If you’ve ever been tempted to buy a Samsung smartwatch, you probably noticed that most of them come in two flavors: Bluetooth+Wi-Fi and LTE. What’s the difference between them? Which one should you pick? Here’s how it works.\n<\/p>\n
First, a key clarification: Bluetooth+Wi-Fi models do not have cellular connectivity. LTE models do. However, LTE variants are not \u201cLTE-only\u201d devices, even if they’re often nicknamed as such. LTE models still include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and rely on these standards just as much as non-LTE Watches.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe real puzzle: Do you actually need LTE?\n<\/p>\n
Start by answering these two questions:\n<\/p>\n
If the answer is yes, then continue with this follow-up question:\n<\/p>\n
If both answers are yes, LTE makes sense. If not, a Bluetooth+Wi-Fi Galaxy Watch version is usually the better value.\n<\/p>\n
\nWhat Bluetooth actually does on a Galaxy Watch\n<\/p>\n
Bluetooth, rather than Wi-Fi or LTE, is the primary connection method for Galaxy Watches. Bluetooth links your watch to your phone for syncing data and handling most everyday functions.\n<\/p>\n
In fact, you might be surprised to find out just how little you’ll miss out on if you don’t buy an LTE model. Using Bluetooth only, your phone can lean on your smartphone’s connectivity and perform advanced tasks such as:\n<\/p>\n
\nMake and receive calls through your phone\u2019s cellular connection\n<\/p>\n
\nReceive notifications and reply to messages\n<\/p>\n
\nUse apps like Google Maps, Bixby, and more\n<\/p>\n
\nSync health and fitness data to Samsung Health\n<\/p>\n
\nInstall new apps from Google Play on your Watch\n<\/p>\n
Health and fitness tracking itself does not require any connection at all. The watch records data locally and syncs it later through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. If tracking is all you care about, you won’t know the difference between Bluetooth+Wi-Fi and LTE models.\n<\/p>\n
\nWhat Wi-Fi and LTE actually add\n<\/p>\n
Wi-Fi is a secondary connection option. When your Watch and phone are connected via Bluetooth, enabling Wi-Fi doesn\u2019t fundamentally unlock new features. It mainly helps with faster app downloads and software updates.\n<\/p>\n
When your wearable is disconnected from your phone, you can connect your Galaxy Watch to a Wi-Fi network and use internet-based features.\n<\/p>\n
However, LTE is the real upgrade if you care about cellular. With an LTE model, you can install an eSIM from a supported carrier and use the watch independently of your phone. That means:\n<\/p>\n
\nMaking and receiving calls without your phone\n<\/p>\n
\nSending and receiving messages without your phone\n<\/p>\n
\nUsing internet services and apps on mobile data without Wi-Fi and your phone\n<\/p>\n
It effectively turns the watch into a standalone communications device when needed. However, it doesn’t add or improve anything regarding fitness and health tracking and so on.\n<\/p>\n
\nWhich Galaxy Watch variant should you buy?\n<\/p>\n
\nIf you want full independence from your phone for calls and messages, and your carrier supports smartwatch eSIMs, LTE is the right choice.\n<\/p>\n
\nIf your phone is usually with you anyway, Bluetooth+Wi-Fi is the smarter buy. You can rely on your phone’s connection for everyday use and save money in the process.\n<\/p>\n
One final point: concerns about music on the go are often overblown. Galaxy Watches include onboard storage, so you can download playlists for offline listening and leave your phone behind during workouts.\n<\/p>\n
It doesn’t matter if your Galaxy Watch lacks LTE, you can still download your music locally and enjoy your jogging sessions without your phone weighing you down.\n<\/p>\n
In fact, LTE can hurt your Galaxy Watch’s battery life, so if you don’t need it, you may get more autonomy by avoiding it altogether.\n<\/p>\n
Hopefully, you can now decide which Galaxy Watch version suits you best. And if you are in the market for a new smartwatch, the Watch 8 series is often discounted and Samsung has a new Watch 9 coming this summer.\n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you’ve ever been tempted to buy a Samsung smartwatch, you probably noticed that most of them come…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328387,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[786,3806,3807,3808,4325,3809,3810,3811,3812,3813,86,56,54,55,3814],"class_list":["post-659892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-gadgets","tag-gadgets","tag-galaxy-watch-5","tag-galaxy-watch-5-pro","tag-galaxy-watch-6","tag-galaxy-watch-6-classic","tag-galaxy-watch-7","tag-galaxy-watch-8","tag-galaxy-watch-8-classic","tag-galaxy-watch-ultra","tag-one-ui-8-watch","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wear-os"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=659892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}