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Get this Apple Watch for just $129 in the Labor Day sales

By Albert Bassili September 3, 2023

A person wears an Apple Watch SE displaying its apps. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Smartwatches have quickly become a very important utility, from helping us interface with our phones without pulling them out all the time or helping us with fitness tracking. If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, then you’re probably familiar with the high prices many of the newest Apple watches go for. Luckily, Walmart has a great deal on the Apple Watch SE 1, which is still pretty great, and is going for $129, rather than the usual $329, a substantial discount we don’t usually see.

Why you should buy the 40mm Apple Watch SE 1

The Apple Watch SE almost needs no introduction, being the first budget-oriented Apple smartwatch on the market, and it was quite a surprise when it originally came out. While it doesn’t have all the latest and greatest sensors like Watch Series 8, it has a heart rate monitor that can sense irregular rhythms. It also has fall detection, which makes this a great option if you want to grab this for an elderly relative while being on a tight budget. Workout tracking is, of course, excellent, as you’d expect from Apple, and the included sleep tracker also gives you some nice information, although there’s no deep analysis, so don’t expect that here.

Sadly, the Watch SE 1 doesn’t come with the high-g sensor that’s needed for crash detection, which is a shame because the Watch SE 2 does have it, so if you’re thinking of going that route, take a look at our Apple Watch SE 2 vs. Apple Watch SE breakdown to see which one works better for you. In terms of battery life, you can get about two days out of it, maybe a bit more if you switch off things like the always-on screen, which is great for a budget smartwatch. We’ll also point out that this is the GPS and Cellular version, so you can make calls directly from this smartwatch, which we like at this price point.

The Watch SE 1 was and still is a revolutionary smartwatch for Apple users, and with the deal from Walmart bringing it down to just $129 from $329, it offers great value. You’ll also be happy to know that the larger is also on sale from Walmart for just $159 rather than $359. While you’re here, check out the other Apple Watch deals, especially if you’d prefer the Watch SE 2 instead.

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Albert’s been a tech and gaming writer for almost a decade now, writing across websites such as GameGavel, How-To-Geek, and…

Mobile

This deal gets you an iPhone 15 Pro Max for free (at Amazon)

An iPhone 15 Pro Max, lying on a wood floor with its display on.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has been a bit of a divisive device; for some, it's not a big enough upgrade compared to last year's phones, and for others, the switch to USB-C makes this one of the most significant changes to the iPhone since it's inception. Regardless of which camp you lie in, if you want to grab one, Amazon has one of the best sales we've seen on an iPhone 15 Pro Max for a while, and that's saying something, becuase you can get it for free, with caveats. You can get it through Boost with a monthly subscription, so it's locked to them, but besides the subscription fee, taxes and shipping, you can get an iPhone 15 Pro Max without spending several hundred dollars.

Why you should buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a lot going for it, with the biggest change being the A17 bionic chip, Apple's most advanced, and roughly 20% more powerful than the previous generation. In fact, Apple has claimed that you could run The Division: Resurgence and Resident Evil: Village on the phone, although at what graphical quality and framerate remains to be seen. Another ugprade comes to the cameras, with the most significant one being to the zoom shutter, and the inclusion of an impressive 5x optical zoom, which isn't available in the regular iPhone 15 models. Otherwise, things remain relatively the same, such as the Super Retina XDR OLED running at 120Hz and 2796 x 1290 pixel resolution.

Mobile

Just got an iPhone 15? Get this 6ft fast-charging USB-C cable for $9

The USB-C port on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

If you've been living in a remote mountain in the Himalayas for the past few months, you may not be aware that the iPhone 15 will now come with a USB-C port. Of course, it's been a long time coming, especially since the European Union mandated that all Manufacturers move to the USB-C port standard. Unfortunately, if you're familiar with and have been using the old port, you might not have a good cable to charge your new iPhone 15. That's where this deal from Monoprice comes in, letting you grab a great type-c to type-c cable for $9 instead of $10, so you can grab a couple and save some extra money.

Why you should buy the Monoprice USB 2.0 Type-C to Type-C Cable
Before we get started, there's an important point we need to clarify. While the new iPhone 15 will have a Type-C port, only the iPhone 15 Pro Max will support the latest USB 3.2 standard with higher data rates. On the other hand, the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro will only support the USB 2.0 standard, with PD 18W and 480Mbps data rate, which is a bit slower. Now, while USB 3.2 is backward compatible, it does tend to be a bit more expensive, given the higher standards, which is why, if you have the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro, it's better to grab a USB 2.0 cable, rather than pay for the more expensive USB 3.2.

Mobile

It’s not the latest model, but the Apple Watch Series 8 is $90 off

The World Time watch face showing on the Apple Watch SE 2.

It's no longer the latest model with the release of the Apple Watch Series 9, but that makes the Apple Watch Series 8 a prime target when searching for Apple Watch deals. Here's an offer that you may want to shop -- the 41mm, GPS model of the Apple Watch Series 8 for just $310 from Amazon, following a 22% discount that results in savings of $89 on the wearable device's original price of $399. You're going to have to hurry if you want to take advantage of this bargain though, as we're not sure if stocks will be enough to meet what we expect to be high demand.

Why you should buy the Apple Watch Series 8
The Apple Watch Series 9 is set to dethrone the Apple Watch Series 8 as our top pick among the best smartwatches. However, while our Apple Watch Series 9 versus Apple Watch Series 8 comparison highlights the new model's improved processing power with the new S9 chip, the helpful Double Tap gesture, and a brighter screen at up to 2,000 nits, the Apple Watch Series 8 is no slouch. The older model features the same design and display as its successor, a battery that still lasts up to 18 hours on a single charge, and a similar health monitoring experience.