Edit: to be clear, of course you need a real phone. The AW doesn’t work without an iPhone. I mean day-to-day not needing to carry a phone every time you leave the house.
Going out for exercise and errands without being (figuratively) weighed down by my phone has been incredibly liberating. My AW with headphones nearly eliminates the need for my phone, especially with wifi. I’m debating going cellular and leaving the phone at home full time.
it’s kind of the perfect balance between a ‘dumbphone’ that doesn’t have social media apps, while still having smartphone capabilities (music, podcasts, maps, Apple wallet etc).
I don’t even mind not carrying a camera. Was even thinking it would be cool to carry a dedicated point & shoot for photos that actually matter.
For me one feature I would find hard to live without would be Apple CarPlay. I drive a lot and carplay is a dream. I suppose I could leave my iPhone in the glovebox?
What about you? What features could convince you to leave the iPhone at home most of the time?
Could I live without carrying an iPhone daily? Yes. I have the AWU so even relying on cellular, I’m confident I could make it through a 16-18 hour day surrounding my 12 hour shifts without worrying about battery and run my errands as well. And when I had active cellular, occasionally I did if was running a couple errands or taking my daughter to the park on my day off.
But would I? No. Not yet. I use the iPhone for too many things that Apple Watch can’t (yet) do. CarPlay, for navigation I general and traffic alerts on my commute specifically, being a big one. Also, that would leave me with no camera and I like taking pictures.
So I suppose I could technically get away with leaving the parent iPhone in the car, but if I need to take it to the car, might as well have it on me, insofar as everyday carry. However my iPhone does spend more time in my pocket these days.
Regarding the camera, if they ever manage to make a “Pro Mini” with acceptable battery life, I’d probably give it a try.