I normally don’t go anywhere without my iPhone. Over the years I have come to rely on it to get through the day. But while testing the new Apple Watch Ultra — Apple’s most premium smartwatch yet — I started to realize that it can do a lot of what my iPhone does.
At $799, the Apple Watch Ultra costs the same as the entry-level model iPhone 14. So, can anyone use the Apple Watch Ultra as a phone? Determined to find out, I threw away my iPhone for 24 hours and depended only on a smartwatch with cellular support to stay connected.
After locking up my iPhone, I started a normal routine of errands and activities with the Apple Watch Ultra on my wrist. Here’s how it went.
Communication
The Messages app is the biggest culprit in my iPhone’s Screen Time report. I’m constantly texting my friends and family, whether it’s to make plans or to stay in touch with people who live far away. And while I’ve long used the Apple Watch to send the occasional text via dictation, not having my iPhone meant I could only send messages from my wrist.
Thankfully, the Apple Watch Ultra’s 49-millimeter screen made up for it QWERTY keyboard more useful. Side by side with the 45 millimeter Apple Watch Series 8the keyboard letters are the same size, but are slightly further apart, making typing easier without errors.
That said, I still couldn’t text as fast as I can through my iPhone, even with a combination of typing and speech-to-text. This encouraged me to call more than usual. Pairing my Apple Watch with the AirPods Pro (2nd generation) provided the best experience, but I also put the Apple Watch Ultra’s built-in speakers and microphones to the test. After all, in order to really replace my phone, the watch must be able to make calls independently.
I compared the Apple Watch Series 8 to the native call quality of the Apple Watch Ultra by leaving voicemails through each smartwatch. Not only did the Apple Watch Ultra’s beefier speakers make it easier to hear the mailbox tone, but by listening to the two recordings, the Ultra did a noticeably better job of filtering out background noise through the microphones. Even though I was calling from a busy downtown area, only my voice got through to the Ultra’s voicemail. On the Series 8, I heard more wind and ambient noise.
Navigation
Whether it’s walking directions or subway information, I need help navigating New York City on a daily basis. I usually use Google Maps or Apple Maps on my iPhone to view my route options and reach my destination; with just the Apple Watch Ultra, I was afraid I’d lose my way.
But when I wanted to find the nearest Best Buy to pick up a new SD card for my camera (since, of course, I didn’t have an iPhone to take photos with), the watchOS version of Apple Maps worked better than I expected. It let me search for the location of the store and guided me there with step-by-step directions. Handy haptics on my wrist alerted me when to make a move.
At my next stop, Central Park, I had to get on the subway. My Apple Watch Ultra took me to the correct subway station, told me which train to get on, and even let me know how far the next train was. Once on the train, it warned me one station ahead of where I was supposed to get off that I had to prepare to get off. As someone who has missed my stop before, I found this feature to be extremely helpful.
Once on the train, it warned me one station ahead of where I was supposed to get off that I had to prepare to get off. As someone who has missed my stop before, I found this feature to be extremely helpful.
But it was also on the train when I first missed my phone. I like doing the New York Times crossword or checking emails on my commute. If I had planned better I might have brought a book; instead, I resorted to listening to an Apple Fitness Plus audio meditation downloaded into the Apple Watch’s Mindfulness app.
Payments
To buy my SD card and pay for my subway ticket I used Apple Pay via NFC on the Apple Watch Ultra. Checking out of Best Buy felt much the same as checking out of mine Apple Pay on my iPhone — I brought my wrist to the POS terminal and double-clicked the side button (not the Ultra’s third action button) to accept the payment with my Apple card.
For the subway I set up pay express transit on my Apple Watch. In markets where mobile payments are supported, express transportation allows you to tap your mobile device on the transfer to pay for your fare. I use this feature almost every day through New York’s OMNY program on my iPhone, but I hadn’t tried it with my Apple Watch before this challenge. No surprise, it’s just that simple.
Apple Cash is the last way I tested paying with the Apple Watch Ultra. I usually prefer Venmo or Zelle for peer-to-peer payments, but neither Apple Watch apps. So when it came time to pay my friend for my share of the dinner bill, I opened my text conversation with them and used the in-text app menu to send them the money via Apple Cash.
Safety
Walking home after dinner without my iPhone in the dark gave me some anxiety. It wasn’t a particularly dangerous journey back to my apartment, but as a woman in a big city, my personal safety is a permanent priority. In a perfect world, I could walk home without fear, but an Apple Watch Ultra brings some peace of mind in the meantime.
