At £329 Apple Watch 5 (44mm, 4G) hits cheapest price ever

Update 24-12-2020: John Lewis’s original offer on the 44mm Watch 5 with cellular for £349 was the lowest we had seen – the offer has now ended, but but Currys PC World has an even better deal! You can now get the 44mm Watch 5 in Stainless Steel for £329 instead. Also get the 40mm option (with GPS + Cellular) on the Milanese Loop for £399 – a fantastic saving! We don’t expect it to last long, so be quick!

Those looking to nab a fantastic last-minute Christmas deal on the Apple Watch must take a look at John Lewis’s clearance sale on the Watch 5.

Right now, the 44mm Watch S5 with cellular in stainless steel is only £349 – which is just £20 more than the same model in aluminum, now reduced to £329.

There are a few reasons why the offer is particularly enticing. First off: the price has never been lower on this configuration.

Compared to the original £749 RRP on the stainless steel model, you’re saving a hefty £400. That RRP, of course, was the price at launch. In reality, the prices have fluctuated over the year but have always remained significantly higher than John Lewis’s current asking price.

At the beginning of this year, the Watch 5 dropped to around £699 (on average) and dipped to around £500 right before the Watch Series 6’s launch in September. After the Watch 6 launch, however, Watch 5 prices rose back up to around £640.

Relative to this, John Lewis’s price effectively saves you around £291 – not bad. Standard delivery and click and collect are also free, but for £6.95 you can get next-day delivery – ideal for anyone still looking for a Christmas gift.

Of course, prices dropped further over Black Friday, when the stainless steel configuration cost around £500. If that’s close to what you paid (and you’re reading this article out of buyer’s remorse), remember most retailers are offering extended returns, so you might still be able to get your money back and opt for John Lewis’s deal instead – just make sure to read the return policy on your original purchase carefully. John Lewis is accepting return claims until 28 January.

The retailer’s offer also beats Amazon’s. There, the same model costs £506 if you opt for the white sport band, and £471 if you opt for the Space Black Stainless Steel option with a black sport band.

Having released only last year, the Watch 5 packs a number of features that will satisfy those looking for fitness and health metrics alike. The Watch 5 offers specialized functions like ECG readings and optical heart monitoring.

What you don’t get in the Series 5 are SpO2 (blood oxygen) monitoring and sleep tracking – features introduced in the Series 6, which costs £699 for the same configuration.

Read our full review of the Watch Series 5. We’ve also compared the Watch 5 to the Watch 6. 

If you’re after other excellent Apple Watch deals, we’re looking at all the best ones over Christmas and Boxing Day here.