Probably one of the most important decisions when deciding between the two Apple watch versions has to do with price. How much of a price difference is there in between the between the Apple watch cellular and the GPS version? There’s been about a hundred dollars difference in the series 4.
It’s that way for the Apple watch series 5 and if I’m a betting man, I would guess that it’s going to be the same for future Apple watch generations. But something else you got to keep in mind is where you can actually purchase your Apple watch cellular from.
If you purchase your Apple watch cellular from a non-cellular store such as Apple or best buy, chances are you could actually purchase the cellular version of that Apple watch without actually having to activate the cellular before leaving the store.
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And that’s important to remember it because do not forget if you get the cellular version of the Apple watch, you should expect to have to pay around $10 more per month. Just to have cellular service on the thing. That’s why I always say take a good hard look at the fine print details of deals you might see from local cellular stores for the Apple watch cellular.
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Chances are that deal they’re running actually requires you to sign a two year contract committing to that $10 or whatever the price is per month, to have that cellular connection on your Apple watch cellular, which means you actually have to probably pay an early termination fee. If you cancel that contract before the two years is up on top of the likely activation fee, you’ll have to pay just to get the thing up and running on your account.
So in other words, it’s really only a deal if you’re dead set certain on getting a cellular version of the Apple watch, which hopefully you’ll decide whether or not you want. Based on the other features of the cellular version of the Apple watch we’re about to talk about in this article.
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Why there’s a difference in price between Apple watch GPS VS Cellular?
First and foremost, kind of the obvious one, let’s talk about internet. All Apple watch cellular and GPS versions connected to the internet through Wi-Fi. Apple watches can also connect to your phone to receive data that way, but only the Apple watch cellular version actually connects to a cellular network to get data without having to connect to your iPhone or Wi-Fi.
So it’s when your iPhone isn’t nearby and when you don’t have access to Wi-Fi then the cellular version of the Apple watch actually comes in handy. That’s when the Apple watch cellular could connect to the internet and your Apple watch GPS can.
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Music: Apple Watch GPS VS Cellular
Both the cellular and the Apple watch GPS versions can stream Apple music so long as you’re connected to Wi-Fi or again, your iPhone. But once again, if you don’t have your iPhone nearby, if you’re not connected to Wi-Fi, only the Apple watch cellular is going to be able to connect to the internet to obviously stream your Apple music. Obviously, Apple watch GPS cannot play music without Wi-Fi except stored music.
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Building on that, both versions of the Apple watch cellular and GPS actually allow you to store music locally. But with a two gig limit. Apple removes that two gig limitation because it really is right now just a software limitation.
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They basically just remove that limit; you can store more than two gigs of music on your Apple watch. Cause let’s be honest, who really needs 16 gigs of space on the Apple watch in order to store apps? I don’t!
But for now, just keep in mind, Apple watch cellular or Apple watch GPS; both can store up to two gigs of local music locally.
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Battery: Apple Watch GPS VS Cellular
How long do Apple wathces actually last for? Once again, the battery capacity of your Apple watch is going to depend on your particular Apple watch series model, but one thing is for certain, based on pretty much every test I’ve seen online, when you’re using the cellular connection of your Apple watch.
You’re going to drain your battery a hell of a lot faster. In other words, pretty much every aspect of your Apple watch usage, but especially talking or listening, Apple watch cellular is going to drain the battery faster when you’re on cellular as opposed to when you’re on Apple watch GPS.
To just know when you’re on cellular, you’re going to drain that battery a lot faster, like substantially faster than if you were on iPhone or wifi.
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Design Material: Apple Watch GPS VS Cellular
Believe it or not design material availability actually depends on whether you’re looking at the Apple watch cellular or Apple watch GPS, and as of right now, the Apple watch GPS version is only available with an aluminum casing. In other words, if you really like that stainless steel casing, you could get on the Apple watch for your fan of some of the other premium casings.
You will have to shell out the extra bucks to get the cellular version of the Apple watch just to have that material on the Apple watch. I wish I could get the stainless steel version of the Apple watch without cellular, but that’s not the case. If you want stainless steel or another premium material option on the Apple watch you’re going to have to get Apple watch cellular.
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Which Is Best? Apple Watch GPS VS Cellular
So taking all this into consideration, here’s my take on this debacle. Those are the specific differences between the Apple watch cellular and the Apple watch GPS, but at the end of the day, those differences really don’t matter. I think what you ultimately have to look at is how long you actually have your iPhone with you throughout the day.
Like I previously mentioned, the only time you’re actually going to need a cellular connection on your Apple watch is when your iPhone isn’t nearby or when you don’t have Wi-Fi available. Considering I have my iPhone with me, I’d say 90+ percent of the day that only leaves 10% max of the day that it actually would be having my Apple watch without any kind of connection.
Do I really want to pay $100 more and $10 per month just to have a cellular connection on my Apple watch for the 10% of the day? I otherwise wouldn’t have an internet connection on my watch.
I’m going to say no. I think for the typical Apple watch user, you’re going to have your iPhone with you, or at least a connection to Wi-Fi, probably 90+ percent of the day, but then again, there are situations in which I think it might be helpful to have an Apple watch cellular.
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Maybe you have a job, which for the majority part of your day, actually requires you not to have your iPhone nearby. You don’t have Wi-Fi available, but you still want to get data and the internet connectivity on an Apple watch on your wrist.
Well, on that particular situation, maybe it would make sense to look at the cellular version of the Apple watch.
Or the other situation, which I personally think is the most popular amongst Apple watch cellular users is if you’re a runner. If you’re going for a run outside several times per week and you don’t want to bring your iPhone with you, obviously you’re not going to have the iPhone connection.
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Obviously you wouldn’t have Wi-Fi either. If you’re a runner and you run outside, but you still really want to sell you the connection on your wrist. And that case, take a look at the Apple watch cellular, you’ll probably benefit from it, but for all other situations, again, in my experience, which I think is the majority of situations, I’m not so sure the Apple watch cellular would be worth it.
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So unless I really want the stainless steel version or some other premium material version of the Apple watch, or if I find myself outside of the house without my iPhone or a Wi-Fi connection, I really don’t think I’ll ever be getting this Cellular version of the Apple watch. I’ll save the hundred bucks.
I’ll save the 10 bucks per month, but that’s just the way I’m looking at it. You could be considering otherwise.
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