Samsung and LG have definitely been paying close attention to the appeal people have for the Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch with its circular, both company having already announced square faced smartwatches (Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch). Samsung has announced the Samsung Gear S and unsurprisingly LG has also announced the LG G Watch R, both smartwatches with a circular display.
The LG G Watch R features a 1.3-inch (320 x 320 pixels) P-OLED or Plastic OLED Display and it stakes it claim with utilising 100percent of the display face. Powering the device under the hood is a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 512MB of RAM. The device has similar internal storage with the Gear S, they both have a 4GB internal storage. The device is IP67 certified I.e waterproof and dust resistant.
The G Watch R possess voice recognition function which allows the device provide notification infos relating to missed calls, events, weather forecasts and upcoming meeting. The device also has a long list of fitness and health apps and features and ability to track users’ heartbeat using its PPG (Photoplethysmography) sensor. Asides the PPG sensor, there are also the gyro, accelerometer, compass, barometer options.
LG G Watch R
Unlike the Gear S which runs on Tizen based wearable OS, the LG G Watch R runs on Android Wear. The device features a stainless steel frame, a 22mm calf skin leather strap and available in Black colour option only.
LG G Watch R Specifications
- • Display – 1.3-inch P-OLED Display (320 x 320)
• Processor – 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
• Memory – 512MB RAM, 4GB eMMC
• OS – Android Wear OS (compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 and above)
• Features – Dust and Water Resistant (IP67)
• Sensors: 9-Axis (Gyro/ Accelerometer/ Compass), Barometer, PPG
• Battery – 410mAh battery
LG would showcase the device at the IFA 2014 in Berlin at the company’s booth. The device would be available in Black colour variant only and roll out in markets starting by Q4 2014. Proces would be announced locally at launch country.
Update: The LG G Watch R according to a press release in Germany, has been slated with a €299 ($393 / £237 / N64,000 in Naira) price tag which is costlier than the LG G Watch. But there is still possibility that the price varies from one country to another.
All going for a round display due to the appeal of the Moto 360 watch.