I don’t really care for smartwatches. The ones that most interest me, thus far at least, have been ones like the Withings or Hoptroff that integrate a smartwatch feature into an analog watch. Well, the LG G Watch flipped that technique, taking the look of an analog watch and integrating it into a full blown smartwatch. It is, in my opinion, the best looking smartwatch out there.
It is a full blown smartwatch, with a circular 1.3-inch P-OLED display set inside a diver watch case, complete with a bezel (I don’t know if it rotates or is just for looks). But don’t let the look of the case decieve you, it is only water resistant to room temperature tap water to about one meter for 30 minutes. No diving, no swimming, no showering, and I wouldn’t take it out on a sailboat, regardless of the promo picture. The case itself is 46.4 mm in diameter by 9.7mm thick, so it fits well with modern watch sizes, though it will be on the large side for a unisex design. I am assuming the case is PVD, but it is not specified. What is nice, unlike watches like the Pebble, is that LG uses a standard strap (no mention of width), so you can change up the look of the watch.
The P-OLED display is the key here in making it look like an alalog watch. LG shows off multiple orientations, three hander with date, moonphase, chrono look… I don’t know how customizable the display is, but I imagine it can be hacked, or that if it sells enough a modder community will spring up that can create single handers, jumping hour, regulators or just about any other watch look. I am still not sold on smartwatches, I don’t need another screen to mirror my phone and the watch is not rugged enough for what I would want in a fitness tracker, but the LG G Watch is certainly the closest watch out there (especially since I am an Android guy) to what I want in one of these. If you are looking for one, you can check out one of these retailers. lg.com/us
Watch Overview:
- Brand & Model: LG G Watch
- Price: $299
- Who we think it might be for: Android users who want a second screen that looks like a watch
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Not yet, but it is getting closer.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Better water resistance.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: It looks like an analog watch, and it is customizable.
Tech Specs from LG:
- CPU/OS: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400, 1.2GHz running Android Wear OS
- Functions: 9-Axis (Gyro, Accelerometer, Compass), PPG (Heart rate monitor), Barometer, 1.3″ P-OLED Display, 4GB eMMC* (user available memory up to 3 GB), 512MB RAM
- Case: Not Specified
- Glass: Not Specified
- Water resistance: IP67 -The product will maintain its operability even if it is gently submerged in a tank of still tap water at room temperature for about 30 minutes, up to a depth of 1 meter.
- Lug width: Not specified
- Straps: Not specified.
- Diameter : 46.4mm
- Length: 53.6mm
- Case height: 9.7mm
- Weight of watch head: 62g
