Related Articles
Tim Stevens/CNET
The reveal of the Apple Watch has answered some of our questions about Apple’s digital timepiece. We now have a price (from $349 to astronomical), a few sizes to choose from, and a release date: you can grab yours on April 24. But if you’re on the fence about whether or not this is the smartwatch for you, it’s important to know what the Apple Watch can and can’t do — especially in light of what your phone is capable of.
The Apple Watch is designed to be tethered to your iPhone. The pair of devices will communicate over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and you’ll use your phone to download apps from the Apple Watch Store. This partnership lends the Watch a lot of power: you’ll be able to answer calls and text messages right from your wrist, or send quick notes to your contacts. The apps you download are akin to miniature versions of their iPhone incarnation, distilled down to the bare essentials: you will be able to browse Instagram and check your email, but you’ll likely appreciate the Uber app a bit more, which will call a car for you in a single tap.
Tim Stevens/CNET
But this symbiotic relationship means that, like most smartwatches, an Apple Watch without an iPhone is little more than an expensive digital timepiece; there’s little that the Apple Watch can do that your phone isn’t doing already. And some smartwatches go a bit further — the Samsung Gear S packs a cellular radio, and the Sony Smartwatch 3 has a built-in GPS. In both cases you can leave your phone behind and still get some functionality out of your device.
So what exactly can the Apple Watch do? Check out our chart below for a rundown.
The Apple Watch vs the Apple iPhone
| Apple Watch | Apple iPhone | |
| Answer Calls | Yes | Yes |
| Send and recieve Messages | Yes | Yes |
| Recieve Notifications | Yes | Yes |
| FaceTime calling | No | Yes |
| Cellular connectivty | No | Yes |
| Hotspot | No | Yes |
| Make payments with Apple Pay | Yes | Yes |
| Fitness tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Take Photos | No | Yes |
