Apple's Leather Link Apple Watch Band - Long-Term Review! TWO YEARS LATER!
The Price and Quality of Apple Leather Link Bands
When it comes to accessories for your Apple Watch, there are many options available. However, one option that stands out from the rest is Apple's leather link bands. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the price and quality of these bands.
The Price Delta Between Leather Link Bands
One of the things that sets Apple's leather link bands apart from other accessories is their relatively affordable price point. As mentioned in the original text, there's a significant price delta between $10 and $100 for these bands. This makes them an attractive option for those looking to upgrade their watch band without breaking the bank.
How Do Leather Link Bands Hold Up Over Time?
Another important consideration when it comes to accessories is how well they hold up over time. The leather link bands from Apple are designed to be durable and long-lasting, with some users reporting that they're still going strong after two years of almost daily wear. In fact, the author of the original text was able to wear their golden yellowish band for an extended period without any significant issues.
Cleaning and Maintenance
One of the things that's impressive about Apple's leather link bands is how well they clean. The author mentions that even with frequent use, the bands have held up remarkably well, with only a little bit of dirt and grime accumulating on them over time. To clean the bands, it's recommended to use a combination of leather conditioner and moist paper towels. This approach has been successful in removing dirt and other substances from the bands without causing any damage.
Comparison of Different Colors
When it comes to color options, Apple offers two main styles: golden yellowish and blue. Both colors have held up well over time, with the blue option being slightly less prone to dirt accumulation due to its darker tone. However, even the blue band has shown some signs of wear, particularly in areas where metal ferrite particles have accumulated.
The Effects of Wear and Tear
One of the things that's noticeable about Apple's leather link bands is how well they've resisted wear and tear. The author mentions that their golden yellowish band developed a few streaks and lines after being worn to a sandpit in Colorado, but these marks were easily removable with a paper towel. Similarly, the blue band showed some signs of wear, particularly where metal ferrite particles had accumulated.
The Importance of Leather Conditioner
When it comes to cleaning and maintaining Apple's leather link bands, a good leather conditioner is essential. The author mentions that they used a leather conditioner to clean their bands, and found that it helped to remove dirt and grime without causing any damage to the leather. This approach has been successful in restoring the condition of the bands, which had become somewhat grimy over time.
Conclusion
Overall, Apple's leather link bands are an excellent choice for those looking to upgrade their watch band without breaking the bank. With a relatively affordable price point and impressive durability, they're sure to please even the most discerning users. Whether you opt for the golden yellowish or blue option, it's clear that these bands have been designed with quality and functionality in mind.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enit's been nearly two years since apple released the leather link band and i bought these on day one let's see how they hold up over time in my long-term review welcome everybody to apple insider it is andrew here and i have two versions of apple's leather link that i bought when apple released the apple watch series 6 which was back in the fall of 2020. i wear these things almost every day these are like my go-to bands of choice primarily the yellow one it has a little bit more wear on it so while these don't have two years of wear i'd say it easily has about a year of wear on this band itself and i was very curious to how this held up especially since i know a lot of you have tried some of the third party band options i have as well with less than stellar results now let's go over some features of these bands and why i think they're so awesome the leather link currently comes in four different color ways apple does update the colors of the leather link just like it updates its other bands so while i got these ones at the launch of the series 6 these colors that i have are no longer available but they have other similar colors so currently you can choose between dark cherry sequoia green midnight blue and golden brown i really like this kind of like sunflower yellow something apple called it uh and another dark blue one i like these a lot but again apple swaps them as they come out with seasonal colors so you're always going to find new ones basically every year and i anticipate when the apple watch series 7 comes out more colors will be available these cost 99 which is not cheap but it's also not the expensive bands that apple offers in its lineup they come in both 41 millimeter and 45 millimeter sizes so they fit these small and large versions of apple watch and of course they're compatible with previous versions of apple watch so if you don't have the series 7 or six they'll also work with series 5 like the 42 and 44 millimeter versions the 38 40 41 millimeter versions all of that they come in two different sizes as well so not just the 41 and 45 millimeter versions but they have different lengths so there's a small medium and a medium large personally for me i went with the small medium i have just i feel like normal sized wrists and i pretty much in the middle of being able to fit the small medium or maybe the medium large but i'm pretty happy with the small medium there's a good amount of overlap and they feel secure on my wrist never once did i regret going with the small medium the medium large when i tried it on it got right up to the edge and i didn't like that so the small medium fit just a little bit better i was on the smaller side of the two length options apple says they use a rue granada leather on its leather link bands which is manufactured in france now if you are not familiar with granada leather basically it's a very strong leather it has this very strong top finish that makes it quite durable which is pretty ideal for something you're wearing on your wrist in hitting into different surfaces so i think it's a good choice here and it does feel like a soft leather compared to many of the third-party leather bands that i've tried the leather link knock-off versions they can get for 15-20 bucks on amazon these magnets feel stronger