So you bought an Apple Watch Series 3, and you were so excited about all that it could do, you enabled the LTE on it, and now you’re wondering if you should keep it. Are you getting an added value for the price you are paying for the service? The cost is $10/month. Which, at face value doesn’t seem like a lot. That’s equivalent to a month of Netflix, but with Netflix, the value seems obvious, doesn’t it? You can watch a ton of TV shows and movies with that. Does the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE provide you with that same level of value?
I’m going to be upfront with you, and go on the record with the following statement: I don’t think the service matches the value in this particular case. But I am going to explain my rationale for you.
Connectivity
The LTE capabilities mean you are constantly connected to your iPhone. You don’t need to have your phone on your person because you can just go to the grocery store or for a run without having to carry your phone. This, to me, is an incredible benefit. But at the same time, we are in an age where we’re used to carrying our phones. People carry their phones at the gym all the time. So while having the ability to be connected is fantastic, I don’t know that there’s enough of a benefit to it to warrant the $10 charge per month.
Cost
I am trying to keep myself on a strict spending budget, and I don’t think that this kind of cost, monthly is worth it for me. How much data are you actually using on your Watch per month? But if you factor in taxes and the activation fee from your carrier, you’re probably paying closer to $14/month. That totals $168/year. While I personally don’t think it’s worth it, you might need that peace of mind in your life and it would be worth it. The carrier companies get you with the fact that it’s “just” $10 per month. The small print, though, says you need to apply the taxes and any other fees that might be included. Which, of course, brings me back to value – is it going to be worth it?
Peace of Mind
I alluded to this in my previous paragraph. With a lot of things in life, we have to ask ourselves – is it worth the peace of mind? On one hand, it’s a bit of a security blanket. If you need to use the data – it’s there. But on the other hand, if you’re not using it, you’re just throwing away almost $170/year. If you need to be in constant communication with someone or something in your life AND you also want to leave your phone at home, then maybe it is worth it. But remember, the LTE capabilities just allow you to leave your phone at home. You still have the option to take your phone with you, so it’s not like you’ll be without communication with the outside world.
For me, it isn’t worth it, but like I said – what your life consists of may dictate a need for that. Let us know if you have a different take on this, as we’re always happy to hear from our readers.