I was a Garmin watch guy, but the Apple Ultra 2 is now my go-to watch for cycling – it's got an incredible $200 off in this last chance Amazon Black Friday deal

I love Garmin, and I've used many of the cycling tech giants' products over the years, including the Garmin Edge 840 Solar, one of the best bike computers ever made, and one of my all-time favourite pieces of cycling tech, the Garmin Varia RCT715 rear radar.

There's no doubt Garmin make many of the best smartwatches for cycling too, and until recently I used the Garmin Fenix 7 watch for all my cycling tracking, which for me is faultless.

However, I'm also in the Apple ecosystem and use Apple products daily. I'm writing this on an Apple MacBook Pro, have always had an iPhone, and I love my Apple AirPods Pro 2 headphones. So I found myself wondering why I don't have an Apple Watch, and I took the plunge on the Apple Ultra 2 after I saw a seldom-seen discount during a previous Amazon shopping event.

Save $200 on the Apple Ultra 2 in this Amazon Black Friday deal.

Now I'm wishing I had waited, because this current Amazon Black Friday Deal offer is even better. Right now, you can get the Apple Ultra 2 Cellular for just $599, down from £799 – an incredible $200 off.

I've never seen the Ultra 2 cheaper, and although it's now superseded by the Ultra 3, which ups the performance of the Ultra family, including improved battery life, and a larger, brighter display, it does come with an MSRP of $799, although Amazon has the Apple Ultra 3 discounted by 12% to $699 for Black Friday.

For me, the Ultra 2 is the better option as the price difference vs a similar spec it's hard to justify the outlay, and I'd highly recommend the Ultra 2 at this price, as a brilliant Black Friday deal.

Save 25% ($200)

Apple Ultra 2: was $799 now $599 at Amazon

Save $200 Apple branded the Ultra 2 as the ultimate sports and adventure watch, and is a great option for cyclists, especially at this price. It's now been replaced as the flagship Apple watch with the Ultra 3, but the differences are marginal between the two watches, and this Black Friday Apple deal makes the Ultra 2 a great buy. This discount deal is for the GPS + Cellular 49mm Ultra 2 with Black Titanium Case with Dark Green Alpine Loop or the GPS + Cellular 49mm with Titanium Case and Indigo Alpine Loop.

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I really enjoy using the Ultra 2; it's an incredible piece of tech, and its titanium case gives it a rugged, ready-for-adventure look. There is a never-ending list of excellent everyday functionality, and I won't list them all, because the joy of discovering what this watch does is all part of the fun of owning one.

For most people, the deal breaker when considering a purchase will be the infamous battery life. Previous Apple Watches have been poor, but the Ultra 2, for most people and me, it's no issue whatsoever. You have to charge essentially every other day, and that doesn't bother me. It's worth noting if this is a deal breaker; the Ultra 3 now boasts up to 42 hours, and the Ultra 2 is around 36 hours, so not a huge difference.

I love listening to music while cycling, and the Ultra syncs perfectly to my AirPods with a satisfying chime to let you know, and automatically shows all your Spotify playlists and podcasts, which you can control from the watch screen with its touchscreen. If you're looking for a deal on these, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are at the lowest ever price, discounted by $100 at Walmart to just $139.