Motorola's Moto 360 Sport smartwatch was recently announced for a Dec. 18, 2015 release in the UK and France, which will be followed by a Jan. 7, 2016 release for the United States. So how will the fitness-oriented Android wearable fare against the Apple Watch Sport? And which one should consumers buy?
Dimensions and Resolution
As opposed to its brothers, the Moto 360 Sport does not have other options for size. Buyers will have to settle for the 45-mm one-size-fits-all smartwatch that is fitted with what Motorola calls as the AnyLight hybrid display, which won't differ from a normal LCD display while indoors but will showcase a huge difference when reflecting ambient light when the user is outdoors. The official display resolution, as well as the official thickness and display diameter, is yet to be published for this wearable.
The Apple Watch Sport on the other hand has two available sizes, a 38-mm and a 42-mm. The smaller 38-mm variant enjoys a 272 x 340 resolution on a 1.337-inch Retina display while the larger 42-mm sports a much bigger 312 x 390 on a 1.534-inch screen. Even with the size difference, both have a 326 ppi (pixels per inch) pixel density. Moreover, the 42-mm model is heavier by 5g compared at 30g compared to the smaller version at 25g. Both are 10.5mm thick.
Design and Build
Both the Moto 360 Sport and the Apple Watch Sport take after their respective originals. But while the Moto 360 Sport is still round just like its predecessors, the stainless steel case has been replaced by silicone to avoid the absorption of sweat and fading, as well as promote ventilation. The Android wearable comes in orange, white and black.
The same goes for the Apple Watch Sport. While it keeps the original's form factor, it strayed away from the stainless steel of the Apple Watch and went with the anodised aluminum. Consumers will have a choice of going for either white or orange bands to go with the silver aluminum case.
Technical Specifications, Operating System and Features
Just like the normal Moto 360, the Moto 360 Sport features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, a 1.2-GHz quad-core SoC, which has an Adreno 305 GPU. Moreover, it has the same 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of storage, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. However, the Sport separates itself with its on-board GPS that makes it possible for health and fitness apps to,measure and record performance.
"Moto 360 Sport has built-in GPS that works seamlessly with Moto Body to measure your performance," Motorola says. "Track your distance traveled, pace, lap times, and more."
Aside from Moto Body, which can also monitor heart, other fitness apps, such as Under Armour, Fitbit, MapMyRun and other Android Wear apps are also available for the Moto 360 Sport. Motorola claims it can last a day with its 300 mAh battery.
The Apple Watch Sport ships out with Apple's S1 SoC, 512-MB RAM and 8 GB of storage. It also comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It's also curated with sensors such as the heart-rate monitor, accelerometer, gyrometer, compass and touch. Of course, with watchOS 2, it's possible to keep track of key performance statistics without being tethered to an iPhone. Apps, such as Apple Workout, take advantage of this.
The Price
The Moto 360 Sport will be introduced to the market for $299. The 38mm Apple Watch Sport currently sells for $349 and $399 for the 42-mm variant.
