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LG enters the round with the G Watch R, its latest Android Wear

Trevor Mogg
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lg officially unveils round smartwatch g watch r 02
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It’s been a busy few hours in the world of smartwatches, folks.

Keen to throw the spotlight on itself ahead of the big IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin next week, LG on Wednesday evening officially announced its round-faced G Watch R, which it teased earlier in the week.

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Then, without warning, Samsung struts up, snatches the spotlight from LG and turns it determinedly upon itself with the announcement of the Gear S.

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Hang around a bit and Sony might throw one into the mix.

G Watch R

LG’s newest Android Wear smartwatch, which incorporates a stainless steel frame and comes with an interchangeable calf skin leather strap, goes up against Motorola’s similarly shaped Moto 360 device, which is all set for a September 4 launch.

Diving straight in, the elegantly styled G Watch R sports a 1.3-inch Plastic OLED (aka P-OLED) 320 x 320 display, 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM, and a 410mAh battery, with a 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 processor running the show.

Its maker promises clear viewing in bright sunlight from all angles, while its water-resistant properties mean it can handle depths of up to a meter for as long as 30 minutes.

Related: Samsung announces Gear S smartwatch

Using LG’s own health and fitness apps, users will be able to check their heart’s still ticking with the aid of the watch’s embedded PPG sensor. And, as you’d expect, the device will also alert wearers to information such as missed calls and messages, upcoming meetings and events, and local weather forecasts.

The G Watch R will be unveiled at IFA, which kicks off on September 5. DT will be at the event, so be sure to check back for more on LG’s new smartwatch once we’ve taken a closer look.

Available in ‘key markets’

The device is scheduled to go on sale in “key markets” toward the end of the year, presumably in time for the holiday season. Pricing details are currently unknown.

The smartwatch space is certainly going into overdrive just now. While the Moto 360 really seemed to make people sit up and take notice, LG’s stylish G Watch R looks set to shake things up in the market even more. Samsung’s just put its latest smartwatch offering on the table, and is also rumored to be prepping another, this time with a circular display. Asus, too, is also on the verge of entering the market.

And then, of course, there’s Apple, with a report just yesterday claiming the company is gearing up to launch its much-anticipated smartwatch in the coming weeks.

[Source: LG]

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Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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