5G connectivity for Italian Apple Watch Ultra 3 abroad?

Question

5G connectivity for Italian Apple Watch Ultra 3 abroad?

The question, and therefore the issue, is related to understanding before a potential purchase whether an Apple Watch Ultra 3 purchased in Italy can operate in 5G when taken abroad with a foreign subscription that obviously supports 5G, or whether the hardware of the model sold in Italy is different or perhaps has 5G connectivity blocked. Or, if taken abroad, for example to European countries with carriers that support 5G in their country, it functions exactly like Apple Watches sold locally and therefore connects to the 5G network.

Thanks in advance for any answers that can clarify the situation, given that on the Italian Apple website for AWU3 there is no mention of 5G connectivity.

Posted on Nov 19, 2025 5:37 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Ingo2711

Level 10

80,025 points

Nov 19, 2025 8:05 AM in response to falcopellegrino

If you buy an Apple Watch abroad, these devices are supposed to be used in the country of purchase, due to the different built in hardware, that has to support local carriers, especially if it comes to 4G and 5G networks.

So make sure that your carrier of your iPhone also supports this model and all its features.

And the watchOS is also country specific. An Apple Watch bought in the EU will always install the watchOS version and all available features for the country of purchase.

Features that are supported in other countries outside the EU will not be supported in that case.

...

Cellular service support

To cover the LTE and UMTS bands used around the world, there are two separate cellular models for Apple Watch. They have been optimized for use in the country of purchase, and not all models work in all countries or regions. There is no single model that supports cellular service worldwide. To see which carriers in your country or region offer cellular service for Apple Watch, refer to the chart below.3

...

copied from: Apple Watch - Carriers - Apple

Also remember, that the warranty for an Apple Watch can be restricted by Apple to the country of purchase.

In case of a warranty claim, you will have to bring the watch back to the country of purchase, Apple Support does not ship internationally.

Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty

Reply

Answer 2

Nov 19, 2025 8:20 AM in response to falcopellegrino

Ignoring country-specific warranty limits and such, I’m not aware of a coverage list published by Apple.

There are a few third-party lists.

https://www.ithinkdiff.com/apple-watch-5g-availability/

These lists inevitably change over time as carriers (and Apple) make changes, and as carrier coverage changes, too.

TL;DR: you may find Watch is using LTE, even in the country of purchase.

Reply

Answer 3

Nov 26, 2025 11:59 PM in response to falcopellegrino

Thanks for all your kind replies, but the point for me is to understand if Watches sold in homogeneous areas, even though they aren't declared 5G-capable in that country, can work once taken to another country where they're declared by the manufacturer to be 5G-capable, and obviously with a local operator. In other words, if the model (number and code) is the same for that area, why doesn't Apple state that the Watch has 5G with a caveat that simply explains that there are no operators currently supporting it in that country? Otherwise, it's unclear whether the Watch is also locked or not locked for 5G functionality, for example by the manufacturer.

Reply