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LG fully unveiled their LG G Watch R this week. It’s a circular smart watch with a sporty design that brings a different look and feel to the current roster of Android Wear smart watches. LG was so chatty that they even reportedly mentioned a solid release date to the Wall Street Journal. According to them, the smart watch is set to launch October 14th, which is a short one and a half months from now.
The G Watch R is just one of two smart watches on the market that have attempted to go with the traditional round form factor of actual watches. Motorola’s Moto 360 is the other, and it was largely heralded as the best looking smart watch we’ve seen to date.
Some say Motorola still owns that crown, though we’re sure there are more than enough fans of LG’s take on the form factor for them to justify bringing this product to market. Unfortunately we have yet to hear about other factors that may sway purchase decisions — such as a price — but we’re sure all of that knowledge will be made public by the time mid-October rolls around.
Do we know if the dial is part of the watch or just screen simulated? That dial might seem out of place with some watch faces.
Part of the hardware :(
That’s too bad.
Oddly, that doesn’t bother me. I can do with or without it. Though your first thoughts on depending on the watch design comes into play. It looks fine with an analog watch display, but a digital one? Hmm… I may have my second thoughts.
People have been saying square designs are better for a smartwatch. I’ve been thinking about how I plan on using my smartwatch and I actually plan on using it as a watch first. I don’t think I’ll be reading messages since the text may be too small. A quick glance at the time and weather is all I really need.
you’re a fucking prick
How so? Because I decided to spend my extra money on a smart watch that I’ll barely use? Or are you upset that I’m not acting like a fanboy and starting some flame war?
I question your motives to why even consider a smartwatch in the first place??
great comment!
There is no reason for me to have one, actually. I just like the design. That’s why I haven’t heavily invested in one.
Though, I’ve been doing some thinking. When I first got a smart phone, all I did was the same stuff I did when I had a regular flip phone. I never knew what they were capable of. Eventually I started using them more.
Right now, the same is happening for smart watches. I don’t really see how it can help me, but eventually I’ll be living a life where I must be wearing it.
Wasn’t the Moto 360 supposed to launch today? Wasn’t there an event in Chicago? I haven’t seen or heard from Motorola regarding the Moto 360. Now I might wait and consider the G Watch R.
I guess its not happening until tomorrow. well 1am cst
I’m okay with the dial being there, it hides the bezel that would have been there well, however I wish the screen was bigger. Seemed kinda small in the videos I’ve watched.
I’m still gonna wait for full reviews of this and the Moto 360, as I really want to know how the battery life stands up and how seeable the screen really is in bright sunlight. It has to last at least well over 13 hours for me to even consider either one…
Is there any word of how waterproof and dirt proof the G Watch R is?
IP67
Well spec wise it has a larger battery than the Moto 360, and people are reporting the 360 to last 12-24 hours of use, so the LG G R should last longer I would hope.
Hmmm. Just discovered there’s no GPS chip. Need to check if the 360 has one, I don’t remember. Also no ambient light sensor, but with the efficient POLED it might not matter tooo much compared to the 360.
None of them have a GPS chip, they rely on a smartphone which has the GPS. The only smart watch that might have GPS built in is the Gear S since its a standalone.
I wouldn’t get one, but the Sony Smartwatch 3 has GPS.
My Motorola Motoactv has GPS, Bluetooth, 8 GB internal storage, standalone music player, accelerometer and ANT+ and it’s 3 years old.
I like how this watch uses ALL of the screen as opposed to the black bar at the bottom of the Moto 360.