Congratulations on your new Solo! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Yes, if you get any device (iOS or Android) that does not already have a data plan, you won't get real time map updates. However, if you use a wifi only device, you can just cache it ahead of time while on wifi first before connecting to the Solo. If you don't need the map at all, you don't need to use it. You'll just see a floating pointer on a blank map. In your case, it should just suffice. Personally, I'd prefer a map at all times. What if you lost your Solo in a tree?
Regarding the direction, without the map view, no, but you can still achieve this with the cached maps above. In the Solo app you can swipe right from the left edge and you'll get a sidebar of a map with the direction your Solo is pointing. You can also get a heading in degrees using the Tower app. It looks like the image attached.
Fun tip: The Tower app can do all the above and tell you a rough idea of where the camera is pointed on the satellite map (along with the live feed). It is a feature called real-time camera footprint.
In my opinion, if you're going to push your Solo that far away to the point of losing signal, you really should just use the GPS assist. The Go Home feature is a really nice plus so long as you put the RTH height higher (but under 400ft)