LG shocked a few onlookers at IFA 2014 with a release date announcement for its round-faced G Watch R, a smart watch that delivers a tad more battery and a slightly-higher price point than the wrist-worn computer the tech company debuted at Google I/0 2014 a few months earlier.
LG praised the G Watch R as the first smart watch to boast a circular plastic OLED display, though Motorola may beg to differ. Patrick Hong, of LG's product planning team, said in a recent interview that the round-faced watch was the result of over two years of research, dismissing suggestions that the Korean tech company went back to the drawing board after learning of Motorola's inbound Moto 360.
"Honestly, I can say that we didn't make this product because of our competitor's movement, or the strength or position of the market," says Hong. "We started studying this product more than two years ago. We always think about the customer; it's not coming from, or driven by, the technology."
While the Moto 360 was shown to VIPs behind closed doors at IFA 2014, LG put its G Watch R on a pedestal and proclaimed the smart watch would be available to the masses on Oct. 14. LG hasn't publicly committed on a price for the G Watch R, though a spokesperson said the company's latest smart watch will come with a price tag higher than its square-faced predecessor's $230 cost.
With a screen measuring 1.3 inches and a resolution of 320x320, the G Watch R comes with a slightly larger display than LG's squared smart watch. The G Watch R's battery capacity received a 10-mAh buff, bringing it to 410 mAh with an estimated battery life of up to two days per charge.
LG officially announced the G Watch R in late August, touting the smart watch's contemporary aesthetics and promoting its suite of side-loaded health apps. In G Watch R's announcement, Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG's Electronics Mobile Communications division, said LG believed consumers would want a good selection of smart watches.
"What we've noticed in the year of the wearable is that this is a category that can't be compared to smartphones and tablets," said Park on Aug. 28. "Wearables are also accessories and consumers will want more than one to choose from. So we wanted to complement the modern design of the original G Watch with the classic look of the G Watch R. Customers can't go wrong with either device."
