The Apple Watch Series 9 is Apple's second-most expensive watch after the Apple Watch Ultra 2, both released in the fall of 2023—and for a limited time, the Series 9 is discounted to a lower price than it was during Black Friday. The extremely brief sale, via Best Buy (it lasts until March 20, 1 a.m. ET), features the 41mm GPS sport loop Series 9 with four free months of Apple Fitness+ for $299 (originally $399.99) after a $100 discount. If you're reading this after the deadline, check Amazon, because it's matching the deal for an undisclosed amount of time. This is the lowest price I have seen for the Series 9 after looking at price comparison tools.
Get the Apple Watch Series 9 from:
Best Buy $299 (originally $399) comes with 4 months of Apple Fitness+
Amazon $299 (originally $399) comes with 3 months of Apple Fitness+
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 were making headlines in January because of the ban on its blood-oxygen feature, which you might not need anyway. If you purchase a Series 9 from Best Buy, you're likely to get them with the blood-oxygen feature since, so far, only the Apple store has stopped selling those models. There is no indication that Apple will get rid of the feature via software updates for those who already have it or manage to get them from third-party stores before that stock runs out. Once these third-party sellers need to restock their Apple Watches, they're likely to get the newer ones, sans blood-oxygen monitoring. (Amazon, for example, no longer lists blood-oxygen monitoring as a feature of the Series 9 on its sale pages.)
Keep in mind the on-sale version is the GPS-only version (as opposed to GPS + cellular), meaning you’ll need to have your iPhone nearby to take calls or send messages. The aluminum is cheaper than the stainless steel model, and the 41mm screen is for those who prefer a smaller screen compared to the 45mm one. You can check out all the watchOS features here and read a full review of the Series 9 over at PCMag.