In a perfect world, I could walk home without fear, but an Apple Watch Ultra brings some peace of mind in the meantime.
An exclusive feature of the Apple Watch Ultra is a built-in siren that sounds an 86-decibel alarm. It can apparently be heard up to 600 feet away. Even know how to use the Apple Watch in an emergency, this siren provides a way to draw attention to a dangerous situation. While the alarm may seem intended for the wilderness, I’m just as glad to have it in the big city. In fact, if I’m lost in a remote area, I prefer the Emergency SOS from iPhone 14 via satellite function than the alarm of the Apple Watch Ultra.
Track health and fitness
The second day without my iPhone, I woke up to the alarm on my Apple Watch Ultra buzzing my wrist. Then I checked to see if it took care of business overnight. My sleep tracking data was quickly filled in and compared to my data Oura ring and Amazon Halo Rise (what can I say? I love sleep tracking technology), my review was correct. The Ultra also has the new Apple Watch skin temperature sensorwhich is best applied for ovulation predictions and cycle tracking, but can also detect anomalies for sleep tracking.
Once I got out of bed, I got dressed for the gym to start my workout and make some progress Apple Watch rings. Today I use the Lululemon Studio Mirror, but I can’t find or start classes without my iPhone. I suppose I could have installed the companion app on my iPad, but that seemed to go against the spirit of the challenge.
I opted for a short run on the treadmill. I even tried Time to Run for the first time on Apple Fitness Plus, enjoying some old-school hip-hop while listening to running coach Cory give a history lesson on Savannah, GA. The best part? My gym’s machines are equipped with GymKit, so my Apple Watch’s stats were conveniently mirrored on the treadmill’s display.
Since the Apple Watch is a full-featured fitness tracker, I can’t say I missed my iPhone because I’ve been exercising so much. I occasionally take studio classes and it’s usually frowned upon to have your phone with you anyway. I now also know that I could leave my phone behind for an outdoor run, bike ride or walk. The Apple Watch has new running features that also make it better equipped for training than before.
Battery life
While the iPhone 14 lasted no less than 9 hours and 28 minutes in our latest battery test, the Apple Watch Ultra has a battery life of 18 hours with continuous LTE use – almost double that. In my experience, the Apple Watch estimate is correct. When I woke up on the second morning of the challenge, about 18 hours after turning off and locking my iPhone, my battery life had dropped from 100% to 8%.
If I wanted the Apple Watch Ultra’s battery life to last up to 60 hours as estimated in power saving mode, I’d have to think more carefully about what features I’m using.
Normally, the Apple Watch Ultra lasts almost 2 days on a full charge, so the best apple watch but in terms of battery life. But frequent use of GPS, LTE-powered phone calls and activity tracking data took a toll on the watch’s endurance. I turned on the Apple Watch’s power-saving mode during dinner because I didn’t need my watch for anything during the meal, but it didn’t make much of a difference if I only used it for an hour. If I the Apple Watch Ultra battery life to last up to 60 hours as estimated with the power saving mode, I need to pay more attention to what features I use.
I ended up charging the Apple Watch Ultra in the morning before my workout. After about 20 minutes I knew I would have just enough juice to get me through the end of the challenge.
Replacing my iPhone with the Apple Watch Ultra: Would I do it again?
After 24 hours, I took my iPhone out of the locked cabinet in my office. But to my surprise, I wasn’t overjoyed to be reunited with my smartphone and its deluge of missed notifications. I did very well in this challenge. I’ll even go so far as to say I appreciated the break. I’m sure I checked my watch more often than usual, but not nearly as often as out of habit. Less screen time is a good thing in my opinion.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things I couldn’t do with my iPhone. I couldn’t upload videos to the Tom’s Guide TikTok account (opens in new tab) or check out one of my friends’ stories on Instagram. I couldn’t scan the menu QR code at the restaurant I went to eat, nor could I distract myself on my commute. I also wouldn’t be able to take pictures if I didn’t have a mirrorless camera with me. I suppose something like Wrist camera could be a workaround – it’s an inventive Apple Watch band with built-in dual-face cameras – but it costs $299, which makes a pretty pricey package when paired with an Apple Watch Ultra.
So even with a longer battery life, bigger screen, and LTE, the Apple Watch Ultra isn’t an iPhone. Still, this challenge has shown me just how many things it does as well as a smartphone. In some cases, I think the Apple Watch is even better than an iPhone. At the very least, the Apple Watch Ultra is the closest thing to an iPhone replacement I’ve ever seen.