According to prolific leaker Evan Blass, Google is set to unveil the first two smartwatches powered by Android Wear 2.0 on Feb. 9, the same day that the company will reveal the latest version of the wearable device operating system.
The smartwatches, named the LG Watch Sport and the LG Watch Style, are produced by LG in partnership with Google similar to the now-defunct Nexus brand.
The First Android Wear 2.0 Smartwatches
Last month, Android Wear product manager Jeff Chang said that Google will be launching a pair of new flagship smartwatches that will be powered by Android Wear 2.0 in the first quarter of 2017. Last week, a report claimed that Google has been informing developers of the imminent release of Android Wear 2.0, planned for early February.
Chang's announcement and Google's notifications to developers confirmed rumors from October 2016 that Google will be releasing two Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches, with the LG Watch Sport and the LG Watch Style to be the first devices to come with the newest version of Google's Android Wear operating system.
According to Blass in his report on VentureBeat, the LG Watch Sport and the LG Watch Style will be released into the United States market on Feb. 10, the day after they are officially announced. The rollout of the smartwatches into other regions will continue through March, with the devices said to be a prominent feature of LG's booth at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which kicks off on Feb. 27.
LG Watch Sport, LG Watch Style Details And Specs
The LG Watch Sport is touted as the flagship device among the two smartwatches, with a 1.38-inch, 480 x 480 circular P-OLED display, 4 GB of storage, 768 MB of RAM, a 420 mAh battery, and thickness of 14.2 millimeters. The smartwatch also features a heart rate sensor, an IP68 ingress rating, and multiple connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE and 3G data, and GPS. The LG Watch Sport also supports NFC, which likely means that it is compatible with Android Pay.
The LG Watch Style, meanwhile, packs a 1.2-inch, 360 x 360 circular P-OLED display, 4 GB of storage, 512 MB of RAM, a 240 mAh battery, and thickness of 10.8 millimeters. It only has an IP67 ingress rating, and does not come with a heart rate sensor and does not support cellular data, GPS, and NFC. The device, however, can still connect through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The two smartwatches are also said to be coming with a digital crown button, similar to the one found in the Apple Watch, to make navigation easier. The device will also be compatible with the iOS, and will feature Google Assistant integration.
The processors that the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style will use were not mentioned, but given the monopoly of Qualcomm on Android wearable devices, the ones that will be likely used for the two smartwatches are the Snapdragon Wear 2100 and Snapdragon Wear 1100.
The price of the smartwatches were also not revealed, though it can be assumed that the LG Watch Sport will be significantly more expensive that the LG Watch Style.
