Smartwatches have come a long way since the original fitness trackers took the world by storm. The Apple Watch Series 1 effectively cemented the vast value of a robust smartwatch market in the public conscience. 

More and more, smartwatches are becoming better integrated with smartphones, often to the point where you can use cellular connections to make phone calls and respond to text messages. Of course, the battery is kind of limited, and it’s a necessity to have a good pair of wireless earbuds. 

Though they lack the vast storage of a smartphone, most new smartwatches can download music, and audiobooks and play podcasts live. It’s quickly reaching the point where we have to ask ourselves—can a smartwatch work independently of a smartphone?

Can A Smartwatch Work Without A Phone?

Some smartwatches can work without a smartphone, especially if it comes with their own cellular capabilities. However, your smartwatch’s functionality may be limited compared to when it is paired with a smartphone. The available features on a smartwatch that’s being used without a phone usually include fitness tracking, music playback and mobile payments, and limited app support. The exact capabilities will vary depending on the specific model and operating system of your smartwatch.

Without the need for a phone, most new smartwatches come with their own GPS chips and can still display a good amount of fitness tracking data, and they can store media like offline Spotify playlists and other audio which can be listened to via Bluetooth headphones. However, to see more detailed tracking information, you may need to sync your smartwatch with your phone.

Most smartwatches exist somewhere in between, requiring a connection with your smartphone but capable of use while your smartphone remains tucked away in your pocket or at home. The following smartwatches can work independently of your smartphone:

There are a lot more than that and you should keep in mind that most of these smartwatches come in two versions—the version with cellular capabilities and the version without. If it is capable of making phone calls and texts, it will require an additional line with your carrier. 

For instance, the Apple Watch Series 7 comes in Cell + GPS and GPS only. If you choose the former, and you have four lines with Verizon Wireless, you will have to add a fifth line to take advantage of the cell capabilities of the Apple Watch. 

With Verizon, an extra line for a smartwatch is usually around $10 a month, which is $30 less than a traditional phone line. Other carriers will have their own charges for an additional line. Fortunately, they aren’t too costly, considering the fact that it’s a smartwatch.

Related Article: Can You Wear A Smartwatch And A Regular Watch? (Answered!)

The In-Between Smartwatches

The in-between smartwatches are semi-independent. For example, the Garmin Venu 2, a non-cellular version is capable of receiving texts and you can use the watch to answer a call, so long as you have your earbuds in and your smartphone is within Bluetooth range. 

You can download songs and podcasts to a Venu 2 and you can leave your smartphone at home, connect your wireless earbuds to the smartwatch, and listen to music without being anywhere near your smartphone.

Bottom Line

Smartwatches are not only growing in popularity, but they’re also growing in independence from smartphones. Perhaps, at some point, smartwatches will become smartphones unto themselves.

However, even smartwatches that are independent still have strings attached to smartphones in terms of the apps and benefits of syncing the two together.