LG is having another crack at the smartwatch market with a new G Watch R after admitting that their initial product failed to get the traction they anticipated.
We have also been able to confirm that the G3 will get an updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop by the end of this year.
An exact date hasn’t been given, but late November/early December is the time frame that we can expect to see the update.
The Lollipop update will also see the roll out of LG’s own Health app which is capable of recording your heart rate recorded periodically throughout the day automatically, by the G Watch R.
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The new $349 G Watch R is a circular smartwatch that is available from today at Optus, Harvey Norman and JB HI FI.
The device has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, a 1.3-inch P-OLED Display (320 x 320). Memory is 4GB eMMC / 512MB RAM and the battery: is 410mAh which delivered a better performance than the prior model.
SmartHouse has been testing the device over the weekend and it is a big improvement over the prior model.
The G Watch R has a metal face, while the wrist strap can be interchanged with an off the shelf 22mm band. A number of virtual watch faces can be displayed on the 1.3in, Plastic-OLED (P-OLED) screen.
Athletes and cyclists will be able to use the G Watch R as a running companion due to the use of a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor to monitor-heart rates. The device has an IP67 water- and dust-resistant rating.
. Operating System: Android Wear
. Sensors: 9-Axis (Gyro/ Accelerometer/ Compass), Barometer, PPG
. Colour: Black
. Other: Dust and Water Resistant (IP67)
The biggest difference between the G Watch R and its predecessor, the G Watch, is a physical one: The G Watch R is round, like a traditional timepiece. It’s the best-looking smartwatch we’ve seen this year. Motorola despite repeated requests has still not made a sample available for review.
Personally like the design of the G Watch R more than the Moto 360 but I will wait for a final judgement when we get a sample.
The steel design and numbered bezel tells observers that this product is foremost a watch however I did find it a tad big, but then again some people do like BIG.
The new LG watch has a complete circular display however I am still not convinced that Android Wear is superior to the Samsung OS which is fast, smooth and highly functional.
The G Watch R is rated IP 67 for dust and water resistance, and I can assure you that it be immersed in water up as I forgot to take it off when swimming recently.
The watch has a 410mAh battery, which is the highest-capacity battery we’ve seen in an Android Wear device. Over the weekend I got 46 hours of use before a recharge was necessary.
Is this worth $349, the answer I think is yes because it is a good watch that does a lot more than a standard watch.
