Black Friday pitfall: Avoid this Apple Watch SE 2 deal at all costs

Macworld

With the Black Friday deals season rapidly approaching, Apple fans are living their best life. Bearly everything on sale for all-time-low prices, from MacBooks to AirPods and Apple Watches. But it’s important to be wary of the non-bargains that retailers will mix in with the worthwhile offers.

Amazon is currently selling the Apple Watch SE 2 for an all-time low of $160. That’s almost $90 off the launch price: the SE 2 started at $249 when it came out three years ago, and the best price we’ve ever seen. So, on first glance, you might think it’s a great deal, even for a watch from 2022.

But you should look again.

Just over two months ago, Apple released the Apple Watch SE 3, and as I explain in my review, it’s a huge improvement over the SE 2. It now has an always-on display with tougher glass, new medical features and gestures, on-device Siri, 5G, twice the capacity, fast-charging, and improved battery life. I like the SE 3 so much that I had to tell people not to buy the Series 11. And it’s so much better (and more future-proofed) than the SE 2, that I would recommend buying the SE 3 at its full price, $249, over its predecessor at $160.

But you don’t have to! Despite being just two months old, the Apple Watch SE 3 is already on sale for $200 at Amazon. Even though it’s still $40 more than the SE, you’ll be much happie with it.

View Deal on Apple Watch SE 3

We’ll be keeping track of all the great deals (and warning you about the bad ones) right here on Macworld. For the latest smartwatch savings, check out our roundup of the best Black Friday Apple Watch deals.