and the leather is a higher quality these are more flexible they're more comfortable when i wear them they're less stiff the third party ones tend to be stiffer and the magnets aren't quite as strong i even seen some people who have the third party ones they'll go up to something metal and it'll like open up and connect to that metal surface and just strip the watch off their wrist i've never had that happen with apple's leather link bands and i try to stay away from those third-party knock-off versions though again they're a lot cheaper 15 bucks versus a hundred bucks so there's a huge price delta between the two the real question though is how these hold up over time they're 100 so they need to last right well i'm pretty happy after two years of almost daily wear these things are almost good as new they're just a little bit dirty so here you can see again my sunflower golden yellowish one that i like a lot that especially it's a lighter tone there's a bit of dirt dinge that has collected on here as i set it down and at first i was worried that was like going through the leather like i was actually wearing the leather down but in reality it just kind of smoothed out that letter and picked up a little bit of dirt and i'm going to even show you how to clean it i've got some leather conditioner here as well as some moist paper towels and we're going to try to clean it up and i'll show you what it looks like after kind of a quick cleaning but yeah and then if we want to look at the blue one as well this one still it has some dirt on it but it's not quite as prevalent as the uh the golden one is just because it's a darker color so you can't really see it as much but yeah these things have held up incredibly well two years almost daily use incredibly happy with how these things have aged let's go ahead and clean them up and see how they look then so you said i have the two different versions of the band here this golden uh yellow one they like a whole lot and this blue one just gonna kind of lay them out unconnect them from one another put them on the table here you can definitely see the wear marks and the yellow one got even worse because i actually wore it out to a sandpit in colorado the sand dunes and a lot of metal ferrite particles got stuck in between the bands which left these long lines these streak lines from the metal ferrite in there now you would pull it off and i would you know the band was on and i'd pull it off my wrist and that metal would leave marks there so not not super ideal but also not like a typical situation for people but first that's wet paper towel wet paper towel and as i kind of rub on some of these links it comes off pretty easily like a lot of this metal these dark colors will come off and if we want to go beyond a paper towel i have this leather conditioner let's see if this helps this isn't actually a leather cleaner it's a leather conditioner i got this one from uh no bad just came with a wallet that i bought and let's go ahead and just put it on here and see how this works too so i've been going at it for a little bit here and you can see some of the the dingier ones here towards the bottom and then like this one here at the top this was almost uh completely grimy this one here in between my fingers that was pretty rough but just a little bit of rubbing with some leather cleaner it took almost everything off so this is going to take me a little bit to do to run down the rest of these links but i've never cleaned this before and even just using a paper towel some leather conditioner already helped quite a bit but it's going to take a little more work to get those off but yeah this is all just basically dirt that will come off and it doesn't seem to affected the leather in any way the leather on this is not stretched at all it still holds its original form very well it hasn't been scratched or anything like that and none of the color has come off that is still just dirt right on top same thing goes for the blue one everything looks really nice like i am i'm very impressed this looks great after this much wear so that's it after two years i am beyond ecstatic of the quality of apple's leather link these are one of the most comfortable bands i've used they're so easy to adjust take on and off work with a variety of different chargers whether you want nightstand mode or around something very easy to do they have come in multiple sizes fit both sizes of apple watch and apple refreshes them regularly with new colors they're not super cheap but they are less than a lot of apples other pants and they're just a small upgrade from things like the braided solo loop or the sport bands that apple already offers that sit almost at like 50 bucks so it's up to you guys but i want to know what you think let me know down below in the comments or better yet on twitter at andrew underscore osu and if you want to grab a leather link for yourself there's some links for them down below in the description and some deals if i can find them but yeah let me know and i'll see you guys in another video youit's been nearly two years since apple released the leather link band and i bought these on day one let's see how they hold up over time in my long-term review welcome everybody to apple insider it is andrew here and i have two versions of apple's leather link that i bought when apple released the apple watch series 6 which was back in the fall of 2020. i wear these things almost every day these are like my go-to bands of choice primarily the yellow one it has a little bit more wear on it so while these don't have two years of wear i'd say it easily has about a year of wear on this band itself and i was very curious to how this held up especially since i know a lot of you have tried some of the third party band options i have as well with less than stellar results now let's go over some features of these bands and why i think they're so awesome the leather link currently comes in four different color ways apple does update the colors of the leather link just like it updates its other bands so while i got these ones at the launch of the series 6 these colors that i have are no longer available but they have other similar colors so currently you can choose between dark cherry sequoia green midnight blue and golden brown i really like this kind of like sunflower yellow something apple called it uh and another dark blue one i like these a lot but again apple swaps them as they come out with seasonal colors so you're always going to find new ones basically every year and i anticipate when the apple watch series 7 comes out more colors will be available these cost 99 which is not cheap but it's also not the expensive bands that apple