Black Friday is now the biggest sales season of the year, with a month-long period of deals and discounts across just about everything – including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and all sorts of other wearables.
A few years ago, deals would only start on the day, and last throughout the weekend. Now, promotions and offers can kick off as early as the beginning of the month.
We’ve rounded up everything we know for getting a wearable or smartwatch for less next Black Friday.
When is Black Friday 2023?
Black Friday officially takes place on 24 November, and is then followed by Cyber Monday on 27 November.
When do Black Friday smartwatch savings begin?
While you can hold out until the actual day, you’ll see a lot of the biggest discounts advertised a week before Black Friday, and many more earlier than that.
Many shops now offer deals throughout the whole of November. Therefore, if you see a good deal ahead of Black Friday, there is no real reason to wait – especially when you take into consideration that some retailers such as Amazon sometimes run out of stock by Black Friday itself.
With that in mind, we collect the best smartwatch deals we can find in the US and UK right here, currently including the best offers we saw on products last year. Below those offers you can find more detailed buying advice on what to look for this Black Friday.
Best Black Friday smartwatch deals in the US
Garmin Venu 2
Amazon has cut the price of this running-focussed Garmin tracker by $50.
Fitbit Luxe
Amazon has taken 15% off the fashionable Fitbit Luxe activity tracker. Prices may differ with color options.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (42mm)
Save $150 on the smaller Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, Samsung’s last smartwatch to include a physical rotating bezel.
Best Black Friday smartwatch deals in the UK
Huawei Watch 3 (Active Edition)
Huawei’s most powerful smartwatch yet boasts an integrated eSIM as standard, SpO2 tracking and an all-new user experience in the company’s own HarmonyOS. With over £150 off, this looks to be its biggest reduction on Amazon to date.
Garmin Venu 2
One of Garmin’s most recent timepieces, the Venu 2 offers up one of the richest feature sets in the company’s wearable portfolio. It’s also one of the few smartwatches with Amazon Music playback support.
Fossil Gen 6
The long-awaited upgrade to Fossil’s popular line of Wear OS smartwatches may have not been on the market that long, but this Snapdragon Wear 4100+-powered timepiece is already available with over a third off, thanks to this latest Amazon deal.
Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro
The most premium and powerful member of Huawei’s Watch GT 2 series, the GT 2 Pro boasts a refined design, hewn from luxurious materials that include titanium, ceramic and sapphire glass. On Amazon, it’s now available with over half off.
Fitbit Versa 3
Save a bunch on the excellent Fitbit Versa 3 from Amazon. Check colours for different prices.
Are Black Friday deals real?
While many retailers will happily try and get in on the Black Friday hype, not all deals are as good as they may seem. Lots of products drop in price after they first go on sale, so already they’re cheaper than the original RRP.
When Black Friday comes around, some shops put the price back up to the original RRP and then discount it again – making it seem like you’re getting a big saving. It may still be a good deal, but the amount you’re saving may not be exactly what the retailer is claiming.
If you’re unsure on what is a good deal, then you can always check the price history of a product on sites such as PriceSpy and CamelCamelCamel, which is specifically for things sold on Amazon.
However, rest assured that we have seen some good deals during the Black Friday season, so it’s still a good time to shop.
How to shop for wearable discounts at Black Friday
The number of deals and offers throughout the Black Friday season can be overwhelming. To save yourself time and hassle, it’s best to try and decide in advance what product you’d like to find deals for and set yourself a price limit on what you’d like to spend.
Once you’ve got a product and budget in mind, check with the manufacturer for the usual RRP of what you want to buy. That way, you’ll be able to identify a good price when you see it.
It’s worth noting that many smartwatches are often bundled in with other products. Therefore, if you’re in the market for a new phone or laptop, there may be a chance that you can bag a wearable with your purchase during Black Friday.
Another thing you can do is sign up for alerts and newsletters from the retailers you plan on buying from. You can also check out full lists of the best Black Friday deals overall, which will have offers for smartwatches.
HotUKDeals allows you to set alerts for specific products – so if a deal is getting a lot of attention, you’ll receive an email/notification straight away.
Finally, if you’re a student, you may be able to get even more money off of Black Friday deals.
Where to find the best smartwatch savings at Black Friday
Judging by past years, there are a few retailers to watch out for this Black Friday. Xiaomi and OnePlus nearly always bundle in wearables with their phone deals, as does Samsung.
Amazon typically offers some of the biggest savings on Fitbits, and other retailers try and emulate these deals on the day.
eBay sometimes offers a 10% promotion across the site, which you can use to get even bigger savings on smartwatches. For example, Currys sells stock on eBay, so you can combine the already discounted retailer price with eBay’s offer for a double whammy deal.
If you don’t mind getting a refurbished product, it’s worth looking at the likes of Music Magpie and Amazon Renewed. These are good stores to check out if you’re looking to get an Apple Watch for a lot cheaper than the price you’d pay for a new model.
Author: Dominic Preston, Deputy Editor
Tech Advisor's Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he's a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.