Apple Watch Series 3 at Aldi: bargain or old carrot?

For Singles’ Day, Aldi had an Apple iPhone 8 for 289 euros at the start – an offer that, as expected, met with a lot of interest, even if we were able to show you how you can get the coveted device even cheaper. Apparently, Aldi has had so much success with its campaign that the discounter has now decided to do something similar again – but there is more to it than just one catch.

So there is from Monday, December 13th, the Apple Watch Series 3 (test) for 155 euros. However, as you would expect from the price, these are refurbished devices, i.e. generally overhauled second-hand goods. On offer is the 38 millimeter version, which has a retina OLED display with only 272 × 340 pixels, comes with just eight gigabytes of memory and supports WLAN b / g / n and Bluetooth 4.2 – LTE is not on board . And you also have to do without the popular ECG function, as this was only integrated from the 4 series. The sports armband and the magnetic charging cable come with accessories, but a USB charger is not included. After all: The current WatchOS 8 runs with it.

Of course, as always with refurbished devices, it is unclear whether the lithium-ion battery will last for the promised 18 hours. The offer, like the iPhone campaign a few weeks ago, is being implemented with Renewd, which explains that the devices are “thoroughly checked by certified specialists” and that “only 100% original Apple parts” are used when something is replaced. It is difficult for the customer to verify this, as the corresponding videos from Renewd’s competitors show, so that it is hardly possible for the end customer to verify what he is buying.

The battery isn’t the only thing that makes the range appear moderately attractive. Because none of this is a bargain, at least not a sustainable one. Because the watch was released in September 2017 and should therefore, at best, receive updates and enhancements in the coming year before Apple takes it out of the program. It is currently still available there, although it is there from 219 euros * ends up in the shopping cart. The usual market price is just under 200 euros for new goods, provided the model, which is definitely getting on in years, is still listed. The bottom line is that the offer is on the one hand a reasonably cheap option if you want to have an Apple Watch on your arm, but not really future-proof.

The Apple Watch Series 3 is only sold at Aldi Nord and only in the branches. If you don’t want to queue up or don’t even live in the Aldi Nord catchment area, you can look around on the Internet. Because in the meantime, the refurbished providers are vying for the favor of customers, especially in the context of such offers. But especially with this model, which is admittedly a bit older, there are hardly any offers from other providers. Refurbed currently has the same model in black for 150 euros * at the start, with small numbers being added again and again, as the offer is sometimes sold out.

By the way, Aldi Süd has an Amazfit GTS 2E at the same time on offer, an iOS and Android smartwatch with a 1.65-inch AMOLED display that masters simple sports and fitness functions with a total of 90 modes and can be used, for example, as a step counter or for sleep analyzes. The watch can measure blood oxygen saturation and heart rate as well as monitor its own stress level. The price of 79.99 euros at Aldi Süd is okay, although even the manufacturer only charges 94.50 euros in its own shop and of course you don’t get anything comparable to an Apple Watch.