offers in its lineup they come in both 41 millimeter and 45 millimeter sizes so they fit these small and large versions of apple watch and of course they're compatible with previous versions of apple watch so if you don't have the series 7 or six they'll also work with series 5 like the 42 and 44 millimeter versions the 38 40 41 millimeter versions all of that they come in two different sizes as well so not just the 41 and 45 millimeter versions but they have different lengths so there's a small medium and a medium large personally for me i went with the small medium i have just i feel like normal sized wrists and i pretty much in the middle of being able to fit the small medium or maybe the medium large but i'm pretty happy with the small medium there's a good amount of overlap and they feel secure on my wrist never once did i regret going with the small medium the medium large when i tried it on it got right up to the edge and i didn't like that so the small medium fit just a little bit better i was on the smaller side of the two length options apple says they use a rue granada leather on its leather link bands which is manufactured in france now if you are not familiar with granada leather basically it's a very strong leather it has this very strong top finish that makes it quite durable which is pretty ideal for something you're wearing on your wrist in hitting into different surfaces so i think it's a good choice here and it does feel like a soft leather compared to many of the third-party leather bands that i've tried the leather link knock-off versions they can get for 15-20 bucks on amazon these magnets feel stronger and the leather is a higher quality these are more flexible they're more comfortable when i wear them they're less stiff the third party ones tend to be stiffer and the magnets aren't quite as strong i even seen some people who have the third party ones they'll go up to something metal and it'll like open up and connect to that metal surface and just strip the watch off their wrist i've never had that happen with apple's leather link bands and i try to stay away from those third-party knock-off versions though again they're a lot cheaper 15 bucks versus a hundred bucks so there's a huge price delta between the two the real question though is how these hold up over time they're 100 so they need to last right well i'm pretty happy after two years of almost daily wear these things are almost good as new they're just a little bit dirty so here you can see again my sunflower golden yellowish one that i like a lot that especially it's a lighter tone there's a bit of dirt dinge that has collected on here as i set it down and at first i was worried that was like going through the leather like i was actually wearing the leather down but in reality it just kind of smoothed out that letter and picked up a little bit of dirt and i'm going to even show you how to clean it i've got some leather conditioner here as well as some moist paper towels and we're going to try to clean it up and i'll show you what it looks like after kind of a quick cleaning but yeah and then if we want to look at the blue one as well this one still it has some dirt on it but it's not quite as prevalent as the uh the golden one is just because it's a darker color so you can't really see it as much but yeah these things have held up incredibly well two years almost daily use incredibly happy with how these things have aged let's go ahead and clean them up and see how they look then so you said i have the two different versions of the band here this golden uh yellow one they like a whole lot and this blue one just gonna kind of lay them out unconnect them from one another put them on the table here you can definitely see the wear marks and the yellow one got even worse because i actually wore it out to a sandpit in colorado the sand dunes and a lot of metal ferrite particles got stuck in between the bands which left these long lines these streak lines from the metal ferrite in there now you would pull it off and i would you know the band was on and i'd pull it off my wrist and that metal would leave marks there so not not super ideal but also not like a typical situation for people but first that's wet paper towel wet paper towel and as i kind of rub on some of these links it comes off pretty easily like a lot of this metal these dark colors will come off and if we want to go beyond a paper towel i have this leather conditioner let's see if this helps this isn't actually a leather cleaner it's a leather conditioner i got this one from uh no bad just came with a wallet that i bought and let's go ahead and just put it on here and see how this works too so i've been going at it for a little bit here and you can see some of the the dingier ones here towards the bottom and then like this one here at the top this was almost uh completely grimy this one here in between my fingers that was pretty rough but just a little bit of rubbing with some leather cleaner it took almost everything off so this is going to take me a little bit to do to run down the rest of these links but i've never cleaned this before and even just using a paper towel some leather conditioner already helped quite a bit but it's going to take a little more work to get those off but yeah this is all just basically dirt that will come off and it doesn't seem to affected the leather in any way the leather on this is not stretched at all it still holds its original form very well it hasn't been scratched or anything like that and none of the color has come off that is still just dirt right on top same thing goes for the blue one everything looks really nice like i am i'm very impressed this looks great after this much wear so that's it after two years i am beyond ecstatic of the quality of apple's leather link these are one of the most comfortable bands i've used they're so easy to adjust take on and off work with a variety of different chargers whether you want nightstand mode or around something very easy to do they have come in multiple sizes fit both sizes of apple watch and apple refreshes them regularly with new colors they're not super cheap but they are less than a lot of apples other pants and they're just a small upgrade from things like the braided solo loop or the sport bands that apple already offers that sit almost at like 50 bucks so it's up to you guys but i want to know what you think let me know down below in the comments or better yet on twitter at andrew underscore osu and if you want to grab a leather link for yourself there's some links for them down below in the description and some deals if i can find them but yeah let me know and i'll see you guys in another video you\n"