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You've been waiting for this one too no doubt. We've finally go our hands on arguably the best Smartwatch on the market. Say hi! to the LG G Smartwatch R (W110) review.
It has been about 12 months since the Sony Smartwatch2 was released and this time we decided to try the LG version dubbed the 'LG G Smartwatch R' which is quite a mouth full. While the Sony smartwatches where essentially the first by a manufacturer they haven't achieve mainstream success.That said the Smartwatch is a great piece of programming and reasonable design. The Sony's interface is very smooth and the applications work really well. But after a year we understand why not many have taken up the tech. The Smartwatch2 is not an essential part of everyday life it is merely anther gadget to charge. It's handy for notifications and telling the time but that's it. Furthermore it is still quite a large watch who's styling is still greek cred rather than designer or jewel like.
So why did we go for another smartwatch? Simple the LG G smartwatch R is the one of two watches with round faces and the only one that is truly a circle. It is the key selling feature that is enhanced by some very cool watch faces and a decent resolution and vibrant color screen. Additional features include the tech for health monitoring including a heart rate monitor. Finally thanks Android Wear OS the phone will work with any Andriod OS smart phone not just the LG, we use it with the Sony Z Ultra at the moment.
In terms of construction and design the LG G Watch R is very good. The black coated stainless steel body is not heavy, the design of the body is just like any other regular watch and the overall proportions. It's not particularly stylish since the body design is a close copy of any number of existing regular watches. In fact if LG had done this in a proper gold color many ladies would consider one especially since many already have the different colours of the 'Ice watch' on their wrists which are equally big. Not saying the smart watches in general should stay large but it is absolutely not an issue. Some so called reputable website should really get a life or girl friends. The only short fall is the leather band, which is black on the outside and beige on the inside which is fine but the quality is not up to the standard of equally priced regular watches that said it is quite comfortable.
The LG watch also has a microphone, magnetic power plug on the back, gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer,compass and a heart rate sensor for health related data. They all work but the OS needs more development as the readings where only a little off in terms of accuracy. Aside from the additional health hardware, it still does actually do much and certainly less than the year old Smartwatch2 at the time of writing.
In terms of use the LG G Watch R is a smooth experience but not as smooth or eager to scroll as the Sony Smartwatch2. This is interesting since the Sony watch has tiny (180Mhz) processing power compared to the 1.2 GHZ CPU in the LG. Apps run as quickly and as smoothly as each other. The LG Watch runs the latest Android Gear OS software which by all accounts is quite good so far but it is missing standard apps like a calender views, note views and email browsing out of the box. We should not have to pay for these features in 2014. Presumably these will be standard over the next few versions as without them standard Android Gear OS will be going nowhere fast is possibly destroying the whole segment before it even starts. We like the movement detection to light up the screen and the 'on all' the time clock faces of which are actually very good to look at! Finally there aren't too many Android apps to try or buy yet so we are watching to see what other developers can do with the new platform.
To conclude, the LG G Watch R is arguably the best looking smartwatch on sale at the moment (2014). It also works really well and a standout in terms of design replication. but not a standout improvement on the Sony OS strictly in terms of standard functionality. However there are other functions which make up for any short fall such as the heart rate monitor, step counter and a range of excellent watch faces. Speaking of Sony OS we think it is a pity that they have now dumped it for Google Gear OS. If you want another round watch only the Moto 360 is a direct competitor, which we had the choice of too but the thinner profile of the G Watch R made us buy it (We couldn't get the Moto 360 in a metal finish and didn't like the flat tyre screen which made the decision even easier). The age of the smartwatch has arrived and the LG G Watch R probably one of the best all rounders for now.
Specifications : LG G Watch R
- Design
Stainless Steel Smartwatch
- L46.4 x W53.6 x D9.7 mm
Weight 62 gms
- Display/s
OLED 220 x 176 1.3 inch screen
- Camera
N/A
- Connectivity
Bluetooth V4
- CPU 1.2 Ghz Snap dragon 400
- Memory
4Gig
- Ring tones
Vibration only
- Features
IP67 Water resistant
- Power
410 mha
Up to 2 days Standby
- Package contents
USB cable, charger, cradle
- Price history
2014 Approx $350 outright.
