LG came out with one of the first smartwatches to hit the market just a couple months ago, and now the company has launched its more visually-appealing upgrade.
The LG G Watch R is the first smartwatch in the market to feature a full circle P-OLED display - not even the Motorola 360 has a fully circular display - and its features have been upgraded from those of its predecessor, the LG G Watch. Are these upgrades enough to put the G Watch R ahead of the other Android smartwatches coming out this season?
First Impressions
The LG G Watch R's appearance is a big improvement from that of its predecessor. While the G Watch featured a square display, the G Watch R features a full circle P-OLED display. According to GSMArena, the display resolution is at 320x320px with density of 245 ppi. TechRadar's review of the watch mentions that it resembles a standard diver's watch, with an immovable numbered bezel and a "winding key," which is actually a power button. According to TechRadar, this is a welcome change from its predecessor, which users could not turn back on once it is turned off.
Engadget's review lists the following features that make the watch look more premium than its predecessor. The watch features a matte black body, which is different from the stainless steel sample LG revealed at the IFA 2014. The strap is a black calfskin band, swappable with any 22 mm band, but Engadget says the calfskin band is the only one LG will offer for now.
Both Engadget and TechRadar note the massive size of the LG G Watch R. It is 1.83 inches in diameter, making it one of the biggest watch faces in the market. Both note, however, that the watch still fits both men and women well.
Under the Hood
One of the biggest issues that the G Watch had was battery life. The LG G Watch R sadly did not upgrade their battery much, but they did improvements with the power consumption of their device. According to Engadget, the battery is a 410 mAh cell, just a 10 mAh upgrade from its predecessor, and it promises up to two days without charging. TechRadar notes that the device only consumes 10% of available power when the watch is on standby mode, which is good at prolonging its battery life. However, users will have to adjust the brightness of the screen manually according to Engadget, because the watch does not have an ambient light sensor.
LG lists the following basic features under the hood: Android Wear OS, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1.2GHz CPU, Bluetooth 4.0, and 4 GB internal storage and 512 MB RAM, and a micro USB port for charging. It also has a 9-axis gyro/accelerometer/compass sensor, a barometer, and a PPG heart rate monitor. LG has not modified the interface much - according to TechRadar, this is a good thing, as the faces will be familiar with previous Android Wear users. The watch also features an IP67 rating, making it waterproof up to a depth of 1 meter.
One thing that's missing that TechRadar noted is a GPS sensor. According to their report, this is due to Google's lack of support, and partly because it will shorten battery life faster.
The Verdict
Design and feature-wise, the LG G Watch R is a leap forward. The look is more fashionable and premium than its predecessor, and the power under the hood ensures smooth transitions between watch faces. There's still room for improvement - the size could be reduced in future versions, and features like custom watch faces and a GPS tracker could be added - but the G Watch R is certainly one of the better Android Wear watches in the market today.
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