Cellular or Bluetooth smartwatch: which should you buy?
Short answer: Buy Bluetooth if you carry your phone. Buy cellular if you want calls, messages or streaming without it, for example on runs, swims or for a child. Cellular costs more upfront, needs a plan from your carrier and uses more battery.
Last verified September 26, 2026.
Quick decision
- Office worker, commuter: Bluetooth. Your phone is nearby.
- Runner or cyclist who leaves the phone home: cellular, for safety and music.
- Swimmer or gym user: usually Bluetooth, unless you want calls.
- Child: cellular, so they can be reached on their own.
- Travel or abroad: check roaming support before paying for cellular.
The real costs of cellular
- A higher purchase price for the cellular variant.
- A monthly add-on fee from your carrier (varies by carrier).
- Shorter battery life when the radio is used.
- Carrier support is required for activation.
How to decide in five minutes
Ask yourself four questions: 1. Do you leave your phone behind on runs, walks or errands? If yes, cellular is worth considering. 2. Does your carrier support watches on your plan? If not, a cellular watch cannot be activated. 3. Is a monthly add-on fee acceptable? If not, choose Bluetooth. 4. Do you need more than two days of battery? Cellular use shortens it, so a Bluetooth model usually lasts longer. Three or four answers pointing the same way are a strong indicator. If they split, start with Bluetooth: you can buy a cellular watch later if you need one, but you cannot get back the cost of a watch and plan you did not need.
What cellular adds beyond calls
- Messages and music or podcast streaming without the phone
- For a child: being reachable without handing over a phone Features differ by model and carrier. Check the model's own page before you rely on any of them.
Common mistakes
- Buying a cellular watch and never activating the plan, so you pay the premium for nothing
- Assuming any cellular watch works on any carrier
- Ignoring battery, then charging every night
- Choosing cellular for a swimmer or gym user who never needs calls
Cellular and non-cellular models by brand
| Brand | Cellular-capable | No cellular | Other or variant | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garmin | 1 | 26 | 6 | 33 |
| Amazfit | 0 | 26 | 0 | 26 |
| Mibro | 5 | 20 | 0 | 25 |
| Huawei | 1 | 20 | 2 | 23 |
| Xiaomi | 2 | 15 | 2 | 19 |
| Kospet | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Maxcom | 1 | 14 | 0 | 15 |
| 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 | |
| Samsung | 12 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Polar | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Apple | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Blackview | 4 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| SaveFamily | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Denver | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Tracer | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| HONOR | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| COROS | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| SPC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Suunto | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| OnePlus | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Realme | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Imoo | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| ASUS | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Maimo | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Withings | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Garett | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Kidiwatch | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Motorola | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Nothing | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ulefone | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| ZTE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Anio | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gabb | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| IMILAB | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lenovo | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mediatech | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mobvoi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| OPPO | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Spacetalk | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TCL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TickTalk | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Verizon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Vivo | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| WatchMe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Xplora | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| myFirst | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 70 | 229 | 11 | 310 |
Next
Read Do smartwatches need a data plan?, What is an eSIM smartwatch?, or browse cellular watches and eSIM watches.
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