Standalone Phone Watches (eSim)- The best for 2023-2024

Smartwatches are fantastic devices, but many have features that won’t work unless they’re paired with a phone. Having to have your phone with you at all times is certainly irritating. But standalone cellular watches will mean you can leave your phone at home.

Standalone phone watches mean you can enjoy all your fitness activities or an evening out without the worry of leaving a phone behind or finding a place to store your phone whilst you have fun.

We reviewed some of the best cellular/phone watches on the market today; from cheap to expensive and basic to advanced so that you can choose the one that best suits your lifestyle.

Our Top Picks for Smartwatches with SIM card or eSim Phone Watches

1. Apple Watch Series 7, 8 or Ultra

The latest in Apple’s watch collection, the Series 8, is a full screen that comes out thinner still than its 6 and older predecessors. As a standalone smartwatch, the large screen on the 7 or 8 has a few advantages: the bigger surface area allows for easier texting, messaging, and browsing, while also making your communication a bit faster. The Apple Watch Ultra is the ultra-expensive version which is even more rugged and bulky – built for endurance.

Along with the reliable communication features you can expect from Apple, the Series 8 is also the premiere choice in fitness watches. You can leave your phone at home while you’re running, swimming, hiking, or on the field, and still have all the same call, browse, or messaging functions- plus, you get a ton of fitness tracking options.

If you’re specifically looking for a smartwatch for fitness, and one which can replace your whole phone during your activities, Apple offers a sturdy watch for a healthy investment.

Here is our full Apple Watch 8 review...

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2. Apple Watch Series 7

Everyone’s heard of the Apple Watch. The Series 7 is an excellent standalone smartwatch you can wear wherever you go and starts at around $400. The best part is that the cellular version uses an eSim. Meaning you don’t have to buy and physically insert a SIM card into the watch. Which is super convenient when setting up the watch! Start using your new Apple Watch as soon as you get it out of the box.

The Apple Watch is renowned for its fitness tracking ability; you can go swimming in open water, enjoy your session in the gym or just track your steps each day. There is an activity app that shows you the progress you’re making. Furthermore, it helps to remind you to move when you’ve been sedentary for too long. Plus, this latest version has advanced fitness features such as blood oxygen and ECG monitoring.

You can text and call your loved ones wherever you are, as long as there is a signal. You can even get directions to your next destination! And with GPS tracking, you can be certain that each journey you take will be accurately tracked for you to analyze later.    

3. Apple Watch SE or SE 2

The Apple Watch SE comes with the same premium design, in the same size options with most of the same features as the Series 6. However, it has blood oxygen and ECG capabilities missing. As such, it comes at a more affordable price at less than $300.

As with the Series 6 above, it also uses an eSim, so there’s no need to purchase a separate one and fiddle with the tiny card.

You can opt for the latest and greatest like the Apple Watch 8 or SE 2. Alternatively, get a discounted used Apple Watch.

Compare prices and choose your favourite merchant in the table below.

Product	Supplier
Apple Watch SE	Amazon	View Offer
Apple Watch SE	eBay	View Offer
Apple Watch SE	Apple	View Offer
Apple Watch SE	Target	View Offer

4. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 LTE Model

This stylish newcomer has an LTE model which you can buy right now. ECG sensors will accurately record your ECG, workouts will identify and start automatically. A Wear OS watch powered by Samsung ,16GB music storage which is double the Galaxy 3/previous model. The LTE model allows you to be out and about or exercise freely without your phone. There is no SIM slot or a need to stick a physical SIM. Like the Apple Watch, it uses a digital sim or an eSim for seamless carrier connectivity.

The Classic version comes at 42mm or 46mm or if you like the sleek new model, it comes at 40mm or 44mm. All sizes have an LTE model and updated health tracking sensors compared to the Galaxy Watch 3 (see review below)

Find the Galaxy 4 LTE on eBay or Amazon.

Product	Supplier
Galaxy Watch 5	Amazon	Check Price
Galaxy Watch 5	eBay	Check Price
Watch 4 Classic	eBay	Check Price
Galaxy Watch 4	Target	Check Price

5. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 LTE Model

A Top Phone Watch Choice

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a follow-up to one of our favorite smartwatches of all time, and it’s the first time the firm has embraced Wear OS software in a long time. It’s not your normal Wear OS watch, however; it’s dubbed One UI Watch 3 and was created by Samsung with the assistance of Google.

The Watch 4 is suitable for anyone looking for a top-end smartwatch that can track workouts as well as offer a lot of other smart features that many alternative wrist companions can’t. On paper, the overall upgrade is limited in software and hardware, but the Watch 4 is suitable for anyone looking for a top-end smartwatch that can track workouts as well as offer a lot of other smart features that many alternative wrist companions can’t.

Annoyingly, it won’t work with an iPhone, and although it is compatible with many recent Android phones, certain capabilities, such as blood pressure and ECG measures, will need a Samsung smartphone.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a small wristwatch that fits easily around your wrist. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is a good choice if you want something a little chunkier or with a rotating bezel.

