Grab These Sweet Apple Watch Series 9 Deals Quick Before The Sales Ban
Time is ticking for anyone hoping to purchase an Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2 before the semi-voluntary sales ban takes effect. In case you missed it, the ITC has issued an import ban on those models due to a patent dispute over the Apple's blood oxygen sensor. Apple issue a statement saying it is preemptively taking steps to comply in case the ruling stands, which means a pause in sales on affected models starting on December 21 at its online store, and December 24 at its retail locations. Meanwhile, Best Buy is serving up a bunch of smartwatch deals, including big savings on the soon-to-banned devices.
To be clear, the ruling only applies to Apple and not its retail partners. Best Buy tells us it plans to continue selling Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models through the end of the December. Beyond that? Well, your guess is as good as ours—we imagine it depends on inventory levels. Clarity on the situation will have to wait. In the meantime, there are deals to be had right this very moment.
One such deal is the Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm, GPS) for $329 at Best Buy (save $70). That's a chunky discount on Apple's newest smartwatch, and you could potentially save even more if you have a device to trade in to Best Buy.
For the Series 9 lineup, Apple introduced some key upgrades, including a brighter display (up to 2,000 nits versus 1,000 nits on the Series 8), a faster and more capable S9 processor based on the A15 Bionic, more accurate dictation, more storage (64GB versus 32GB), and support for double-tap gestures, to name some of the highlights.
For those of you who are adventure seekers and need something more sturdy, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS) is discounted to $749 at Best Buy (save $50). Likewise, you can trade in a previous-generation Apple Watch (or a range of wearables, including FitBit and Fossil devices) to save even more.
Upgrades over the previous-generation Apple Watch Ultra are not substantial, but the Ultra 2 does offer up a brighter display (3,000 nits versus 2,000 nits) and support for double-tap gestures. It also gets more storage (64GB versus 32GB) and retains the same rugged durability that makes it suitable for underwater quests (100-meter water resistance and rated to withstand recreational dives to 40 meters).
Here are some more Apple Watch deals...
- Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm, GPS): $359 (save $70)
- Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm, GPS + Cellular): $459 (save $70)
- Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm, GPS + Cellular): $459 (save $70)
- Apple Watch SE 2nd Generation (40mm, GPS): $199 (save $50)
- Apple Watch SE 2nd Generation (40mm, GPS + Cellular): $249 (save $50)
- Apple Watch SE 2nd Generation (44mm, GPS): $229 (save $50)
- Apple Watch SE 2nd Generation (44mm, GPS + Cellular): $279 (save $50)
- Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, GPS): $319.99 (save $79.01)
- Apple Watch Series 8 (45mm, GPS: $343.99 (save $85.01)
- Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, GPS + Cellular): $399.99 (save $99.01)
- Apple Watch Series 8 (45mm, GPS + Cellular): $423.99 (save $105.01)
- Apple Watch Ultra (49mm, GPUS + Cellular): $599 (save $200)
Note that the Apple Watch SE is not affected by ITC's ruling—it only applies to the Series 9 and Ultra 2. However, the SE is on sale for the holiday season and is a solid option if you're wanting a more affordable wearable from Apple's lineup.
