What Apple watch band should I get? This is a question that anyone who owns an Apple watch has had to consider.
On one hand, there are tons the best Apple watch bands from different vendors which give you a wide selection to choose from.
On the other hand, there are the original Apple watch bands that Apple makes and sells to its customers.
The ability to change bands on your Apple watch is one of the best thought design features of the Apple watch.
However, this leaves you with hundreds of bands to choose from. If you are looking for a conclusive comparison of original Apple watch bands versus third-party bands to help you in your next purchase, you are in the right place.
Buying an original Apple Watch Band.
When buying your Apple watch, you get one band with it.
However, most people choose to change their bands to something more stylish and unique.
For this reason, Apple sells a wide selection of Apple watch bands to their customers.
A quick check on their website shows a number of bands from the company that are meant to give the customer a different option to style their watch.
An ordinary sports band costs about 49 dollars with there being a wide array of Apple watch sports bands to choose from.
If you are looking for something more stylish, then a leather, metal or Milanese bands will cost you anywhere from 100 dollars to way past 500 dollars for the premium models.
Getting an original band made by Apple themselves gives you the assurance of top quality and the option of returning the product if it does not meet your expectations.
Additionally, the shopping process is quite easy since you only need to visit an Apple store or go to Apple′s website to get yourself one of their bands.
Buying a third-party Apple watch band.
If you did a quick internet search for third-party Apple watch bands available in the market, you would be spoilt for choice.
There are literally hundreds of different options available for customers.
One thing that you will quickly notice in contrast with the original Apple watch bands is the much cheaper price for which you can get a band for your Apple watch.
For instance, an Apple watch sports bands cost 49 dollars from any Apple store.
An almost similar third-party replica will set you back less than 20 dollars.
If Milanese is more your style, you can get one from the Apple store for 149 dollars.
You can get a third-party Milanese band for just about 39.99 dollars. That is almost fifteen times cheaper than the original band.
For a business-casual look, leather is, for the most part, the preferred material.
Getting an original leather Apple watch band will cost you into the hundreds of dollars.
A decent third-party leather apple watch band could cost you about 25 dollars.
Do not get me wrong, the price is not the only criteria that should be considered when buying your next Apple watch band.
Most of the original bands from Apple are costlier since they are also of better build quality.
However, it is great to see just what you can get from third-party vendors for such low prices.
One advantage of third-party Apple watch bands besides their low cost is the wide variety of options available.
All major online retailers have at least a few on sale. You can even get really unique bands from sites like supwatch.com.
The design options are endless when it comes to third-party Apple watch bands.
Should I get an original Apple watch band or a third party apple watch band option?
With the understanding of the different options that both sides have to offer, it is now time to answer the big question.
Since price is the main difference between original Apple watch bands and third-party bands, the best option depends on your purchasing power.
If the 49 dollars for a regular silicon sports band is affordable for you, then the original Apple watch band is a better choice for you.
You will get better build quality and assured compatibility with your Apple watch since they all come from the same manufacturer.
However, if you do not see the need to spend tens or even hundreds of dollars on a simple band for your Apple watch, then it makes much more sense to get a third-party band from one of the hundreds of vendors out there.
You will not always be assured of the best quality but at least you get great bang for your buck.
If you are more expressive and trendy, it is impossible to go wrong with third-party options.
There are hundreds of differently designed bands and you can be sure to get one that fits your style.
While Apple also offers a relatively large selection of Apple watch bands, they cannot get even close to the number of third-party options available in the market.
In conclusion, buy an original Apple watch if you are focused more on quality and the brand name. For cheaper bands and a wider selection of designs, you will never go wrong with one of the third-party Apple watch bands.
