Corey Gaskin
Update (11/27/21 9:52 pm EST): We’ve added a nice deal on the Apple Watch Series 6 that matches the lowest price we’ve tracked, as well as a deal on our favorite Garmin: the Venu 2 smartwatch. We also swept through for changes to price, stock, and additional Black Friday and early Cyber Monday deals running through the weekend.
Original post (11/24/21 6:00 pm EST): The Black Friday barrage is in full swing. We’re curating a big list of the best deals we can find in general, but among the avalanche of discounts so far, we spotted a high number of worthwhile deals on smartwatches and fitness trackers we like and have previously recommended.
Most of the picks from our recently updated guide to the best smartwatches are seeing solid discounts for the holiday shopping season, so to help those hoping to grab a new wearable sort through the noise, we’ve highlighted a few favorites that are worth your consideration below.
Our Black Friday Coverage
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The Apple Watch SE is the best low-cost alternative to the Series 7.
Apple
Apple Watch SE for $219 ($279) at Amazon, Target
Apple Watch Series 6 for $300 at Newegg OR $350 at Amazon
The new Apple Watch Series 7 for $380 ($400) at Amazon
The Apple Watch Series 7 (on sale for $380) tops our list as the best smartwatch you can buy, but the Apple Watch Series 6 (on sale for $300) is the next best option. The Series 7 has 2X faster charge times, a QWERTY keyboard for text input, and a bigger screen that allows for three larger font sizes—a potential gamechanger for those with low vision. If none of this is worth the extra $80 to you, then you can pick up a Series 6 for its lowest price yet, while supplies last on the discontinued (but not all that old) watch.
The Apple Watch SE, though it lacks the always-on display and more advanced health features (electrocardiogram (ECG) support, blood oxygen monitoring) of the Series 7 and Series 6, also has GPS, optional LTE, and music storage. It’s still a device you can confidently use to leave your phone at home. Apple Watches aren’t necessarily the best fitness trackers available, but there are more than 50 different activity-tracking modes, ranging from dancing to ebiking and everything in between. The main draw of Apple Watches is watchOS’s wide app compatibility, which brings most, if not all, popular smartwatch apps right to your wrist.
This deal brings the best price we’ve seen for the SE to date. The Series 6 deal matches the rarely seen lowest price we’ve clocked. It’s also unlikely to last. The Series 7 is new, so it’s nice to see any discount on it.
Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 for $200 ($250) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Samsung
The Galaxy Watch 4 is our top pick for Android smartwatches. The software running it is Google’s new Wear OS, which is now a joint venture between it and Samsung. That means it now has much wider app compatibility than older Galaxy Watches that used Samsung’s Tizen OS. It works well as a fitness tracking tool with ECG (Samsung phones only), heart rate, blood oxygen, GPS, optional LTE, and onboard music storage.
We’re pretty used to seeing Galaxy Watches sell under their MSRP, so this deal just may stick around longer than the season. But if you’re looking for the best Android smartwatch for the holidays, look no further.
Corey Gaskin / Ars Technica
Fitbit Sense for $200 ($270) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
Fitbit’s Sense is our second favorite non-Apple smartwatch. With ECG, GPS, EDA (electrodermal activity, for stress measurements), SpO2 (blood oxygen), and the requisite heart-rate sensor all in tow, the Sense has your vitals covered. Those are all the same sensors (plus one, EDA) that the Apple Watch Series 7 has, and it also comes with six months of Fitbit Premium. We still don’t find the Sense to be the best pure fitness tracker: you can’t store music on it, and activity tracking can be a bit overzealous and somewhat misleading.
That said, having compatibility on Android and iPhone devices and a market-leading bevy of health sensors makes the Sense a good buy at its typical price and an even more compelling deal at $200—the lowest price we’ve tracked for it.
Fitbit/Google
Fitbit Charge 5 for $130 ($175) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
The Fitbit Charge 5 is the company’s best value device, and this price cut to $130—the lowest since its release—makes it one of, if not, the best fitness tracker you can get at this price. The device also includes six months of Fitbit’s Premium service for more exercises, insights, and health tips. The charge has all the same sensors as the Fitbit Sense (EDA, ECG, SpO2, GPS, HR) but comes in a more rectangular wristband form. You won’t be able to control music or use any voice assistants like you can on the Sense, but if you like the Charge 5’s style, $130 is a relatively low barrier of entry to this level of tracking and smartwatch functionality.
Corey Gaskin
Fitbit Luxe for $100 ($150) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
Fitbit Inspire 2 for $60 ($95) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
The Fitbit Luxe is, for my money, one of the best-looking fitness trackers available, especially with the gorjana bracelet accessory, sold separately. It’s essentially a dolled-up Fitbit Inspire 2 with half the battery life—five days, versus 10 on the Inspire. The main reason for that battery disparity is the Luxe’s vibrant OLED display, which, unlike the grayscale Inspire 2, is in full color.
Neither the Luxe nor the Inspire 2 has built-in GPS, EDA, or ECG. They both lack blood oxygen monitoring, too, though Fitbit says the Luxe should soon support it. Regardless, the Inspire and Luxe are good values for casual fitness trackers at $60 and $100, respectively. The former deal is $3 off the best price we’ve tracked, while the latter matches the all-time low. The main decision you have to make is whether the Luxe’s looks are worth the price increase to you.
