What you need to know
- The cellular Apple Watch Series 5 is "coming soon" to South Africa.
- Vodacom will be the sole supporting carrier.
- Until now, only the GPS-only variant has been available.
Apple's cellular Series 5 Apple Watch is "coming soon" to South Africa exclusively with carrier Vodacom.
According to the carrier's website, Series 5 is "coming soon" to the carrier. as MyBroadband:
iStore South Africa has announced that the GPS + Cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 5 will be launched in South Africa.Apple unveiled its latest smartwatch on 10 September 2019, with both a GPS-only and GPS + Cellular version released.Up to now, only the GPS variant of the Apple Watch Series 5 has been available in South Africa since 27 September.
Vodacom's eSIM plan is called OneNumber and allows users to keep their number the same on devices using an eSIM. You'll need to sign up for a contract linked to an existing Vodacom plan, and its eSIM plan costs R25 a month.
Apple announced the Series 5 Apple Watch back in September, featuring an always-on display, faster performance, built-in ECG and optional LTE connectivity. The GPS+ Cellular version of Apple Watch allows you to stream Apple Music and Podcasts and make and receive calls all without your iPhone. It also supports international emergency calling even if you don't have an active cellular plan. Of course, there's a price to pay for the added functionality, but for many, the added bonus of not being tethered to a phone is a big one.
For a full rundown of the pros and cons of Apple Watch GPS vs GPS+ Cellular, you can check out our full guide here.
