to pick one up, they are available to pre-order now and will be released September 16. The Watch Series 8 comes in two models: the non-cellular model for $399 and the cellular model for $499. Apple has brought international roaming to the cellular models with support for 30 carriers across the globe, which is exciting.
Should you shop these Prime Day Apple Watch deals or wait until Black Friday?
While Black Friday is traditionally the best time of the year to purchase an Apple Watch, the Prime Early Access Sale throws a wrinkle in traditional holiday shopping strategies. The event is ripe for a major Apple Watch discount, and you’ll be able to make a purchase with zero risk. This event takes place a little more than a month before Black Friday, which means Black Friday falls within the return window of anything you purchase during the Prime Early Access Sale. In other words, you can make a purchase during Amazon’s event, and return it if you find a better Apple Watch deal come Black Friday.
Black Friday is still expected to be a day full of massive discounts, so it isn’t something to completely write off in terms of your holiday shopping. It is so popular, however, that it can leave inventories cleaned out and long shipping times. But with this year’s existence of the Prime Early Access Sale, Black Friday can shift to something you keep in your back pocket, a sort of safety net to land a better deal or to land an Apple Watch you may miss out on during the Prime Early Access Sale.
So whether you feel there’s a great Apple Watch deal to be had on Black Friday, it’s best to get your shopping done early to ensure you land the device you want at a discount that works for you. The best deal is often the one in front of you, so if you see something you like during the Prime Early Access Sale, purchase it while you can. If something better comes along during Black Friday, you can re-evaluate your purchase at that point.
