The LG G Watch R is one of the best examples of round smartwatch design, which looks a bit more “complete” than the hit Moto 360 thanks to its fully round display. Getting that round display required engineers of the LG G Watch R to sacrifice design for display real estate, meaning that the bezels on the watch have been made pretty big so that they could house the hardware Motorola chose to put in the black bar under the display of the Moto 360. Even though the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R are the most popular smartwatches with a round design, they do match up in specs, too.
The LG G Watch R and Moto 360 are their respective manufacturers’ first attempts at circular smartwatches, so we did expect to see devices that weren’t as perfect as concept designs had imagined before. Nonetheless, both Motorola and LG smartwatches have released with great design and appreciated specs. Each had its ups and downs since they were released, price and battery life being the most debated on either side. The Moto 360 release date or announcement coincided with the IFA Trade show in Berlin this Fall, and gathered quite the large crowd. Most people were fascinated by the Moto 360 design, some disregarding the black bar at the bottom of the round display, while other deemed that little design flaw a deal-breaker.
The LG G Watch R release date was set for a Fall launch, at a similar time as the Samsung Gear S release date. The November launch of LG’s smartwatch finally came and people could actually buy the completely round smartwatch in the US. LG teased the round design of its timepiece a lot before the launch and people got stoked about having a fully round display on a watch. Naturally, people started wondering why the Moto 360 couldn’t pull off a fully round design, but as soon as most of us got our hands on the LG G Watch R, we saw why that was.
Each company, when designing their own iteration of a round smartwatch, had to choose between compromises to get that round display to work. While Motorola chose to put a black bar on the bottom of the Moto 360 display which would house the light sensor and other important hardware, LG thought that designing the LG G Watch R would be easier if it were done in the footsteps of massive classy watches, and thus added a thick bezel (that sadly, doesn’t rotate) with markings on it. The bezel has the same purpose the black bar has at the bottom of the Moto 360: housing hardware.
When looking at the LG G Watch R and Moto 360, we can clearly see that each has their own appeal and are attractive designs in their own category, but the people choosing them can be split up into two categories: those who prefer a smaller, but round display and those who choose the smaller timepiece at the expense of having a black bar at the bottom obstructing the fully round watch face. Seems pretty straight-forward. Nonetheless, both the LG G Watch R and Moto 360 size are on the bulky side, which means that for those with smaller wrists and hands, neither of these watches will feel particularly comfortable. That being said, it doesn’t mean that their size renders them unusable to a certain demographic of the population. You can still use either of these smartwatches if you have a small configuration, but it will take more time to get used to handling them.
Wearable technology has become all the rage the past year and we see various companies coming forward stating that they are about to join in the race for supremacy on the wearable market. Over the past year, we’ve seen countless fitness trackers and smartwatches from Samsung, Pebble, Sony, LG and Martian, with Motorola joining the game with the Moto 360, While most of these OEMs have already debuted their smartwatch iterations, like the pricey, 3G-touting Samsung Gear S, the 3G and GPS equipped Sony SmartWatch 3 and SmartBand Talk or the numerous fitness trackers, from FitBit, Whithings and the sort, Apple has announced its own Apple Watch at the iPhone 6 release date event.
The Apple Watch is as controversial and talked about as any other Apple device before. The main idea behind the Apple Watch is the same as it is with other smartwatches including the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R. The difference is that even though we’ve demoed the device, the Apple Watch release date is still uncertain and production issues have risen to light since the initial introduction of the Apple Watch to the company portfolio. That being said, the Apple Watch release date comes as a tardy try to enter the smartwatch market and many are not anticipating a lot of success. Since we already have the LG G Watch R and Moto 360, with reasonable prices, setting the bar for Android Wear, the Apple Watch has a lot of catching up to do. Also, the rectangular design isn’t very flattering considering he worldwide success the Moto 360 reaped thanks to its design.
Since we’ve got some introductory info out of the way, we should get ahead with comparing the LG G Watch R to the Moto 360. The LG G Watch R design is clearly different from that of the Moto 360, as stated above. The aesthetic differences between the two are otherwise minor, save for the bezel and black bar particularities of each. The LG G Watch R is more similar to classic luxury watches with a sleek metal design and interchangeable watch straps. The Moto 360 is a blend between classic and modern, using the traditional round watch face design in conjunction with the modern touch of wireless charging, slim bezels and high-end display technology. Motorola combines the traditional elements of a wristwatch with the modern touch of smartwatches and wearable technology, resulting in a blend that can cater to those who like techy-feeling things while impressing those with a flare for traditional design at the same time.
The LG G Watch R design, on the other hand, puts emphasis on classy, luxurious and traditional. When looking at the LG G Watch R from a reasonable distance, you wouldn’t think it is a smartwatch, even though the bulk of it might tip you off. Aside from the thick body, the LG G Watch R looks more like a traditional, old-fashioned luxury watch than it does a smartwatch with its proprietary characteristics. Even though hardware is not that different between the two watches, there are still some notable differences one should keep in mind when trying to choose between them, involving price, features, functions and connectivity.
When it comes to price, the LG G Watch R price is just $50 more expensive than the Moto 360, putting its price below that of the Apple Watch, namely $300. Since both these watches run on Google’s own Android Wear, it should be pretty obvious that major differences include mostly hardware specs. Since Android Wear was updated last month and full circle watch support and optimization was added, the differences in the way in which Android Wear works on each is pretty negligible. Since the update, text is being cut off on the LG G Watch R or the Moto 360, Google having optimized its software for round watch face support. Some people had been waiting for such an update for a long time.
The LG G Watch R display is a bit smaller than the Moto 360 display, which might be a drawback considering that the watch itself is noticeably bigger and thicker. Nonetheless, the LG G Watch R display is sharper, brighter and uses P-OLED technology instead of the Moto 360 IPS panel, reducing battery consumption. That means that while the Ambient Light on the Moto 360 will drain your battery in a day, the LG G Watch R’s ambient light will be much more manageable.
Besides the display, the LG G Watch R is a bit inferior to the Moto 360 in design and charging. The Moto 360 charging dock doubles as a night stand and is a bit more stylish than the LG G Watch R dock. At the same time, you have more options, customizable watch faces and watch straps with the Moto 360, while the LG G Watch R is only available in one model with interchangeable watch bands, That means if you’re for customizing and tweaking your experience with a wearable, the Moto 360 has more options you can choose from.
Even though the internal specs of the LG G Watch R don’t correspond with those of the Moto 360, its performance levels out pretty evenly. The LG G Watch R specs include a Snapdragon 400 CPU, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB storae and a 410 mAH battery. Moto 360 specs include a Texas Instruments CPU, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB storage and a 320 mAH battery. Both watches have IP 67 certification and benefit from the extensive Android Wear app suite on Google Play. Battery life on these badboys is just about the same, but if we disregard the recent updates to the Moto 360, the LG G Watch R would have taken the trophy for battery life. Nonetheless, currently both watches can stand up to 36 hours of use with Ambient Light on.
Ultimately, the design and utility will be the determining factors when choosing between these two smartwatches. Since performance and endurance us just about the same, it depends on user preference and the social situations one might find themselves in whether you choose the bulky, sturdy, classy LG G Watch R or the minimalist, elegant, modern Moto 360. While appearance is not everything when it comes to wearable technology, the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R design have demonstrated that design can be as crucial as performance, both reaping success with their round faces.