NEW APPLE WATCH: LEAVE YOUR IPHONE BEHIND
The latest Apple Watch clocks in with cellular. And that increases the way you can use it without your iPhone.
Case in point: I don’t typically wear a wristwatch in the shower or hot tub at my gym, even with a watch that you can swim with. And I surely don’t do so just to make calls or receive notifications when I’m wet. But I did so to test the cellular capabilities of Apple Watch Series 3, the first smart timepiece from Apple to add such functionality.
My tests were successful, so long as I had decent coverage, notwithstanding the fact the sound through the speaker inside the watch was drowned out by whirlpool and shower noises.
The concept behind a smartwatch with cellular — and Apple’s isn’t the first — is to free you from having to rely on Wi-Fi or having the iPhone in your pocket or close by. So, even after ditching the phone, you can make or receive calls, send texts, get notifications (handsfree via Siri at that), or hail a ride.
There are limits to cellular, of course: For example, while you can swim with Apple Watch Series 3 ( just like the Series 2 Watch that will be discontinued) you won’t get a signal under water. And, as with the Series 2, the watch isn’t protected if you are scuba diving or water skiing.
PAYING FOR CELLULAR
Moreover, while cellular will be enthusiastically welcomed by some, you will have to pay for the convenience. The starting prices for Series 3 watches with cellular and GPS are $399 for a model with a 38mm case and $429 for a 42mm model. Prices can swell well past four figures for Apple Watch models with fancy Hermes bands or those with gray or white ceramic cases. (You can also buy Series 3 with GPS only, starting at $329.)
On top of those prices for the cellular models, you’ll have to pay about $10 a month for cellular service from your wireless provider, and yes, the watch provider needs to be the same carrier as your iPhone. The phone and watch share the same phone number; I conducted my tests through AT&T. Apple also cautions that roaming is not avail- able outside your network coverage area.
WHEN PHONE ISN’T NEARBY
There always have been things you could do while wearing older Apple Watch’s sans cellular. For example, you could store music on the watch and listen via wireless Bluetooth headphones, since the built-in speaker on the watch isn’t ideal for that purpose.
What you could not do was stream. The ability to do so is coming next month to watch wearers who are Apple Music subscribers. Apple says subscribers will be able to stream any of 40 million songs, but I was not able to test the experience yet.
Without a connection, you could also always use a credit card stored in Apple Watch to pay for stuff using Apple Pay, one of my favorite reasons for wearing the watch. The addition of cellular doesn’t change that.
SIMILAR FEATURES
The Series 3 has a similar design to its predecessors and can accommodate all the same watch bands. As before, the display is rectangular, but one major difference is that Apple has managed to use the display itself as the cellular antenna. Apple says the watch will automatically switch to the most power-efficient wireless available, which helps to preserve the all-day battery life I experienced. But you will experience a hit to the battery if you rely on cellular a lot.
Inside is a faster processor, more energy-efficient wireless chip and barometric altimeter that helps supply data to exercise apps that measure elevation.
NEW SOFTWARE IMPROVES OLD WATCHES, TOO
The new watch runs the latest watch OS4 software. But watch OS4 is available as a free download for older models as well. There’s a new Siri watch face, too, and on the Series 3, Siri can speak audibly for the first time.
The new Apple Watch arrives with a high price tag. But for some workout fiends the most liberating thing is that you can now leave your phone at home or in the locker.