Generally speaking, cell cams do everything non-cell cams do.
And you're not even obligated to use the "cell" feature.
The big advantage is that cell cams can give you more options, whether you use them or not.
Some of these advantages are NOT being able to see the pics sooner, but as much as knowing your cam is actually functioning (i.e. card not filled by false triggering, batteries still ok, cam still where you left it, etc.). Add to this the ability to remotely change your cam's settings, which can be for a multitude of reasons.
Another huge advantage of cell cams is NOT needing to visit their locations as often. This not only saves you a lot of time, but can save you so much gasoline money as to actually pay for the cell service.
The main drawbacks to cell cams is (when the cell mode is being used) are they reduce battery life and using cell mode costs extra money, typically via a monthly "subscription" of $5 to $15 per cell cam.
The reduced battery life can be made less an issue by how you utilize your settings, especially if you have different setting for nighttime than daytime. Also, you typically do not need your pics to be transmitted "instantly". The fewer times daily all the pics get "uploaded" & "transmitted" to you, the longer your battery life.
Time of year, purpose, location all come into play regarding a particular cam's settings. But just for inventorying deer, having a cell cam transmit daily can be more than enough. I often swap out cams on a service plan, whereby a particular cam may be only transmitting once a week. Doing this can save you a bundle on plan costs, assuming you really don't need the pics "instantly".
On cell cams used in part for "security" purposes, they may need to be set for "instant" uploads, which will greatly reduce battery life. This is where cell cams costing a little more may actually cause you to pay less, as more expensive cams tend to have better circuitry and longer battery life.
