I’ve just finished my first experience with the LG G Watch R, the world’s first circular smartwatch to make full use of the 360 degrees of a round watch face and I have to admit, I’m a little puzzled. I’ll bring you a full LG G Watch R review when we get a final production version, but based on the preview unit I’ve just seen, I can say there’s lots of potential that doesn’t quite shine through, yet.
Design & Build Quality
This is where the LG G Watch R took us all by surprise. The fully circular face and classic diver’s watch styling looks fantastic. The entire watch is made out of metal too, except for the calf skin leather band and plastic OLED display. LG took a timeless approach to the look of the G Watch R and, if you’re a fan of the manly sports watch look, you’re going to love this smartwatch.
Despite looking great, the build quality of the G Watch R doesn’t quite scream “premium” like I thought it would. From a distance it looks phenomenal, but up close the construction isn’t quite so convincing. I don’t want to use the word “cheap” here, because that is certainly not it, but there’s something not quite right about the way the whole watch has been put together.
Everything is manufactured well though, and the physical button (for accessing the settings) is a nice touch, but the calf skin leather band, which is the only option at launch, seems like an odd choice for a smartwatch designed to look like a rugged outdoor watch. Especially if you think about it in terms of water-resistancy or sweaty activities. However, the strap uses a standard 22mm pin, so you can switch it out with any after-market band you like and LG has other band choices in the works.
Display
The G Watch R has a 1.3-inch plastic OLED display (the same super-durable display material from the LG G Flex). The original G Watch had an LCD screen, which tended to be too bright at night, even when in screen-off mode, but the always-on possibilities of the P-OLED screen are immediately noticeable. When held side-by-side with the Samsung Gear Live the screens are equally bright and rich.
The G Watch has a display resolution of 320 x 320 pixels and a pixel density of 245 ppi. The display looks great and it’s very nice to see another device, other than the Moto 360, that takes advantage of the extra breathing space the circular format allows. The display is surrounded by a slightly elevated bezel with quarter-hour markings on it, but on the demo unit we used we saw no trace of illumination or of the bezel being used as a notification LED.
Special Features
The G Watch R is IP67 certified, so you can safely take it swimming if you like, although this isn’t recommended for a watch with a leather band. The G Watch R has a PPG sensor (heart rate monitor) and barometer on board, but no ambient light sensor, meaning you will have to either set the brightness yourself or make use of the auto-dim function. The G Watch R is charged with a special dock, not by wireless charging, unfortunately.
Software
The LG G Watch R runs on the Android Wear platform and has the same familiar interface you’d already know from any device on Google’s wearable OS. The circular design is a nice change from the previous boxy format of square smartwatches, including the original G Watch and the bezels are superbly handled this time to make them nowhere near as noticeable.
You’ve got all the familiar Google Now integration in the G Watch R and you can get notifications beeped or buzzed to your wrist where you can reply to them immediately with Ok Google commands or app-specific overflow menus. Again, the unit we tried was a preview unit, so we couldn’t put the software through its full paces. Nevertheless, we’re expecting a pretty stock Android Wear experience.
Performance
Without a final production model to test its impossible to say how well the G Watch R performs, but in our short test it operated exactly as you’d expect without any of the weird lags we’ve seen on lots of other devices. Using the physical button was a little odd, but once you become used to the particular G Watch R setup it’s all very straightforward.
The G Watch R has a Snapdragon 400 (APQ8026) chipset with Adreno 220 GPU. It has 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of on-board storage. The device is no larger than the Gear Live, for example, but somehow doesn’t “stick out” as a smartwatch quite so much, making it a lot more subtle in its appearance. The G Watch R must be connected via Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy to a paired smartphone.
Battery
The G Watch R has a relatively large 410 mAh battery that is charged via a dedicated dock. Sadly, Qi wireless charging did not make it to the mix. According to LG, the G Watch R will last 1.6 days, based on internal testing, but as much as two days depending on your particular style of usage. This is definitely going to be one of the G Watch R’s biggest drawcards.
Early Verdict
The LG G Watch R looks great and is a definite step in the right direction stylistically, but it will have a hard time competing with the excellent Moto 360 with its Qi charging or the Gear S and its standalone capability. For those in the market for a well-designed smartwatch, there are now a few options, and with the Android Wear platform permitting very little customization, looks mean a lot.
The G Watch R comes close, but doesn’t quite come full circle for me. I’ll wait for a production version to make a final judgment, but for now, my interest is certainly peaked, but I’m not a pushover like I was for the Moto 360. The G Watch R feels like a very good start, but LG still has some things to add to make it a real contender for your wrist.
The LG G Watch R will be publicly available in October (most likely) for an undisclosed amount. More details when we know them.
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