Is an Apple Watch Expensive? [Complete Cost Breakdown!]

The Apple Watch is one of the most beautifully designed and impressively tech-stacked smartwatches. It syncs well with your iPhone and helps you maintain your fitness, keep track of your tasks, and get notifications in real-time, but is its price proportionate to its performance?

An apple watch is expensive compared to other brands’ smartwatches with similar features. However, within the Apple product line, the smartwatch is one of its cheapest products, and its Series 3, which is still available, costs less than $170. Models past Series 5 cost significantly more.

In this article, you will learn more about how much Apple Watches cost and which models command the highest and the lowest price. By the end of this post, you’ll know whether the Apple Watch is for you and if it is, which model you should order.

How Much Do Apple Watches Usually Cost?

Apple Watches usually cost between $399 and $799, though the latest models in titanium build command significantly higher prices. The cheapest Apple Watch on the market is the Series 3, which starts at $169. For optimal function, one must get an Apple Watch Series 5 or over.

The table below provides average prices for common models of Apple Watches

Apple Watch	Price Range
Series 5	$399.00 to $799.00
Series 6	$399.00 to $1,499.00
Series 7	$749.00 to $1,499.00
SE	$279.00

Which Apple Watch is the Most Expensive? 

Apple Watch 7 Titanium is the most expensive Apple Watch because it combines the latest features of Apple’s smartwatch line with the durability of a titanium case. It costs more than the steel and aluminum versions of the watch, which can cost less than a titanium Apple Watch 6.

Titanium is twice as durable as aluminum which makes it almost as strong as steel. You may wonder why it is more expensive than steel if it is just as durable.

The reason, aside from titanium’s rareness, is that it is lighter than steel while being just as strong, which makes the Apple Watch 7 Titanium and Apple Watch 6 Titanium lighter than their respective steel and aluminum counterparts.

The most expensive apple watch in the absence of material differences is the Apple Watch 7. But if Apple Watch 8 comes out, it will eclipse the price of its predecessor.

However, Apple Watch 7 titanium might still command a higher price than the standard Apple Watch 8. This speaks to the value of titanium as a smartwatch exterior material.

You should get Apple Watch 7 Titanium if:

1. You work out with weights and moving pieces – From a skipping rope accident to your wrist hitting a wall, plenty of things can dent the Apple Watch’s aluminum exterior. And if you regularly swim as well, a simple chink in the smatch watch exterior can leave the gadget vulnerable to water damage.
    
2. Your primary exercise modality is swimming – If swimming makes up a bulk of your activity, you should invest in a titanium case because it extends the lifespan of your watch’s water resistance. The longer your Apple Watch goes without getting a crack or a dent, the longer you can take it into water.

Do not get Apple Watch 7 Titanium if:

1. You want the basic fitness, and call features – Apple Watch 5 onwards have decent functionality, which makes Watch 7 titanium a bit over-stacked for the average user.
    
2. You’re not locked into the Apple ecosystem – If you do not have an iPhone, you cannot even set up the Apple Watch. You should not get a Watch 7 Titanium or any Apple Watch unless you have an iPhone.

Which is the Least Expensive Apple Watch? 

The least expensive Apple Watch is the Apple Watch Series 3, as previous versions are not available except through the second-hand market with seller-dictated prices. Apple Watch 3 can be bought from third-party outlets like electronics retail centers and even a local Walmart for under $170.

Before you buy Apple Watch Series 3, you should know the following.

1. You need an iPhone – Even though Watch Series 3 is the least expensive Apple Watch still being sold, it needs an iPhone for setup, which makes it useless for anyone who doesn’t have an iPhone. Getting an iPhone alongside the watch makes the overall purchase quite pricey.
    
2. It is waterproof – Despite being nearly 5 years old, the Apple Watch Series 3 is waterproof and can resist water at the same depth as the Apple Watch 7!
    
3. Limited internal storage – The greatest drawback of the Apple Watch Series 3 is that it has only 8 GBs of internal storage. This might sound like a lot, but compared to the 32 GB storage of Apple Watch Series 5, Series 3 has a fraction of what the latest Apple Watch models have to offer.

Why Are Apple Watches So Expensive? 

Apple Watches are expensive because of the value they offer as brand-name gadgets that work perfectly with an iPhone, have an easy-to-use interface, and are visually pleasing style statements that double as accountability partners for one’s sleep, cardiac health, and fitness.

Let’s explore each reason that contributes to the overall price of Apple Watches so you can decide if you consider these price inflating factors valuable enough to justify the purchase.

Brand Name 

Because the Apple Watch bears the Apple name, its higher price is implicit in the product. When you wear an Apple Watch, you don’t have to say that you’re wearing one of the highest-priced smartwatches on the planet. People can infer this simply from the Apple brand.

Easy-to-Use Interface 

Apple has mastered simplifying complicated tasks for its users. Other smartwatches might have more features, but most of them will not be as accessible. With an Apple Watch, you can be sure that you’ll use most functions if not all of them.

Apple Ecosystem 

If you already have an iPhone, it is a hassle to use another smartwatch with it. As far as your inter-connected gadgets are concerned, Apple has a monopoly on convenience. Wherever there is a monopoly of any sort, the prices are higher.

You can surpass this by going the more inconvenient route and downloading different apps to pair a non-apple smartwatch with an iPhone. But whether that’s worth the effort is up to you to decide.

Visually Pleasing 

According to Steve Jobs’ philosophy for Apple’s modern line-up, the product design was more important than its internal features. The Apple Watch continues this legacy by having one of the most aesthetic designs for a smartwatch.

This factor raises the price of Apple Watches the same way beauty raises the value of wall art. 

Is An Apple Watch Worth the Money?

An Apple Watch is worth the money if you’re interested in tracking your calorie consumption and expenditure or want to improve your sleep health and are plugged into the Apple device ecosystem. Otherwise, a Fitbit is just as good for the tracking features and costs less.

Apple Watch is worth the money in the following contexts:

1. Everyone in your office has an Apple Watch – Because we live in a society where everyone is judged based on their socioeconomic standing, being the only person standing out for having a cheaper product is not good for one’s reputation, especially in an office. When everyone has an Apple Watch, you should have an Apple Watch or no smartwatch.
    
2. You have only apple products – If you have not used non-Apple smartphones, you will find it difficult to navigate any smartwatch that does not run on iOS. In that case, Apple Watch SE is worth the money if you’re interested in a well-functioning smartwatch that isn’t too advanced or pricey.
    
3. You want to get it as a gift – There is no price too high for the right gift. If you’re interested in getting someone you care about a gift that communicates how much you value them, and they happen to be enthusiastic about Apple, then the brand’s smartwatch can be a perfect gift to add to their life.