It’s almost February, which, for most people, means pink and red hearts for Valentine’s Day. But there’s more to February than that — February is Black History Month. To commemorate the occasion, Apple released a brand new Black Unity band for the Apple Watch. In 2021, the Black Unity band was in the Sport Band style, while 2022’s version was the Braided Solo Loop. For 2023, Apple went with the Sport Loop style.

We got our hands on the new 2023 Black Unity Sport Loop band, and here’s a closer look at it.

Inspired by the creative power of mosaics

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

This year’s particular Black Unity band is, according to Apple, “inspired by the creative process of mosaic, symbolizing the vibrancy of Black communities and the power of unity.” With the Black Unity Sport Loop, “Unity” is spelled on the band (and a cool card inside the box) through black, green, and red interweaved nylon threads.

Though it appears to have yellow on the band, there’s actually no yellow at all — the illusion of yellow is made by combining the red and green threads together. The solid black nylon weave sections help form the lettering, with combinations of black/green, red/green, and black/red forming the rest of the letter blocks. The solid black sections are also raised slightly above the rest, creating a kind of three-dimensional texture on the band.

The underside of the band is solid black, one edge has a green thread, and the other edge has red. The lugs are matte black, making this band pair nicely with a graphite or black Apple Watch (I’m using mine with my Space Black Titanium Apple Watch Series 5).

Same great Sport Loop comfort

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

It’s been a while since I’ve used a Sport Loop, but it’s one of the most comfortable Apple Watch bands that Apple sells. I really enjoy the fact that it’s easy to get it on your wrist, and th at the loop is easily adjustable for all wrist sizes. Plus, the Velcro closure is super easy, and barely an inconvenience.

Apple also provides three watch faces for Black Unity — one watch face to go with each year’s Black Unity band. This year’s Unity Mosaic watch face joins the Unity Lights (2022) and Unity (2021) from the previous Black Unity band releases. While these watch faces match the bands, I dislike that I can’t have any complications to display on them.

Overall, the Black Unity Sport Loop looks good and lets you show your support for a greater cause. Plus, the Sport Loop is one of the most comfortable Apple Watch band styles for casual wear and workouts, so if you haven’t tried that style yet, go get one.

Editors’ Recommendations