Walmart has cut $100 off the Apple Watch Series 11 as of November 12, the opening move in its first Black Friday event of the season.
The GPS-only 42mm model costs $299 instead of $399, a 25% discount. The GPS plus cellular 42mm version costs $399 instead of $499, or 20% off. The GPS deal covers one configuration, a jet black aluminum case with a black Sport Band. The cellular model comes in four: jet black with black, rose gold with light blush, silver with purple fog, and space gray with black.
The discount exists because Apple now sells a newer watch. The Series 12 has the same 24-hour battery life as the Series 11, though it charges a bit faster. It also has upgraded optical and electrical sensors and a processor one generation ahead. The Series 11 lacks consistent heart rate readings, Readiness and Siri Recap.
Everything else is close. The two watches share a design and, under watchOS 27, the same core features: hypertension notifications, a Sleep Score metric and Workout Buddy support. That narrows what the extra money on a Series 12 buys to better health sensing and a faster chip. Note that the $100 is measured against the Series 11's own list price, not against its successor, so the real gap depends on what you would otherwise pay.
My read: if you want a watch that lasts a day and flags sleep and blood pressure trends, the older model covers it. If steady heart rate data matters to you, the Series 12 is the one to pay for. The cellular upgrade costs $100 on either price tag, so it only makes sense if you plan to leave your phone at home.
The bigger jump came a generation earlier. The Series 11 added up to six hours of battery over the 2024 Series 10, while the Series 12 leaves battery life where it was.