We've found the cheapest way to get an Apple Watch Ultra

Apple Watch Ultra
(Image credit: Apple)

The Apple Watch lineup has become increasingly incremental, to the point where it's getting harder for the tech giant to find exciting ways to upgrade it each year.

Nowhere is this more keenly felt than with the Apple Watch Ultra 2. While the first model made its debut in late 2022, the sequel is here already—and not much is new.

The new version has a faster chip, a brighter display, and the new double-tap gesture, but there's little else to get you excited. Perhaps the best thing about the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is that has spurred retailers to discount the first model—and Best Buy has the best deal we've seen so far for a fitness tracker we think very highly of.

The retailer is offering the original Apple Watch Ultra for $679 - slashing the price by $120.

Apple Watch Ultra:  was $799, now $679 @ Best Buy

Apple Watch Ultra: was $799, now $679 @ Best Buy
We reviewed the Apple Watch Ultra and dubbed it "the best Apple Watch" earlier this year, and even with its successor being revealed, there's little to split them.

Whereas a Fitbit or similar will let you track steps, calories, and other metrics, an Apple Watch offers all of that and more, working like a true extension of your phone —and with its own apps, too.

The Apple Watch Ultra is advertised as being for those who push their limits to the max by running across mountain ranges or deserts or going deep sea diving, but it's a fantastic smartwatch for anyone who likes to lift weights or go for a middle-distance run every now and again, with a big, bright display and the option to use third-party tools like Strava right on your wrist.

It's also got the best battery life in an Apple Watch, and while it's only two or three days, that's better than the one day offered by the base models.

In our Apple Watch Ultra review, we awarded it five stars and said: 

For more, why not check out our Fitbit Sense 2 review, where we said "the Apple Watch Ultra isn't for everyone, but it should be the blueprint for the Apple Watch going forward — particularly in terms of battery life."

Lloyd Coombes

Lloyd Coombes freelance tech and fitness writer for Live Science. He's an expert in all things Apple as well as in computer and gaming tech, with previous works published on TopTenReviews, Space.com, Dexerto and TechRadar. You'll find him regularly testing the latest MacBook or iPhone, but he spends most of his time writing about video games as Editor in Chief at GGRecon.com. He also covers board games and virtual reality, just to round out the nerdy pursuits.