Here’s When Apple Watch 4 Pre-Orders Start

Pre-orders for the new Apple Watch 4 start on Friday, September 14, and you’ll need to brace yourself for it on Thursday, as pre-orders begin in the early morning on Friday that many will consider Thursday night.

Apple announced the new Apple Watch Series 4 alongside new iPhones at an event this week. The new Apple Watch 4 comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes and offers a larger screen than previous models. You can still choose GPS or GPS + LTE and choose from collaborations with Hermes and Nike.

The Apple Watch 4 release date is September 21, when Apple Stores, retailers, and many carriers will open early to sell the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and the new Apple Watch.

With the first major change in Apple Watch 4 design since it was introduced, demand is likely to be high. That’s one of the reasons why you should pre-order the Apple Watch 4 instead of planning to go to a store and pick one up on the 21st.

That said, you can expect most Apple Stores to stock the Apple Watch 4 by Friday, September 21, but you may have to settle for a different color or option than you want. If you know what you want and don’t want to settle, plan to pre-order.

When Do Apple Watch 4 Pre-Orders Start?

Apple Watch 4 pre-orders start at midnight. All of the pre-orders go live at the same time, but that’s different for users depending on their time zone. Apple has confirmed that Apple Watch 4 pre-orders begin at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time on Friday. Late Thursday night if you plan to stay awake.

On the West Coast, you’ll probably want to wait until pre-orders go live, place your pre-order, and then go to bed. You’ll want to set alarms in other time zones. Here’s how Apple Watch pre-order start times broke down in the US and abroad.

Apple is the go-to place for Apple Watch 4 pre-orders, but many other retailers and carriers will be taking pre-orders at the same time. You can expect to find LTE models of the Apple Watch 4 on all major carrier websites and order simultaneously at Best Buy, Target, and other retailer websites.

Apple Watch 4 Release Date

The Apple Watch 4 release date is Friday, September 21. Apple Stores and most carriers will open early at 8am local time so you can go in and get your new Apple Watch. Some other retailers may also open early. Depending on location, you can order online for in-store pickup, but we typically see first-come, first-served at carriers and retail locations. If Apple offers in-store pickup for pre-orders, it will make a note this week and will normally offer a separate pickup line and special pickup times.

If you plan to go on release day, you’ll be sharing a line with iPhone XS buyers, which could make the line much longer than you might expect for an Apple Watch. Keep this in mind and arrive early. Apple actually encourages people to arrive ahead of time, and you’ll find queues form in many stores the night or hours before stores open.

While the US is the big launch for most of our readers, the Apple Watch 4 is now on sale in many countries around the world.