Are FineWoven Apple Watch bands really better than leather ones?

Even before Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 9, there were rumors that the company wanted to replace its leather accessories with something else. I was a bit skeptical about this since I’ve always been a fan of Apple Watch leather bands. In September, Apple announced the new FineWoven accessories. Now I’ve finally decided to try the FineWoven Apple Watch band. Is it better than the leather band?

Apple’s FineWoven accessories

By now, most people who read 9to5Mac are probably familiar with FineWoven. Apple describes the material as a “luxurious and durable microtwill.” At least when it comes to iPhone cases, FineWoven hasn’t gone down well with some consumers. The material seems too fragile for a phone case that is always in contact with sweaty hands and dirty surfaces.

In fact, this isn’t my first time trying out a FineWoven accessory. I bought a blue FineWoven case for my iPhone 15 Pro Max. It was beautiful and the material was so soft, it felt really pleasant to touch. But two weeks later, my case already had some dirt stains and scratches that seemed irreversible – so I returned the case to Apple.

According to multiple reports, many other people have decided to return their FineWoven cases, and some retail stores are not even restocking the product. But I still wanted to know what it was like to use a FineWoven band for the Apple Watch, so I bought the “Taupe” model, which is basically a dark brown color.

My thoughts on the FineWoven Apple Watch band

I have to admit, this band looks nice and elegant at first glance. The brown color goes very well with my gold stainless steel Apple Watch. The design is essentially the same as the Leather Link bands – I have a dark purple one and I love it. The FineWoven band is also very comfortable to wear, and I feel I could wear it on more occasions than the leather band.

But as I’ve been using the FineWoven band for the last few days, I now have some concerns about it.

Leather definitely seems a more premium material than FineWoven. Apple discontinuing leather products wasn’t a problem, but FineWoven accessories shouldn’t cost the same as the old leather ones. It’s hard to argue in favor of a fabric watch band that costs $99.

As for durability, there’s not much I can say at the moment as I’ve only been wearing this band for a few days. I’m afraid it could easily become smudged in a few weeks, but I hope not. Some people have said that FineWoven bands are a bit more durable than iPhone cases. I’d love to believe that.

It’s not worth the price

There’s one thing that’s really annoying me about this band. It suddenly loosens easily as I move my arm, something that never happened with the leather version. I thought there could be something wrong with the unit I bought, but I found similar complaints on the web (here, here, and here).

I’m still not sure if the magnets used in the FineWoven version are weaker or if the material is more slippery, but the fact is, I constantly have to readjust the band on my wrist, especially when I’m wearing a heavy coat. Again, this is not the kind of thing I was expecting from a $99 watch band.

If you have $99 to spare, I’d say buy a different Apple Watch band. I’d recommend the braided ones or even better, find the old leather bands at a discount in some other store. You can also spend the money on something else. The FineWoven band looks nice, but it’s not worth the price.