Just a little more than a week ahead of Motorola’s press event for the Moto 360, LG tonight has officially unveiled the G Watch R. The company has been teasing the circular Android Wear device heavily for the past week, but only tonight has it become official.
The G Watch R features a 1.3-inch Plastic OLED display that is a full 360 degrees, unlike the Moto 360, which has an area of dead space at the bottom of the display. Motorola claims that the reason for the dead space on its watch is for the ambient light sensor and other display drivers. It’s unclear how LG managed to avoid having a dead area with its circular watch.
The G Watch R packs a 410mAh batter, a minuscule 10 mAh better than the original G Watch, which was not praised for its battery life by any stretch of the imagination. Other specs for the G Watch R are nearly identical to the square-faced G Watch. The device is packing a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, and interchangeable 22mm straps. It’s also rated IP67 for water resistance.
Two notable changes with the G Watch R over the original G Watch is that it features both a heart rate monitor underneath and a power button on the side of the device.
LG says the G Watch R will go on sale in early Q4 of this year. The company did not share details on pricing, except that it will “vary by market.” Full press release below.
SEOUL, Aug. 28, 2014 — Following the June release of one of the first-to-market wearable device powered by Android Wear™, LG Electronics (LG) is quickly expanding its wearable product offerings with the unveiling a new Android Wear device — the LG G Watch R at IFA 2014 in Berlin next week. The LG G Watch R is the world’s first watch-style wearable device to feature a circular Plastic OLED (P-OLED) display and utilizes 100 percent of its watch face.
The most eye-catching feature of the LG G Watch R is its 1.3-inch full circle P-OLED display that produces stunning image clarity even under bright sunlight and superb clarity when viewed from any angle. Powered by a powerful 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, the LG G Watch R offers 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM and a durable 410mAh battery. This Android Wear device will effortlessly run all compatible apps available in the Google Play Store and with an Ingress Protection Rating of IP67, the LG G Watch R is designed to run for up to 30 minutes in one meter of water.
With Android Wear™ at its core, the LG G Watch R delivers essential and relevant information exactly at the right time and place through voice recognition notifications. With a suite of LG health and fitness apps, users can also monitor their heartbeats with the support of the embedded photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor. And the smart notifications provide users with important reminders of missed calls and messages, upcoming meetings, events, and local weather forecasts.
With an artisanal elegance, the LG G Watch R boasts a refined aesthetic that is reminiscent of traditional timepieces. Replete with a circular watch face, this elegantly crafted Android wearable has classic curves encased in a strong, durable stainless steel frame and carries a suite of watch faces that are accessible with a simple touch of the display. Its interchangeable 22mm calf skin leather strap also complements its overall aesthetic, giving it an air of modern prestige.
“What we’ve noticed in the year of the wearable is that this is a category that can’t be compared to smartphones and tablets,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Wearables are also accessories and consumers will want more than one to choose from. So we wanted to complement the modern design of the original G Watch with the classic look of the G Watch R. Customers can’t go wrong with either device.”
The LG G Watch R will be available in key markets early in the fourth quarter of 2014. Prices and details of availability will be announced locally at the time of launch. Visitors to IFA can see LG G Watch R up close in Hall 11.2 of Messe Berlin from September 5-10.
Key Specifications:
￭ Chipset: 1.2GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400
￭ Display: 1.3-inch P-OLED Display (320 x 320)
￭ Memory: 4GB eMMC / 512MB RAM
￭ Battery: 410mAh
￭ Operating System: Android Wear™
(compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 and above)
￭ Sensors: 9-Axis (Gyro/ Accelerometer/ Compass), Barometer, PPG
￭ Color: Black
￭ Other: Dust and Water Resistant (IP67)
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