Does your smartwatch need a GSM SIM Card? Preferably one that is prepaid and low cost? Then we suggest that you continue reading.
Nearly 16% of US consumers now own wearables and many smartwatches have become light versions of mobile phones. And in a sense they are; you can use them for making phone calls, texting and browsing the internet.
A popular consumer category for this type of wearables is kids. Kids smartwatches are gaining popularity as it says to give parents peace of mind. They’re able to locate a kid’s whereabouts at any given point and communicate without phones, which are both expensive and gives access to unsupervised internet browsing. CCS Insight forecasts that the wearables industry will grow from just over $10 billion in 2017 to almost $17 billion by 2021. That includes fitness bands, smart clothing, wearables and wearable cameras.
Why do Smartwatches Need a SIM Card?
Even though smartwatches usually are an extension of the phone with which they’re syncing, some models are stand-alone devices. They work independently and are connected through a GSM SIM card. The other watches instead use Bluetooth to pull down content from a nearby paired phone, using the phone’s cellular connection.
The SIM card, in any device, connects to a carrier’s network using unique identification data and an authentication key. It’s a small bit of information stored in a chip, that enables connectivity. It’s also what prevents it from connecting to other carriers’ networks. Nano is the most common sized SIM card for smartwatches, although some are also using the Micro size.
So is it better to have a watch with a SIM card slot or not? The answer is: it depends. The downside of having a smartwatch that needs a SIM card is that you’ll have ongoing costs for the service plan. On the other hand, it’s practical to not have to carry around your phone whenever you want to use your watch.
Customizing a Smartwatch Plan
At US Mobile, it’s very simple to design an affordable smartwatch plan that is customized to your watch’s needs. Let’s say your watch needs talk, text, and data – just pick the size of each component in our matrix. The most affordable plan, including talk, text, and data, is $9 which is including our monthly fee. In the case you don’t need all three components, you can just choose the ones your watch requires.
Start by going to our plans page and follow the steps visible below.
Watches with SIM Card
Although the majority of smartwatches have Bluetooth connectivity, there are a couple of great ones using a cellular connection. A few models to mention are:
- DZ09 – very attractive watch with both Bluetooth and cellular connectivity and also have integrated sleep monitoring.
- Samsung Gear S & S2 3G/4G & S3 Frontier LTE – three different designs from the curved display on the S, to a sports watch look on the S3. Both the S2 and S3 connects with e-sim.
- Scinex SW20 & SW30 – nice looking watches with a touchscreen that can either be connected to a phone or be used as a stand-alone.
- LEMFO LF07 & KW88 – the LF07 is supposedly a replica of Apple Smartwatch Series 2, supporting both Android and iOS. The KW88 has a sportier look and just supports Android.
- NEPTUNE Pine – has a large display which makes it possible to even watch movies on the watch.
- LG Urbane 2nd Edition LTE – classy look of a regular watch with the features of a premium smartwatch.
As mentioned in the beginning, the kids’ smartwatch industry is growing. The following are powered by a SIM Card:
- LEMFO Q50 – a smartwatch with an anti-lost SOS call children tracker that is unlocked for worldwide use.
- TickTalk – kids wearable phone and tracker, where parents can even listen to the surroundings of their kid’s location.
- Tinitell – simple design with just one big button, with volume buttons on the side. A watch phone that comes in four colors.
- Trax Play – tiny GPS tracker in a square box form, for small children and pets.
