Today the Apple Watch Series 8 is way better value than the Series 7

The Apple Watch Series 8 is currently a much better bargain than the Apple Watch Series 7
(Image credit: Apple)

The Apple Watch Series 8 was only announced last month but it’s already seeing some discounts. Thanks to all the hubbub around the October Prime Day sale, retailers are slashing its price; Walmart is currently selling the watch for just $349, which is $50 cheaper than usual. 

The new model offers a few nice little upgrades over the older model; skin-temperature tracking, crash detection and better sleep monitoring. It also has an improved range of activity tracking options, so you can record your workout sessions more accurately.

Apple Watch Series 8 | $399 $349 at Walmart

Apple Watch Series 8 | <a href="https://goto.walmart.com/c/1943169/565706/9383?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FApple-Watch-Series-8-GPS-41mm-PRODUCT-RED-Aluminum-Case-with-PRODUCT-RED-Sport-Band-S-M%2F1553851139" data-link-merchant="walmart.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">$399 $349 at Walmart
This $50 discount at Walmart has brought the Apple Watch Series 8 to its lowest-ever price. With all of Apple’s incredibly accurate health tracking tools (including heart rate monitoring and blood oxygen readings) it’s a great option for anyone serious about improving their fitness. 

None of the Series 8 upgrades are huge, but these additions plus some nice software tweaks make the watch feel more refined. What’s more, the Apple Watch Series 7 is currently retailing for between $309 and $339 in most places, so we think it’s definitely worth spending a few extra dollars for the newer model. 

Apple makes some of the best fitness trackers around. The Series 8’s clear display, app-compatibility and intuitive interface mean that most people will find the wearable a joy to use. It straddles the line between a fitness tracker and smartwatch, which means you get excellent health tracking capabilities (like a blood oxygen sensor and ECG heart rate monitor) plus handy on-wrist notifications. But it only really works with an iPhone, so Android users might want to look elsewhere for a decent tracker. We recommend the Fitbit Sense here. 

One of the most important upgrades in the new Series 8 is the improved battery life; it can now last 36 hours instead of 24. This still isn’t as impressive as most of the best Garmin watches, but it means that you’ll comfortably be able to take advantage of sleep-tracking without worrying that your watch will run out of battery mid-snooze. 

If you really want to save some money, you could consider buying one of the older Apple models. While the Apple Watch Series 7 isn't currently that much cheaper than the Apple Watch 8, the older Apple Watch SE is retailing for less than $200.

Apple Watch SE | $249 $189 at Walmart

Apple Watch SE | <a href="https://goto.walmart.com/c/1943169/565706/9383?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FApple-Watch-SE-1st-Gen-GPS-40mm-Gold-Aluminum-Case-with-Starlight-Sport-Band-Regular%2F758438118" data-link-merchant="walmart.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">$249 $189 at Walmart
This is a good price on the more basic SE watch from Apple, which has some excellent health tracking features but comes with the older S5 chip. That means it's a little slower than the top-line models. It doesn't pack in the ECG heart monitoring feature or the blood-oxygen sensor, but it can give basic heart rate readings.

Apple Watch Series 7 | $379 $309 on Amazon

Apple Watch Series 7 | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=74387&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FApple-Watch-Green-Aluminum-Clover%2Fdp%2FB09HDXJRB4%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">$379 $309 on Amazon
The price of the Apple Watch Series 7 has been jumping around this Prime Day, but it's currently priced at $309. This isn't the lowest price we've seen the watch (it's previously fallen to $269) but it is $40 cheaper than the Apple Watch Series 8.

Walmart has a few nice deals available at the moment across health and fitness, as it lowers prices to compete with the Amazon Prime Day October event. The sales will finish on 12 October, which means there’s still plenty of time to take advantage of low prices.

If the Apple Watch isn’t your perfect match, you could try browsing the other Prime Day fitness tracker deals. Or for a full rundown of what’s available, check out the Prime Early Access Health and Fitness deals.  

Ruth Gaukrodger

Ruth Gaukrodger is the fitness editor at Future Plc. She covers everything from fitness trackers to dumbbells for sites like Live Science, Fit&Well and Tom's Guide. When she's not reviewing equipment in our dedicated testing centre, you'll find her racing round the streets of London in her favorite running shoes or working on her yoga skills from the comfort of her living room.


Originally a print journalist, Ruth worked across national newspapers and popular tech sites before coming to Future. She has worked as a commissioning editor across other Future titles too, including Space.com and Top Ten Reviews. Now focused solely on fitness topics, she hopes to demystify the world of exercise with honest, straightforward content.