Apple Watch for my kids. Which One?

Jamsmyth

Hi I want to get an apple watch for my kids so they can call or message me (and so I can keep tabs on where they are). I hoped I could achieve this with a Series 3 but was informed in Currys that I needed an SE? Is this the case? They dont have phones so they wont be able to connect the watches to them. I just wanted to get them SIMS or ESIMS and use the watch for calls etc.

Do I need to get them an SE Series watch or will the 3 work?

Thanks!

[Deleted User]

You need series 4 or later (SE/5/6) to enable family setup that you require for this kind of usage but Apple don't sell the series 4 or 5 so an SE or 6 is your only option.

Given that it is a money saving forum then of course I've got to suggest getting them a phone instead of a watch. It will do everything you want and will not only be cheaper but more functional, robust, usable and longer battery life.

An Apple watch not paired to a phone loses a lot of functionality - a lot of what you pay for is redundant.

Without a Bluetooth connection to a phone, the cellular data connection will drain the battery in less than half a day - not much use for keeping tabs on them if it has run out before the end of the school day - and that is providing they have remembered to fully charge it for 2.5 hours before leaving for school.

Bear in mind it will depending on cellular coverage so could be much shorter, especially in school where it may need to use full power to stay on the network. Batteries degrade over time and after a year you may find it unable to last as long.

See this real life review for more info - didn't get past lunchtime at first:
https://eftm.com/2020/12/apple-watch-kids-family-child-school-activity-tracking-find-my-call-text-sms-203736

If you want to make calls with them, they won't be private, it will be on a loudspeaker on the watch so you might find it tricky to have a proper conversation when they are around their friends - unless you fork out some more money for compatible Bluetooth headphones.

Kids break and lose things - a watch is far more vulnerable to that, especially if they play sports and like a rough and tumble at play time. I smashed 4 Casio watches in my school days, ok the Apple is a bit tougher but still more vulnerable to damage than a phone in a pocket or school bag.

I think the Apple watch is brilliant, I have the series 6 myself. I'm also happy to spend a lot on technology for my kids, but at £300 per watch, I'd find it really hard to justify that "to keep tabs on them" when there are some many better and cheaper options. I think kids would appreciate a fully functional phone as well, so much more that can be done with it and that all important battery life for "keeping tabs on them" really matters when at the end of a long day they really need to phone you for a lift home.