

While this article is mainly about which type of Apple Watch is right for you, it’s important to understand that all current Apple Watches have a few things that make them less appealing than other smartwatch options. If you’re currently on a carrier that doesn’t support the Apple Watch at all and you don’t want to change, then the cellular model doesn’t represent a sensible deal for you. You’ll have to pay a monthly fee to share the same account and phone number. If you use a provider like AT&T, your Apple Watch has to be linked to that account. You can’t sign up for an independent Apple Watch cellular plan. Before you spend the extra money on the cellular model, you should confirm that your current provider supports the eSIM in the Apple Watch. It’s tempting to think of the cellular Apple Watch as a mini iPhone for your wrist, but it’s not quite there yet.

The Cellular Model Has Some Important Restrictions

Even if you always take your phone with you, having two devices that can make calls independently is a good idea if one of them breaks or runs out of power. Since many users are most likely to leave their iPhones behind when doing something where there’s a real risk of a bad fall (such as hiking), this is a rather important feature.Īpart from automatic fall detection, being able to make an emergency call from your watch when hiking or otherwise enjoying the outdoors can be the difference between life and death. Apps that stream content or GPS applications that download new maps offer a much better experience. Many apps for Apple Watch become significantly less helpful when they don’t have a data connection. The GPS + Cellular Apple Watch Has Cooler App Features That’s a real shame since Siri is such an effective and intuitive way to use the Apple Watch. It’s far easier to do everyday tasks such as web searches, calendar management, and all the other things that Siri can do using your voice instead of the tiny Apple Watch display.Īs long as you have your iPhone with you, Siri works just fine on the Wi-Fi model of the watch, but if you go out for a run or otherwise leave your phone behind, Siri understandably doesn’t work anymore. Siri, Apple’s smart voice assistant, really comes into its own on an Apple Watch. In either case, you’re not going to need a recharge more than once a day. But since you can’t do that with the Wi-Fi model at all, it seems like a fair tradeoff.

It’s only in independent mode on cellular that the battery differential is apparent.