It has a small design, with two buttons on the right-hand edge and nothing else to distract from its clean appearance. There are two variants available, one with a 40mm watch face and the other with a 44mm body.

Features

A digital rotating bezel – a feature carried over from the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 – works in tandem with two buttons on the right side to provide quick navigation through the smartwatch’s menus. Some may miss the Galaxy Watch 3’s actual spinning bezel, but this is an excellent substitute.

The fitness elements aren’t drastically different from what we’ve seen before, but there is a new body composition tool that provides you an estimate of your body fat %. We discovered that the Galaxy Watch 4’s GPS, heart rate tracking, and other fitness capabilities are well-thought-out.

The Galaxy Watch 4’s battery life isn’t a major worry, but it isn’t the longest-lasting smartwatch we’ve ever seen. With regular to severe use, it may last up to two days, and three days if you’re not working out or utilizing functions like GPS.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is joined by a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, which is the smartwatch to look at if you prefer a real rotating bezel, which is the main difference between the two devices.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is an excellent choice for everyone who has a Galaxy smartphone. If you have another Android phone, it’s still a good option for your future wristwatch, although there are some limitations to the functions listed above.

6. Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (LTE Model)

LTE enables you to be connected all the time with or without your cellular phone. Listen to music or watch Youtube, call or text without having to carry your phone.

Use Samsung Pay yo make payments, and receive all your notifications on your Galaxy Active 2. You could also receive and make calls and text from your wrist – all of this without carrying your phone!

Voice functionality enhances this further with the ability to read your texts to you or ask to make a call for you.

The Samsung Galaxy Active 2 LTE is a great fitness tracker that’s also very well connected.

7. The TicWatch Pro

Has Awesome Wireless Potential

TicWatch Pro 4g/LTE is an awesome watch if you want to go phoneless.

This device is powered by Wear OS and, because it has 4G, you will see a noticeable speed difference when using apps and tracking features; everything feels smoother and easier to access.

Probably the most amazing feature of the TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE is the battery life – up to 30 days in essential mode and up to five days in Smart Mode mean you don’t need to worry about it running out of juice before you finish what you’re doing!

With a user-friendly display and stunning design, it also offers 24-hour heart rate monitoring, contactless payments, waterproof capability and Google Assistant. You won’t need anything else when you have this on your wrist! Priced around $300.

8. Garmin Forerunner 955 LTE

(Requires active subscription to an M1 LTE Network)

Up until recently, Garmin was not a major player in the cellular smartwatch segment. With the Garmin Forerunner 955 LTE model all of these changes. You get the best of all worlds – a top-of-the-line sports watch from the most recognizable sports watch brand and LTE connectivity. Cellular network connectivity means that you can get live tracking of your running and establish interactive messaging with motivating friends and fans during a race for instance. This is very important if you want to race without having to carry your phone which makes sense.

With the Cellular option, you are able to make and receive calls. Garmin also offers a round-the-clock emergency response center should you need help. Being connected means you can use Garmin Pay to make NFC payments, even without your phone. The options are wide and this is going to grow even more.

9. Huawei Watch 3

A Cellular Watch Packed with Features

The Huawei Watch 3 is a stylish wristwatch that runs Huawei’s proprietary HarmonyOS for the first time. It’s silky smooth, but it’s not quite polished yet, as you’d anticipate.

The Watch 3 is designed with health tracking in mind, and it comes with a powerful set of capabilities for tracking both your daily health (such as sleep, step counts, and SpO2) and your exercises. During rigorous training sessions, we found its heart rate monitoring to be a bit erratic, sometimes reporting unexpected peaks throughout interval sessions, but location tracking, as well as speed and cadence, were all accurate during our pre-measured run.

With a huge, glossy display, low bezels, and glass that bends towards the corners to meet the casing, the Huawei Watch 3 is a significant change from the hefty Watch 2. Instead, it has more than a passing similarity to the Watch GT.

The Watch 3 has a lot of promise; the technology is remarkable, and the watch’s brilliant display would be ideal for on-screen navigation and assisted workouts with animated instructions. HarmonyOS will grow into its own over time, with a larger range of applications and increased support for prominent third-party services.

The eSim lets you use your phone without a Bluetooth connection for making and receiving calls, listening to music, and downloading apps (ideal for working out without your handset), but even without the Bluetooth connection, it offers a lot of advantages, particularly when it comes to time-saving.

Which Phone Watch is Right For You?

It’s clear that no matter your budget, you can access a cellular smartwatch that can stand alone and be used for calls and texts when you don’t want to use your phone. 

The difficult part is choosing which one you want to spend your money on and how soon to do it! We would suggest that any of the ones we reviewed are great choices and so you’ll need to decide which one suits your style and wallet the best.

No matter what you choose, a standalone smartwatch is no longer an impossibility and your phone no longer has to be glued to your hand – meaning you have more time to focus on what is really important in your life.

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Last Updated on January 31, 2023