5 Black Friday Apple Watch alternatives you can use with iPhone

CMF Watch Pro
(Image credit: Luke Baker)

When it comes to great Black Friday deals, the best Apple Watch Black Friday offerings make for the perfect iPhone companion. While there’s plenty of cross-pollenation in the Android ecosystem and compatibility between the likes of Google, Samsung, and beyond, the Apple ecosystem is much more watertight.

As such, you’re really going to get the best smartwatch experience on iPhone by buying an Apple Watch. However, if you really want to swim against the tide or save a bit of cash, there are some reputable smartwatches out there that work well with iPhone. You won’t find any Wear OS 5 numbers from Google or Samsung here, but the likes of Nothing, Huawei, and Garmin offer some fantastic smartwatches that work with iPhones.

Here are some of our top Apple Watch alternatives for iPhone that you can scoop in the Black Friday sales. They might not offer the full Apple Watch experience, but they often come with some incredible bonuses such as low prices and great battery life.

Today's best Black Friday Apple Watch alternatives for iPhone

CMF by Nothing

Nothing CMF Watch Pro
Nothing CMF Watch Pro: was $69 now $63 at Amazon

Nearly 10% off makes this one of the most affordable Apple Watch alternatives on the market. The CMF Watch Pro boasts Bluetooth, GPS, and activity tracking.

Nothing CMF Watch Pro 2
Nothing CMF Watch Pro 2: $69 at Amazon

The CMF Watch Pro 2 is ripe for a discount as we head into Black Friday in the U.S., and boasts a more classic design over the original.

Nothing CMF Watch Pro 2
Nothing CMF Watch Pro 2: was £69 now £55 at Amazon

Score a massive 20% off the UK version, now down to a new lowest-ever price of just £55. This is a stunning value for an iPhone-compatible smartwatch with many of the features you'd expect from a great wearable.

While Nothing’s smartphones are positively Android regarding software, its CMF smartwatch range is notable for being incredibly cheap and platform-agnostic. The original is a 1.96 “squircle” design with IP68 waterproofing, an AMOLED display, heart rate monitoring, activity tracking, and more. iOS and Android compatibility is a huge bonus, as is that incredible price tag.

Likewise, the CMF Watch Pro 2 also works with both iPhone and Android but sports a more classic round design, a smaller 1.32-inch AMOLED display, and more. Crucially, you’ll get synchronization with Apple Health and control through Nothing’s app. You'll get 11 days of battery life, too.

Although it is not as capable as an Apple Watch SE and is more than half the price, the CMF range is a stunner at this price tag, usually around $70 in the U.S. and currently just £55 in the UK.

Garmin Vivoactive 5

Garmin Vivoactive 5
Garmin Vivoactive 5: was $299.99 now $199.99 at Amazon

Get a whopping 33% off the Garmin Vivoactive 5 in the U.S., now just $199. That's $100 off a great Apple Watch alternative with brilliant fitness tracking, up to 11 days of battery life, and more.

Garmin Vivoactive 5
Garmin Vivoactive 5: was £249.99 now £199 at Amazon

Get the same great price in the UK, a big 20% off to bring the Garmin Vivoactive 5 in line with the Apple Watch SE in terms of price. Get more specialized fitness tracking and a slightly more sporty design for less.

Garmin is perhaps the best Apple Watch alternative for iPhone thanks to its enormous range of models, excellent fitness tracking, specialized running metrics, immense battery life, and more. When it comes to the best smartwatch for iPhone, our top Garmin pick is the Vivoactive 5.

It sits in the same price bracket as the Apple Watch SE and older models like the Series 9. Like the Nothing range, it’s platform agnostic, working with iOS and Android. Right now, you can pick one up in the U.S. and the UK for the lowest-ever price of $199 or £199, respectively. You’ll get round-the-clock health monitoring and fitness tracking, sleep coaching, 11 days of battery life, and GPS. The display is a little smaller at just 1.2 inches, and onboard storage is limited to 4GB.

Garmin Forerunner 165

Garmin Forerunner 165
Garmin Forerunner 165: was £229 now £195 at Amazon

The brilliant Gramin Forerunner 165 is on sale in the UK, 20% off its list price and a new low of just £195.

Garmin Forerunner 165
Garmin Forerunner 165: was $249 now $199 at Amazon

There's an even bigger savings of $50 on the Forerunner 165 in the U.S., 20% off, and a new lowest-ever price. It comes with 11 days of battery life and more than 25 built-in activity profiles.

Another favorite of ours is the Garmin Forerunner 165. This is a Garmin honed for running performance but boasts all the usual Garmin advantages of cross-platform compatibility, including with iPhone, great battery life, and excellent training metrics. Without GPS, you can get up to 11 days of battery life or up to 19 hours in GPS mode, along with powerful running insights and safety features such as incident detection to keep you safe.

Huawei Watch GT 5 - (Not available in the U.S.)

Huawei Watch GT 4
Huawei Watch GT 4: was £229 now £159 at Amazon

Huawei's GT Watch 5 is an inexpensive Apple Watch alternative available in a range of sizes, colors, and more. It offers up to two weeks of battery life, health monitoring, and 32GB of onboard memory.

If you live outside the U.S., you can also snag a great option in the form of the Huawei Watch GT 5, a 46mm number with a classic circular design. It comes with tons of different color and style options, good fitness tracking, and up to 14 days of battery life. Available in three total sizes, there’s also a Pro option with a more premium design and features, plus a larger price tag to match. If you want to save some money, there’s also the capable GT 4.

Huawei Watch Fit 3 - (Not available in the U.S.)

Huawei Watch Fit 3
Huawei Watch Fit 3: was £139 now £99 at Amazon

If you want another great cheap alternative, the Huawei Watch Fit 3 is less than £100 at Amazon right now, a new lowest-ever price.

If you live outside the U.S., you can also snag a great option in the form of the Huawei Watch GT 5, a 46mm number with a classic circular design. It comes with many different color and style options, good fitness tracking, and up to 14 days of battery life. Available in three total sizes, there’s also a Pro option with a more premium design and features, plus a larger price tag to match. If you want to save some money, there’s also the capable GT 4.

Still not sure about the best place to start? Check out our best smartwatch for iPhone guide, as well as some of the Black Friday Garmin deals now.

More of today's Black Friday sales in the US

More of today's Black Friday sales in the UK

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Stephen Warwick
Fitness & Wearables writer

Stephen Warwick is TechRadar's Fitness & Wearables writer with nearly a decade of experience covering technology, including five years as the News Editor of iMore. He's a keen fitness enthusiast and is never far from the local gym, Apple Watch at the ready, to record his latest workout. Stephen has experience writing about every facet of technology including products, services, hardware, and software. He's covered breaking news and developing stories regarding supply chains, patents and litigation, competition, politics and lobbying, the environment, and more. He's conducted interviews with industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. Outside of work, he's a massive tech and history buff with a passion for Rome Total War, reading, and music.