I have a series 0 watch and am happy with it and probably won't upgrade for a while. I will also be too cheap to pay $10 a month for service, so would wait for that price to drop before signing up. But I am curious about the advantages to getting the LTE version without a plan.
1) calling 911. All Cell companies have to process 911 calls even for a phone that doesn't have service. If this applies to the watch, then you get the true "emergency" part of having LTE on the watch as a one time cost. Useful for runners or others that don't have their phone; or if your phone gets destroyed by dropping it in a lake; or that one time you drive off the road into a ditch happens to be the day you forget your phone. Rescue may also be improved even if you can't get through to 911, since they may get some location data from the watch calling out to the towers.
2) Assisted GPS. At least in the old days, GPS performance was significantly improved and speeded up by cellular assist. Since this may involve just hitting the towers, it may not need a plan. I actually don't know this, but if GPS was improved (in heavy woods, or in a city), that would be another good reason to get LTE.
Now my main concern is whether not having a plan would impact the battery. Would the watch just skip using LTE if there was no plan. Does having LTE but not using it drain the battery plan or no plan. This is particularly a concern in areas with spotty coverage, since my experience is that drains a phone battery faster in the background then pretty much anything else.
1) calling 911. All Cell companies have to process 911 calls even for a phone that doesn't have service. If this applies to the watch, then you get the true "emergency" part of having LTE on the watch as a one time cost. Useful for runners or others that don't have their phone; or if your phone gets destroyed by dropping it in a lake; or that one time you drive off the road into a ditch happens to be the day you forget your phone. Rescue may also be improved even if you can't get through to 911, since they may get some location data from the watch calling out to the towers.
2) Assisted GPS. At least in the old days, GPS performance was significantly improved and speeded up by cellular assist. Since this may involve just hitting the towers, it may not need a plan. I actually don't know this, but if GPS was improved (in heavy woods, or in a city), that would be another good reason to get LTE.
Now my main concern is whether not having a plan would impact the battery. Would the watch just skip using LTE if there was no plan. Does having LTE but not using it drain the battery plan or no plan. This is particularly a concern in areas with spotty coverage, since my experience is that drains a phone battery faster in the background then pretty much anything else.
