Apple Products You Should Avoid This Holiday Season

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As the holiday season approaches, many shoppers put Apple products in their shopping carts. Some Apple devices come with a hefty price tag but don’t deliver enough performance or features compared to more affordable alternatives.

Plus, the newest generations of your favorite products may not have enough new features to make an upgrade worthwhile. If you’re looking for smart buys this holiday season, here are four Apple products you should think twice about.

iPhone 17 Pro

Apple’s latest flagship, the iPhone 17 Pro, boasts cutting-edge features like the A19 Bionic chip, a 6.3-inch ProMotion display, and advanced camera systems. However, it also comes with a steep starting price of around $1,099. For many users, the incremental improvements in camera, battery and processing power over the iPhone 16 Pro or even the iPhone 15 Pro are not worth the extra cost.

If you want a powerful iPhone without the 17 Pro price tag, the iPhone 16 Pro offers nearly identical performance, including the A18 chip and ProMotion OLED display. If you already have an iPhone that’s come out in that past few years, there aren’t many reasons to upgrade to the iPhone 17.

HomePod 2nd Generation

The 2^nd generation HomePod received a subtle 2025 update focusing on sound tuning and slightly improved Siri responsiveness, and maintained its $299 price point. For owners of the 2024 model, the improvements are barely noticeable and an upgrade is unnecessary.

Given its price, the HomePod 2nd generation is a premium smart speaker option. For most users, the HomePod Mini (at $99) delivers excellent sound quality and seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem at a much lower cost. Unless you’re an audiophile seeking the absolute best sound, you could get the same benefits for a third of the price with the HomePod Mini, Google Nest Audio or Amazon Echo.

MacBook Pro M4 Pro

The 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro) will run you $2,500, which is a serious barrier for many buyers. Although it boasts impressive power with the latest Apple M4 Pro chip, a vibrant Retina display, and a sturdy design, this computer exceeds the needs of most users. It’s a worthwhile investment primarily for power users, content creators or anyone who uses their computer for highly-intensive tasks.

However, for typical users or professionals who mainly do word processing and browse the web, more affordable MacBook models with less processing power can easily handle those activities and save you a significant amount of money.

Apple Watch Ultra 3

The Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple’s premium smartwatch aimed at extreme sports enthusiasts, offers enhanced durability, advanced health metrics and longer battery life. However, its $799 starting price is significantly higher than standard Apple Watch models, which provide similar everyday health and fitness tracking at a fraction of the cost.

The main difference is the satellite functions, which cater to a niche audience of extreme and off-the-grid users. For most people, the standard Apple Watch Series 11 (priced at $399) delivers the core health and fitness features without the extravagant price. Other sports watch brands, like Garmin, also offer sports watches with comparable (or superior) features at lower prices.

Editor’s note: Prices are accurate as of Dec. 11, 2025. Prices and availability may vary by location.

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