Review: Apple Soloband for Apple Watch

Apple Solo band tested: these are our experiences

Apple has released a new type of watch strap for the Apple Watch. The Apple Solo Loop (Solo tape in Dutch). This band is made of flexible silicone rubber instead of the fluoroelastomer, which the normal sports bands are made of. The most important feature, however, is that the Solo Band is elastic and consists of one piece. There is no closure and the strap must therefore fit exactly. In this review we tell our experiences after extensive testing of this Solo Band.

• In brief
• Why a Solo Band?
• Appearance
• Dimensioning
• Braided or not?
• Solo tape in use

Apple Soloband in short

• Available in 2 formats (40mm and 44mm), each in 9 different sizes
• Available in 7 colours
• Elastic and made of soft silicone rubber
• No closure or buckle
• Price: €49 each

Tip: if you plan to buy the blue Apple Watch Series 6, we recommend going for dark navy blue, because it looks great! It is also available in a normal sports band.

Why an Apple Solo Band?

Of course we bought this Solo Tape to be able to review it, but you may be wondering why you as a user would want such a Solo Tape. Or why Apple puts such a watch strap on the market at all? Apple has not given a real reason, but we can imagine a number of situations in which this band will come in handy. For example, with an Apple Watch for children: if there is no closure, they are less likely to lose it. It might also come in handy if you want to wear your Apple Watch at night so you don’t get hurt on a buckle.

And finally, it could also just be a design issue: developing such a one-piece bracelet turned out to be possible and Apple is now responding to it. Almost all manufacturers of wearables, including Fitbit, now also have a sports band in the same design where you put the end of the band through a hole. With the Solo band, Apple can sell new models again and even if it sounds simple: with new colors and designs, Apple users can usually be persuaded to buy something new again.

So flexible, you can tie a knot in it.

Appearance of the Apple Solo band

The Apple Solo band is made of silicone rubber and has the same appearance as the existing sports bands. There is just no closure. When unpacking you immediately notice that this strap is thinner and more flexible than you are used to. There is also a hollow on the inside, so that the material does not continuously connect to your skin.

The material is elastic and can be stretched up to twice its original length. You put your hand through it, so that the strap fits snugly around your wrist. This brings us straight to the next point: how do you make sure it fits well?

Dimensions of the Apple Solo band

Apple releases this strap in 18 different sizes for each color: 9x in the 40mm format and 9x in the 44mm format. It comes down to which size you choose. With the online fitting aid that you can print out, you can see which size suits you. Make sure you set the printer to 100% for A4, otherwise you will have the wrong size. When printing directly from Safari I got a print that read at 93% and that yielded a size 9. When I printed again, but this time at 100% and checked with a bank card that the print was the correct size, I came up with size 6-7.

When determining the size, the measuring aid may be a bit tight.

When in doubt, it is best to choose a size smaller, because the strap must fit well. At the Apple Store, the employee took a look at the sport band I was wearing at the time and came up with a size 5 and 7. I found size 7 a bit too wide. After trying the different sizes I would personally choose size 6.

Still, I’ve been wearing a size 8 for the past few days. That was the only size, along with size 2, that was still in stock in the Apple Store and we obviously needed a review copy quickly. A slightly larger size is doable, but if you want to wear it for a longer period of time, it is better to choose one that fits tightly around your wrist. The employee in the Apple Store indicated that I can change my strap at a later time if the correct size is in stock, without having to exchange the entire Apple Watch.

Another question we’ve gotten a few times is whether these bands will also work with the Apple Watch Series 3 and earlier. Apple says about compatibility that you must have an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer. But that’s nonsense: it also fits the earlier models. You just have to pay more attention to the dimensions, because they are tailored to the slightly larger watch cases of 40mm/44mm. It is therefore possible that you have to take a size larger for the 38mm/42mm watch cases. If in doubt, it is best to try it on in a store (or order two sizes and return the wrong size).

You can read more about wrist sizes of Apple Watch straps in our tip.

Soloband or braided Soloband?

In addition to this Soloband, Apple also markets a new braided Soloband, which we will review later. There are a few differences:

• The braided version is considerably more expensive: 99 euros versus 49 euros.
• The braided version is available in only 5 colours. No yellow and white, probably because this gets dirty too quickly.
• The braided version is made from recycled materials and feels like textile. Therefore, it will breathe a little better. But it can also get dirty a little faster.
• From the responses so far, we notice that people think that the braided version feels a bit more comfortable. But this will be personal.

Most people will first choose the regular Solo Loop, because the Braided Solo Loop is a lot more expensive.

Solo tape in use

In terms of wearing comfort, we did not notice much difference with the normal sports band. The strap is slightly lighter in weight than the normal sports band, although we hardly noticed it while wearing it.

There are, however, a few practical advantages. Because there is no closure, you cannot lose this strap so easily. Due to the lack of a buckle, you won’t get scratches on your MacBook or on the table if you like to rest your wrist.

But there are also a few drawbacks. Due to the precisely fitting size, the range has become a lot less clear and there will soon be a time when you can no longer use the strap. If you are going to lose a lot of weight, gain a few pounds or give your Apple Watch to a family member, you may have to buy new bands. Second-hand sales also become a bit more difficult, because the buyer just needs to have your size. Previously it was enough to know if someone had 40mm or 44mm. Of course you can add a universal strap from your own collection, but that does not match the packaging.

If you take off the Apple Watch every day, this strap is less pleasant, because you always have to squeeze your hand through the narrow opening. That is not really complicated, but we can imagine that it is less easy in sweaty situations. Stretching the strap also feels a bit scary: you have to exert quite a bit of force and we are a bit concerned that this will not break anything on the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch could also shoot out of your hand while you are pulling hard on the elastic.

Perhaps Apple introduced this band because of the sleep functions. Thanks to the smooth design without protrusions, you cannot hurt yourself on the strap while sleeping. After a night with the band, it feels a bit sweaty at the place of the band. In that case I would rather opt for a textile strap, such as the Sport Loop.

Because of the simple design, we would also have liked Apple to offer this band a little cheaper, for example for € 39. But Apple seems to have set its sights on using unit prices for bands: €49 for the normal bands and €99 for the slightly more luxurious ones (plus slightly higher prices for link bracelets, Hermès and the like). Perhaps the material of these Solo Straps is more high-tech than you see at first glance, but for ordinary users it will not immediately radiate a value of € 49.

Conclusion Apple Soloband review

The Apple Soloband is a great solution as your band if you’re looking for something simple. It’s the most minimalist Apple Watch band Apple has released to date. At the same time, we do not yet see many advantages compared to the normal sports band. Due to the dimensions, you have to pay more attention to whether the strap fits well and it is less easy to exchange your straps with housemates or friends. Selling second-hand becomes a hassle because of the wide variety of sizes. Putting on and taking off is less smooth. In short: a strap that you definitely want to have in your collection because of the novelty, but which we will not buy new every season.

Buy Apple Solo Band

You can currently only buy the Apple Soloband from Apple in the colors dark navy blue, ginger (yellow), cyprus green (dark green), citrus pink (salmon color), white, black and red. You can also buy the braided strap from Apple, although stocks are still very limited. We haven’t seen these Apple Watch bands at other retailers yet, and we suspect Apple is keeping it an Apple Store exclusive for a while. The text ‘Only at Apple’ certainly gives that impression. This will undoubtedly also have to do with the fact that there are so many different colors and sizes – for ordinary retailers it is almost impossible to have everything in stock.

• Solo ribbon in 7 colours: €49 each
• Braided solo ribbon in 5 colours: €99 each