LG Watch Sport said to cost $349, first Android Wear device with Android Pay

We’re not too far off from LG’s new Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches going official, and ahead of the announcement, we’re hearing more and more details about the pair. Now, we’re hearing more particulars about the highly-anticipated larger model of the two, the LG Watch Sport.

Android Police has confirmed via trusted sources that the LG Watch Sport will be priced at $349, coming in just $100 more expensive compared to the LG Watch Style. This larger model brings a bigger, more pixel-dense display and two extra buttons along with that higher price, as well as the rumored ‘digital crown‘ and LTE capabilities.

Further, the Watch Sport packs more hardware inside including a heart rate monitor, GPS, and NFC. Now, NFC isn’t anything new for Android Wear as a platform, but the Watch Sport is expected to be the first Android Wear device to take advantage of it with Android Pay. We’ve been awaiting the debut of Android Pay on Google’s wearable platform for a while now, and with its release, we’ll almost certainly see a renewed interested in the ecosystem as a whole. Hopefully, other Android Wear devices down the road will bring similar support.

Of course, that’s not all the Watch Sport will bring. With the debut of Android Wear 2.0 we’ll also see Google Assistant on Android Wear, as well as standalone apps, allowing LTE-equipped devices like the Watch Sport to run independently of a smartphone when on the go.

There’s certainly a lot to like about this device, and for $349, it’s certainly not out of the question for most users. Pricing competes directly with Samsung’s Gear S3, and it’s a comfortable step down from last year’s LG Watch Urbane LTE (needless to say, the new name is better too). Rumor has it, LG and Google will be announcing these watches at an event sometime this month, so stay tuned…