LTE Smartwatches are becoming more available, and I often wondered what they could really do. Can a smartwatch replace your phone? To answer my questions, I purchased a cellular plan for my Apple Watch Series 6 and replaced my phone for 7 days.
During this week, I was not allowed to use my phone at all. There were plenty of daily tasks I did better than ever, but a few major limitations I did not expect.
In this video, I will share my experience of replacing my phone with an Apple Watch LTE for 7 days. I will talk about what worked, what didn’t work, and the pros and cons of replacing your phone with a smartwatch. Some may replace their phone altogether but I assume most would just replace their phone for an afternoon or evening while wearing pants without pockets, going for a run, or doing a social media detox.
Follow me on social media! (it’s always just @mikeobrienn)
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikeobrienn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeobrienn
ADDITIONAL REVIEW NOTES:
BENEFITS:
Lighter pockets was amazing
Felt very free, but did not have any FOMO
No distractions and was therefore more productive
I was able to check social media on my laptop, so I didn’t miss anything, but it was more deliberate so I only checked it once or twice a day
Often times we use our phones as a crutch. In socially difficult situations like elevators, Uber rides, etc.
Forced to talk to people in potentially awkward situations (no phone crutch)
WORKED WELL:
Authenticator apps
Messaging
Calls were easy and sounded natural. AirPods made that even better
Spotify
Audiobooks, podcasts, and more
Apple Pay
I didn’t need to carry my wallet or my phone in my pocket
Soon IDs will be in Apple Wallet too
Siri
The absolute best way to interface with the watch
Navigation kind of worked, but was not the best
ISSUES:
This isn’t cheap. Most plans cost an additional $10 per month to add an apple watch and you can’t use any of the cheap plans either. In general, you’ll need a plan from one of the expensive behemoths like ATT, Verizon, and TMobile. The cellular watch is also around $500
Got rejected by ATT because my address
Super annoying to set up – 2 hrs with TMobile
Some apps were not initially on my watch, like WhatsApp. I could read and reply to notifications but I needed to get the app to see more
Getting apps was annoying (typing in password)
Would be nice to have biometrics
Loud environments made it tricky to do any siri or voice typing
Battery life is the next challenge (we average over 3 hrs of screen time per day)
COULD NOT DO:
Social Media (good)
No camera
Restaurant menus
Photos
Scan QR codes
Online shopping (non essential though)
Not really any online banking
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 The Experiment
1:45 The Benefits
4:40 What Can LTE Watches Do?
7:00 The Limitations
11:45 Can you replace a phone with a smartwatch?
2 FREE AUDIOBOOKS: https://amzn.to/2T72vA7
Protect yourself with PIA VPN: http://www.privateinternetaccess.com/MikeOBrien
WHAT GEAR DO I USE?
Heart rate sensor: https://mikeobrienmedia.com/Polar-H10
(Polar H10 is known to be one of the most accurate in the industry and therefore acts as a great standard to which I compare smartwatch heart rate sensors)
My camera: https://amzn.to/2rxDZ09
My microphone: https://amzn.to/2Ias66q
My audio recorder: https://amzn.to/2rE8amz
My tripod: https://amzn.to/2IebL0V
My video editor: https://amzn.to/2rAdN44
Please comment below with any questions you might have. Thank you all for watching! I appreciate you!
Disclaimer: This video is purely based on my experiences, research, and opinions. You and only you are responsible for your actions. I made this channel to advise viewers and I truly hope to help you all out. I love making these videos and connecting with my viewers!
This channel is monetized via YouTube ads as well as some affiliate links. If a purchase is made after clicking the link, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to the buyer. Thank you all for watching!
Note: Mike O’Brien is the original author of this video, we just embed it, if you have any questions please contact him via Youtube.
Sorry I've been gone for the past few weeks. I was working on improving my production quality and doing some big picture thinking while traveling to Europe. Anyway, what do you think about this video? Can you actually replace a phone with a smartwatch? Should I make more videos like this?
If you enjoyed this video, please remember to subscribe!!
Follow me on Insta/Twitter @mikeobrienn
https://twitter.com/mikeobrienn
https://instagram.com/mikeobrienn
Great tutorial thank you. I noticed you was wearing your watch strap loose was this to stop irritation ?
When I saw the TikTOk logo I no there’s YouTube
Can you use it and get notifications form far away/2-5 hours form your
IPhone 11 and Apple Watch SE with cellular data?
I am looking to buy a smart watch because i always get my phone stolen😂
I think if they get a camera and all the other things a smartphone has then you can definitely replace your phone entirely but there is a problem. Cameras take space and smartwatches dont have that so either there have to be some sacrifices or the smsrtwatches need to get bigger
I'm watching these to compare how a worn PIP-boy would be viable compared to the original PIP-boy tablet model.
I was born in the 70s and lived without a “portable phone” until the 2000s. I love have a phone but I hate feeling like I have to “have it”. I miss checking messages when I got home lol… I do love my watch but I will bring my phone, $10 a month adds up!
Can you do this with a Samsung watch
Couple this with a flip phone
I need this for Android
the thing is in my country ( India ) we don't have to pay extra amount to get LTE services on apple watch. I literally pay like the equivalent of $10 per month and I get Unlimited 5G along with cellular plan for my apple watch free of cost. So in India it makes total sense to go for the cellular model as it is cheaper to maintain in the long run.
Seriously dude, if you get anxiety by being away from a phone for few hours because you’re worried someone might need to call during that tiny window then you’re addicted. That is absolutely unhealthy for your mind and something to work on. We went without phones for years without problems, people need to learn how to disconnect. Reality check, quit social media for a month and don’t tell anyone – nobody would even notice….
I don't replacing my iPhones over the Apple Watch cause it wasn't a cellular ones and yet, the iPhones still runs better and holds more than the Apple Watch..its for emergency that Apple Watch with cellular types could reach but on GPS, it couldn't get it faster on emergency call.
Useful video, thank you!
I been hating smartphones for a while
❤️♥️
I need to study this video in depth to see if you answer my question. My elderly aunt 90 has no cell phone, and doesn't want to deal with one. All that complication. Is there an LTE watch that is standalone? For calling 911, close family etc. ?? Do they even exist?
Thank you so much for this video!!! I want to get the Galaxy watch for my elderly parents, my mom, who sometimes forgets her phone at home and for my dad who refuses to have a phone because he's afraid of losing it. Since it has fall detection, it is of added benefit. My only annoyance is that it requires me to pay an additional monthly fee of $10. I'm thinking of getting the LTE version just in case but stick to using wifi since many places has wifi which they can connect to if they need to call someone for a ride home, or for directions, for example. If you can do a video on the specifics of connectivity, with/without phone use, I would really appreciate it! Thanks.
Hello I was wondering if cellular Apple Watch can last 18hr with light use and sending 6 texts along with making a 4 minute phone call
There are camera strap accessories, so now there is a camera for a apple watch