Black Friday is November 27 this year, which means four weeks of retail theater stand between you and the actual sale event. Except the discounts have already started, and some of them are the deepest we've seen all year.
That's not a guess. Apple's newest rugged watch just took its first real price cut, Google's newest Pixel Watch is at its lowest price since launch, and a Garmin that normally sells for $500 is sitting at $319.99. All of it this week.
Here's what's actually live right now and what the numbers look like.
Apple Watch Ultra 4: $699.99
Apple Watch Ultra 4 dropped to $699.99 on Amazon, down from the $799 list price. That's $99 off, and it's the first meaningful discount since the watch launched in September.
Two other outlets logged the same price within hours of each other, which is usually the sign of a real Amazon promotion rather than a one-off pricing glitch. It also undercuts the previous year-to-date low of $774, so if you've been waiting on this one, the wait is over.
The Ultra 4 is the 49mm titanium GPS + Cellular model. Apple rates it at up to 50 hours in typical use, 84 hours in Low Power Mode, and 45 hours with extended workout tracking on. It also carries dual-frequency GPS, 100m water resistance, and scuba support to 40m.
Worth a look: Apple Watch Ultra 4 on Amazon
Apple Watch Ultra 3: $649
If you don't need the newest chassis, the previous generation is doing something more interesting. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is down to $649 from $799, a $150 cut and a 19 percent discount.
That's the deeper percentage of the two Apple deals, and the Ultra 3 still covers the core Ultra feature set: the titanium case, the big display, the long battery, and the satellite emergency messaging that arrived with this generation. The gap between the Ultra 3 and Ultra 4 is smaller than the $50 price difference suggests.
Check it: Apple Watch Ultra 3 on Amazon
Google Pixel Watch 5: $299.99
Google's 41mm Pixel Watch 5 is at $299.99, down from $399.99. That's $100 off and the lowest price we've seen on it since it went on sale.
Three separate outlets have flagged this one in the last 24 hours, and one of them is calling it a historic discount for the current Pixel Watch. For a watch that launched at $400 this is the point where it starts competing with the mid-range Garmin and Samsung stuff on price as well as features.
We compared it directly to Samsung's flagship earlier this month, and the short version is that the Pixel Watch 5 is the better pick if you live in Google's ecosystem and the Galaxy Watch 9 is better if you don't.
Read that comparison here: Pixel Watch 5 vs Galaxy Watch 9
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: $465.55
Samsung's chunky titanium Galaxy Watch Ultra has dropped to $465.55 from $649.99 on Amazon. That's $184 off, or 28 percent, and it's the biggest percentage cut in this list.
It's the LTE model, so you're getting standalone connectivity at a price that usually buys the Bluetooth version. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is the only Samsung watch with the square-ish case and the extra button, and it's the one Samsung built to take a beating.
Garmin Instinct 2X Solar Tactical: $319.99
Over in Garmin land, the Instinct 2X Solar Tactical is down to $319.99 from $499.99. That's $180 off, or 36 percent, and it's the kind of price that makes a solar Garmin with a flashlight genuinely hard to argue with.
It's not a new watch. Garmin has moved the Instinct line forward since, and if you want the current generation you'll pay closer to list. But the 2X Solar Tactical still has the solar charging, the multi-band GPS, the rugged polymer case and the built-in flashlight that made the Instinct series popular in the first place.
Garmin vivoactive 5: under $190
The budget end is moving too. The Garmin vivoactive 5 has been sitting at roughly $110 off, which puts it under $190 for the Ivory colorway.
This is the watch to look at if you want Garmin's training and sleep data without paying for a Forerunner or a Fenix. An AMOLED display, an 11-day battery rating, and the full Garmin Connect feature set at under $190 is the best value in this whole roundup.
Take a look: Garmin vivoactive 5 on Amazon
If you want to go cheaper still, the CMF Watch 3 Pro is down to $59, which is the lowest it has been. You get what you pay for, but at that price it's a reasonable second watch or a first smartwatch for a kid.
Why the discounts are landing early
Two things are pushing prices down before November even starts.
The first is that Black Friday has been stretching earlier every year in this category, and watch makers would rather discount in late October than get buried in the November noise. Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart all have rolling early-holiday promotions running now.
The second is more interesting for anyone planning to wait. Garmin's CEO told investors this week that the company is facing "significantly higher" supply chain costs, mostly memory and component pricing, and that higher watch prices are on the table heading into 2027. We covered that in detail here: Garmin puts 2027 watch price hikes on the table
If Garmin follows through, waiting for a deeper Black Friday cut on a Garmin might not work out the way it usually does. A $180 cut on an Instinct 2X Solar Tactical today is a known quantity. A $150 cut on a watch that went up $40 in January is not.
What to actually buy
If you want the newest thing and the price is the point, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 at $699.99 is the headline. It's the first real discount on a two-month-old flagship and it's already below where the Ultra 3 sat for most of the year.
If you want the best value per dollar in this list, the Garmin vivoactive 5 under $190 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra at $465.55 are the two that stand out. The Ultra is 28 percent off a watch Samsung still sells as its premium model, and the vivoactive gives you most of Garmin's software stack for less than half the price of a Forerunner.
One caution on all of these: retailer prices move daily, and some of these discounts are Amazon-only and could snap back without notice. Check the price on the listing before you commit, and don't assume a number here is still live next week.
We'll keep tracking the run-up to November 27 as more watch deals go live. For the wider picture on holiday pricing this year, our Prime Big Deal Days roundup from October is still a useful baseline for what these watches usually discount to: Prime Big Deal Days 2026 watch deals
Sources: Android Authority deal coverage published October 28 and 30, 2026 (Apple Watch Ultra 4, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Pixel Watch 5, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Garmin Instinct 2X Solar Tactical, CMF Watch 3 Pro); 9to5Toys and 9to5Mac Apple Watch Ultra 4 price tracking, October 30, 2026; Notebookcheck and Android Police Pixel Watch 5 price coverage, October 30, 2026; PhoneArena and WIRED Garmin vivoactive 5 deal coverage, October 2026; Garmin third quarter 2026 earnings call remarks on component costs. Prices quoted as reported on October 30, 2026 and subject to change.
