Smartwatches with LTE (eSIM)

[Polar Bear]

I bought my current smartwatch in April when my existing one developed a fault.  That has since been repaired in spite of being just outside of warranty and passed on to a friend.

When I bought the current watch, a Garmin Fenix 6 Sapohire Pro (or something like that) I was not aware of true eSIM capability in watches.  For those who don't know an eSIM capable device can connect to your existing mobile phone contract and act as a phone even if your smartphone is completely out of range.

This eSIM capability is now top of my wish list and my existing phone contract is coming to an end.  I can see only a couple of choices in the UK at present.  My current network is O2.

1:  Switch from android to Apple and acquire a new phone and watch on the O2 eSIM tariff.  O2 apparently will only do eSIM with Apple. 

2:  As my Samsung Galaxy S9 phone is in excellent health, performs very well and does all that I seek, buy a Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 lte and switch to EE where I can then have eSIM.

EE and O2 have similar network coverage in my area so that should not present an issue.

Being an android user of many years I am not familiar with Apple but anything can be learned.

What does the panel think, and, is anybody aware of any other options please?  Please, no fanboy stuff please.  I'll just ignore that.  🙂

[Syd]

eSIM options are, as you have found, quite limited in the UK at present.

I’m an Apple ‘fan boy’ (and hold shares in the company) but am not evangelical about it.

I would say that if you are a current android device user, and happy with your current position, then you should go down the EE route you describe above.

I, personally, dislike android (and EE too) but it’s your decision from your viewpoint and experiences.

[grams]

What problem are you trying to solve?

[Polar Bear]

I am not trying to solve a problem rather I am thinking of my own convenience when out running.  I don't mind wearing a watch but I find carrying a phone, even with two good solutions that I have, just not ideal.  If I can replace the need to carry a phone with a watch then I have achieved something that I would prefer.   Also, in the winter I can put a small wallet, keys and gloves in the phone pouch of my running belt negating the need to buy and wear a running pack.

One other thing:  the Garmin watch only does Garmin Pay which is very limiting in the UK but the Samsung watch does Samsung Pay which has far wider coverage.  I know that Apple Pay exists which also has wide coverage so they effectively cancel each other out.

[Syd]

I use my Garmin watch with my Revolut card. Handy if you often buy in other currencies.

[Feanor]

You say with an eSIM the watch can 'act like a phone', removing the need to carry a phone too.

I'm not so sure what you mean.

It would enable a data connection allowing the watch to sync to Garmin Connect without BT-pairing to a phone,
but you don't need to carry your existing phone to do that anyway. It would sync when you get back.

Why are you carrying a phone anyway, and what functions of the phone do you expect this to replace?

I doubt it will make/receive calls.
It might receive SMS texts, but I doubt there's any way to reply.
I can't think of any other phone function it would be able to do.

I'm just not 'seeing' the intended use scenario, sorry.

[Polar Bear]

eSIM watches are fully capable of making and receiving calls.  That is their big win in my opinion.  The Garmin syncing is irrelevant.

Having twice in my life had an accident where having a phone would have been invaluable I now carry around my phone but relatively speaking it is bulky and inconvenient.  A phone on my wrist is infinitely more preferable for me.

[rafletcher]

Vodafone also support it on Apple watched 3/4/5.

And yes, you can make and receive calls.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT205547

[Feanor]

Ah, OK. I never realised that.
In that case, I can see the utility.

[ian]

Yeah, was going to say, if you buy the mobile data version of an Apple watch (there's a cheaper non-mobile version that's wifi only) then it works like a phone, you can illuminate the lives of passers-by by yelling at your wrist, or you can tap away to send and receive texts (you can scribble or dictate) or emails.

[fuaran]

Or just buy a tiny phone that fits in your pocket, or on a wrist strap? Then use it with your choice of PAYG SIM.

[Polar Bear]

Yeah, was going to say, if you buy the mobile data version of an Apple watch (there's a cheaper non-mobile version that's wifi only) then it works like a phone, you can illuminate the lives of passers-by by yelling at your wrist, or you can tap away to send and receive texts (you can scribble or dictate) or emails.

I'd be using my bluetooth headphones so no shouting at my wrist.

Or just buy a tiny phone that fits in your pocket, or on a wrist strap? Then use it with your choice of PAYG SIM.

A watch with eSIM is a tiny phone on a wrist strap and so much more and I don't then need another number.  🙂

If any watch can do voice commands which I expect they will then sending messages will be relatively easy.  Fiddling with twirly bezels, digital crowns or minute touch screens to send messages will never work for me.  Not an anticipated need anyway.

[fuaran]

You do need another number, and another contract. An eSIM would replace your existing SIM. You can't have the same number on 2 SIMs at once.

[ian]

Dictation seems to work, within the bounds of dictation. You can use bluetooth too.

And no, you don't need a second number, the eSIM in the watch copies the phone SIM. Calls and messages come through (and originate) from either.

[fuaran]

Because it is connected via the iphone? What if you make a call without wifi or the phone nearby?

[ian]

Because it is connected via the iphone? What if you make a call without wifi or the phone nearby?

No, it's an independent mobile connection. You can leave the iPhone at home and just use the watch for calls/messages/data as you would the phone.

It's the same number as your iPhone and indistinguishable, you can make a call from the watch in exactly the same way.

As mentioned, only a couple of vendors have a plan that supports this feature.

[Jaded]

EE do.

Occasionally I have to studiously ignore my wrist ringing at me 

[ian]

To be honest, I probably won't bother with the feature the next time I replace my watch, the only times it has been useful is when I've forgotten my phone, which is almost never, and it's not like the world will lament my passing if I'm incommunicado for a few hours.

If you're habitually out of phone battery or have no wish to carry a phone, it's very useful though.

[barakta]

My understanding from many blind and partially sighted friends is that the Apple stuff is better for voice commands (and indeed screenreader technologies) than Android although the latter is catching up fast.

If you want to avoid the twiddling and tapping, it may be worth looking for reviews of the Apple watch by visually impaired users to see what they make of it. Not all of them are fanboys although some are.

[ian]

My only routine experience is shouting HEY SIRI, TELL ME THE TIME or HEY SIRI, TELL FRED I'M DEAD (or somesuch) when the watch is buried under winter clothes. Note to send a message, you have to raise your arm and put it back, which isn't as easy as it might seem on a bike when avoiding enraged and homicidal cabbies. Or you can tap the relevant option on the watch face, if it's not buried under umpteen layers of clothes.

[Polar Bear]

I need to find reviews of both Apple and the Samsung watch really so that I can get a feel for both sides of the tech divide.  If I end up switching platforms it's a bigger, more expensive deal all round.   Perhaps Rizknows or DCRainmaker can help me out ...

[L CC]

Neither of them have the fitness functionality of your existing wrist object.

[Polar Bear]

Quite so but it doesn't have LTE.  I have been reviewing what information I actually use from my existing device and in fact it is a very limited amount of information which both the Apple watch and the Samsung watch also can record for me.

It is unfortunate that I bought the Garmin earlier this year before I realised that some watches now have LTE functionality.