After teasing for a few days, LG has officially announced their round faced smartwatch competitor – the LG G Watch R. The watch will be available to view at IFA, before becoming available in Q4 later this year.
The watch will feature a 1.3″ Plastic OLED (P-OLED) display, similar technology to that used in the G Flex, with a 320×320 resolution screen, which makes full use of the circular display. LG has used this fact to take subtle shots at the Motorola Moto 360.
The internals of the LG G Watch R are similar to the original LG G Watch, which LG notes was one of the first Android Wear devices to market. The Snapdragon 400 is again back to power the watch, with 512MB RAM included and 4GB of on-board storage. There is a slight bump in battery capacity going from 400mAh in the original G Watch to 410mAh in the G Watch R. There’s even a heart rate monitor (photoplethysmography – PPG) now. The watch again comes with IP67 dust and water resistance but at this stage only comes in Black, with no White and Gold option available at this stage.
Specs
- 1.2GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon 400
- 1.3-inch P-OLED Display (320 x 320)
- 4GB eMMC / 512MB RAM
- 410mAh
- Android Wear – compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 and above
- 9-Axis (Gyro/ Accelerometer/ Compass), Barometer, PPG
- Black
- Dust and Water Resistant (IP67)
LG has improved the utilitarian design of the original G Watch, boasting the G Watch R has a refined aesthetic with ‘classic curves’, comparing it to more traditional watches. The watch has a stainless steel frame, but LG has not advised what the casing is made from. The watch comes with a higher quality calf-skin leather strap, which will again be interchangeable with other 22mm watch bands on the market.
We hope to see the G Watch R in Australia as soon as it’s available and we’ve asked LG Australia for comment on local availability.
Update:
Some more pictures
How does the G Watch R compare to the Moto 360 in your mind?
What functions could a smartwatch perform that will requires 512 MB RAM and 4 GB storage??
If it’s like the Sony SW3 the 4gb of on board storage could store music that can be streamed to bluetooth earpieces directly while you exercise. Meaning you wont need your phone to listen to music. Unfortunately there’s no GPS like the Sony so if you want to track your exercise you’ll still need your phone.
Ah yes, I recently learnt what all the storage was for. I love the idea actually! Too bad I already purchased a Pebble.
I really like the idea too. It’s a pity the Sony smart watch is the only android wear device currently announced, as far as I’m aware, that will be a true standalone fitness tracking device. It’s not very attractive imo although if the price is right I may buy one.
Well. I like the look of it more than the 360. I’m still not sold on the idea/point/need to these devices though.
Practically it looks as oversize as the Moto360 (in the other photos found elsewhere on the net). It also looks as over thick as the Moto360. Once again then, it comes down to who gets a sensible price first. Given their lack of viable use cases, I just don’t see anything really selling until the price is well south of $199 And on a related matter, where are the bracelet-like wear devices? I can see much more scope for making a viable, useable package if the display, battery, and electronics is curved over the circumference of a wrist – rather… Read more »
I like where you are heading, I don’t think the breakthrough release will look like a traditional watch.
This particular watch isn’t for me, I don’t ride motorbikes.
Well screw you LG for putting out a second Android Wear device 2 months after launching the LG G watch.
Signed,
Early Adopter
moto errrrrtime! and moto x plz~~~
I am looking forward to seeing all of these things physically before I chose. An reason why the photo isn’t in the story ? It only appears on the main page.. I must say it does look like a real watch and less like a smart watch trying to be a real watch.
how does it charge?
Very nice looking piece of kit. That is the first wearable that I’d actually consider wearing.