The original Android Wear devices were about showing the world what Android Wear was about, the initial lineup included the LG G Watch which I reviewed here, it was just a black square on my wrist that basically showed some pictures of watch faces on my wrist to trick me into thinking it was actually a watch.
For a first generation device it was ok, I eventually moved back to my tried and tested Pebble Steel, mainly down to looks.
So when LG and Motorola announced some new round smartwatches that actually looked like watches I was hooked, there was decision to make though, did I want the one with what looked like part of the screen missing or did I want the one that had a bezel that made it look more like a watch than many watches I’ve seen before.
Well the picture above sort of gives the game away really. I’ve had the LG G Watch R for a few weeks now so it’s prime time for my review. Starting with my good and bad points
Good and Bad
Good
- Nice round design looks more refined.
- Screen is readable outdoors thanks to incredibly bright display.
- Removable 22 MM watch strap.
- Crown/Button makes control the watch really easy.
- Android Wear is improving in it’s functionality.
- Battery Life seems improved compared to previous model.
- Heart rate monitor.
Bad
- Bright display is too bright in the dark.
- Bezel markings almost make it look tacky.
- Watch crown/button really lacks functionality.
- More expensive than the other Android Wear watches (£224.99) although it is arguably nicer than them.
Specification
Yes a watch these days has a spec sheet, here is what you get with the G Watch R.
- OS: Android Wear.
- Strap: 22mm (0.86inch) Changeable Watch Strap.
- Screen: 1.3” Full Circle P-OLED Display.
- Battery: 410mAh.
- Processing: Qualcomm Snapdraggon 400 Processor with 1.2GHz CPU.
- Bluetooth: 4.0.
- Total Internal Memory: 4GB internal storage and 512MB RAM.
- Size: 46.4 x 53.6 x9.7 MM.
- Weight: 62g.
- Resistance: Dust & Water Resistant (IP67).
- Ports & Connectors: Micro USB on Charging Cradle.
- Sensors: 9-Axis (Gyro/Accelerometer/Compass, Barometer, PPG (Heart Rate Monitor).
Not much has changed with this model, the processor, the memory and the RAM are the same. The display is now a 1.3″ P-OLED which is slightly smaller than the 1.65″ IPS LCD on the original model, the quality of the new screen is miles ahead of the old one, so much brighter and nicer to look at.
It has also gained a heart rate monitor on the back of the watch as well, which is a bit of an odd inclusion in a watch, but hey who am I to question it.
Design
It is hard to not draw comparisons to the previous version of this watch, heck it was only a few months ago that I got one. But hey, this is a new watch. The LG G Watch R is round, it looks a bit like a normal watch and it’s a bit chunky. Scratch that it’s really quite chunky.
The G Watch R is made of a black matt Aluminium, which gives it a very distinct solid look to it, couple that with the fact it’s actually quite big it makes for a unique looking watch. The right hand side of the watch has what looks like a traditional watch crown, all it actually does is to turn the watch on, dim the screen and also to access the menu system.
The bottom edge has a microphone hole which is for the voice recognition stuff. The back of the watch is made of some sort of plastic, it’s solid though. The back retains the charging pins that we saw on the previous model and it gains a heart rate monitor, personally I don’t get the inclusion of heart rate monitors into devices like this, I would never take it on a run with me.
The face of the watch has a non movable bezel on it, with traditional looking etchings for five minute marks, with 15, 30 and 45 seconds appearing in numbers. As it doesn’t rotate the 30 is left upside down which looks a bit weird. The bezel is made of metal but this time it’s quite a shiny black metal.
The strap that comes with the watch is a plain black leather 22 MM strap that has a metal buckle and a cream backing. The first time I felt the strap it felt rather hard and unpleasant, after a few weeks it has softened up. I’m going to replace it with a metal strap very soon.
Overall I like the design of the G Watch R, it could have been fancier looking. If the bezel rotated, if it was available in Stainless Steel or Brushed Steel it would really be a contender for a higher end watch. Would people pay that extra money for a smartwatch though? I'll be happy with a metal strap and be done with dreaming about what could have been.
