I’ve had an Apple Watch on my wrist all day, every day for six years, and I’ve gone back and forth between owning a cellular watch and not. Here’s everything I learned from my experience, so you don’t have to wonder if you’re making the right choice!
1. Benefits of Having a Cellular Apple Watch
My favorite thing about having a cellular watch was the freedom it gave me from my iPhone. I could leave it at home when I walked the dogs without worrying about missing calls or not being able to make one in an emergency.
Speaking of emergencies, newer Apple Watches, especially the Ultra models, have all sorts of features to keep you safe, like a loud siren to help rescue teams find you, Backtrack to help you retrace your steps via the Compass app if you are lost, and of course, Emergency SOS which will call 911 if you trigger it, or if you fall (as long as you have Fall Detection activated.
If you have a cellular watch, all of these emergency features will work even if you forget your phone, lose it, have it stolen, or have it run out of batteries. Which gives me great peace of mind! Even though I tend to always bring my phone with me, I do take lots of photos and videos and often end up running out of battery on longer adventures.
2. Downsides of Having a Cellular Apple Watch
The biggest downside of having a cellular Apple Watch is definitely the cost. Depending on your phone provider, the phone plan might only cost you around $10/year. This isn’t too bad, but a cellular Apple Watch itself costs an extra $100 for most models—the Ultra Watch models don’t come with GPS-only options so the price of cellular is already included when you buy the watch.
Aside from the cost, I just never went anywhere without my phone and didn’t end up using the cellular on my watch for over a year. This was the main reason I ended up canceling my watch’s cellular network and upgrading to a new, GPS-only watch model.
3. Should You Get a Cellular Apple Watch?
Just because a cellular Apple Watch wasn’t right for me doesn’t mean it won’t be right for you! If you aren’t obsessed with having your iPhone in your hand and taking photos and videos of everything around you all the time, a cellular watch might be the best solution for staying connected without carrying your phone around.
If you go on long runs or hikes, an Apple Watch Ultra (which always has the cellular option) is specifically built to have a long battery life and to help you navigate tough situations and even get you out of trouble.
Basically, if you are on the fence about it, you might as well try a cellular watch. If you want a cheaper way to add cellular service to your watch, you can always buy a used or refurbished model online. While it takes more vetting to safely purchase a functional device on a marketplace, my husband and I have purchased and sold many of our Apple devices over Facebook Marketplace and eBay and have had good experiences. You can also check out the refurbished section on Apple’s website for something more legit.
Do you wear your Apple Watch at night? Why do you do it? Email OntheWatch@iphonelife.com and let me know!
