Apple Watch 9's first big US price drop is here

The Apple Watch Series 9 is the latest in the range and has only been out just over a month. However, that hasn’t stopped Amazon offering the first big discount.

Ahead of the Black Friday sales, you can buy the Apple Watch 9 for just $379 which is a $50 saving on the $429 asking price. Or 12%, if you’d like to do the maths that way.

This sale is for the larger 45mm Apple Watch model made from aluminium and it’s available in the silver, midnight and starlight shades. Each comes with a sport loop band.

The Apple Watch Series 9 might be pretty much identical to the Series 8 model in terms of the design (certain models now include recycled aluminium) but the internals are much faster thanks to the presence of the S9 chip.

The advancements will ensure the day-to-day use of the Apple Watch 9 will be more rapid across many staple apps, Siri being one of them. The S9 chip also facilitates the Double Tap gesture, which enables certain features to be accessed simply by tapping the thumb and forefinger together on the wearing hand.

The new U2 ultra wideband chip also means the Apple Watch will be easier to locate in the Find My app, meaning it now works may like AirTags. You can compare the Apple Watch 9 vs Apple Watch 8 here.

Elsewhere, there are still all the features we’ve come to know and love within the Apple Watch range. There’s access to the new watchOS 10 and, by buying the newer version of the hardware, you’ll have access to the latest software for longer too.

Our reviewer concluded: “The Apple Watch Series 9 is a fantastic smartwatch for iPhone users. It’s full of sensors, excellent software and high-end hardware. A redesign, or a least a freshening up of this near decade-old design wouldn’t go amiss in the future though.”