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Google added support for WiFi communication to Android Wear in the 5.1 update a few months ago, but not all watches had the necessary hardware. The pricey LG G Watch R was among those lacking proper support. LG said it planned to rectify that in an update over the summer, and indeed it has in the new Wear update.
One of Android Wear 5.1's key new features is the ability to connect smartwatches to Wi-Fi networks directly. This lets them receive notifications and sync actions even if your phone isn't nearby, as long as both maintain active connections to the Internet. The thing is, this feature doesn't automatically kick in with the 5.1 update (or 5.1.1, though it should for the Moto 360, Sony Smartwatch 3, and Samsung Gear Live). The LG G Watch R, which is largely the same device on the inside as the newer G Watch R Urbane, won't have support for quite a while.
On the heels of the LG G Watch Urbane's arrival to the Google Store, the G Watch R gets a nice discount. Originally sold at $299, you can now get it for $249. This is a good deal; just several weeks ago we told you about an offer where you could get the G Watch R for $269. The price puts it at a fair distance from the newer Urbane, which is starting at $349.
It's getting to be that time. The first-generation Android Wear watches are officially old, and everyone is anticipating shiny new watches with updated hardware. That means the old ones are going to start showing up on sale more often. You can get the G Watch R from Groupon for $269.99 right now, $30 off the regular price.
In just a few months, it will be the one-year anniversary of Android Wear's announcement (March 18th). Since the first two official Android-powered watches were released at I/O 2014, we've seen half a dozen total watches running Android Wear, each with its own pros and cons. These devices run the gamut from kind of ugly to truly gorgeous. A new wave of watches will be upon us in the coming year, but the current ones are still a great way to get into wearables. In fact, I bet there will be some solid discounts on these devices in the not too distant future.
The LG G Watch R, which David thinks is the best Android Wear has to offer for now, is an interesting device - it's an Android Wear device that has a circular screen, one that's actually a circle, escaping the "flat tire" design choice Motorola had to make for the Moto 360. But it also has a big funky angled bezel with numbers on it (like some real watches). Still, it's a solid device for the burgeoning category, with a 1.3" POLED display and 410mAh battery.
Android Wear still has some growing to do, but the G Watch R might be the watch to get while that happens. It has a round OLED display, good construction, and great battery life. It is also not completely unattractive, and now it can be yours. Google is selling the G Watch R for $299.99.
The LG G Watch R seems to be the best Android Wear device yet, at least in the opinion of our own David Ruddock. But that doesn't mean much if you can't actually buy one. LG has been silent on pricing thus far, but it looks like AT&T just spilled the beans by announcing its plans to carry the G Watch R in its retail stores. You can pick one up this Friday, November 7th... for 9. An AT&T representative confirmed the $299 price for the G Watch in a promotional message to Android Police:
The G Watch R is LG's first circular-display smartwatch, following up on the original G Watch that launched alongside Android Wear earlier this year. While the original G Watch looked like a proof-of-concept brick out of an engineer's garage at some angles, the G Watch R very clearly got the full design and style treatment from LG - it looks nothing like its kind-of-predecessor.
We've seen some ridiculous product trailers before, but this one takes things to another level. In this video, LG isn't trying to sell the G Watch R to the busy student, tired mom, stressed business man, or hip vague twenty-something in transit through someplace crowded. Instead, it sets its sights square on those among us who still dream of being a secret agent. It's an interesting demographic to go after, considering the people who dream of living such a life tend to stop by the time they're old enough to actually afford a smartwatch.
LG says it has been working on the G Watch R for two years. Whether this is true or not, the manufacturer now positions the original G Watch as a "reference device," which makes sense given their partnership with Google on the product and its speedy release after Google I/O. At any rate, the G Watch R is positioned as a product more in keeping with LG's design philosophy and the key elements the company (and more specifically its designers) believe make a good, compelling smart watch.
Aside from its round P-OLED screen and stylish case design, the G Watch R is remarkably similar to the original LG G Watch. But as just about anyone could guess, consumers will be paying a premium for that style when the round Android Wear device is released later this year. If LG's German press release announcing the G Watch R is accurate, it's going to be quite a premium indeed. The PR lists the suggested retail price as 299 euro, a full €100 more expensive than the G Watch. It also gives a slightly more precise release date: October.
After a few teases of its premium follow-up to the G Watch, LG has finally let loose official details for the G Watch R. The immediate takeaways: a 1.3" P-OLED [Plastic Organic LED] display, stainless steel body, a heart-rate monitor, leather strap, Q4 availability in "key markets" and, not surprisingly, no pricing at this time.
LG wants to make sure you know that it's announcing a new watch at IFA in Berlin. In addition to the movie trailer-style teaser released on Sunday, the image below showed up on the official LG Mobile Facebook page late last night. It's undeniably the G Watch R, which sports a "completely round" screen, in contrast with some watches that are taking their sweet time to come to the retail market.
Granted, it's not a pretty render, but it is a render of LG's upcoming G Watch R - a smartwatch that appears to be sporting a full circular display (no Moto 360 cutout) with more classic chronograph styling. Motorola's Moto 360, on the other hand, is just a sexy circle from the future.
Ever since the reveal of Android Wear, we've been waiting for that awesome-looking Moto 360 watch with the circular screen. And waiting. And waiting. Though it looks like the release or at least the announcement might finally come next month, LG isn't missing the opportunity to get people excited for their second Android Wear device after the G Watch. Behold, LG's 30-second teaser for a watch announcement at the IFA show, which starts in Berlin in just under two weeks.