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A

lthough we liked the original G Watch from

LG, it seemed a little too basic for the price

you had to pay for it. This time around, LG

has taken a different path and the G Watch R feels

like a totally new project that’s separated itself

from the original. First and foremost, the metallic

design of the G Watch R is fantastic and the build

quality is second to none. There’s a handy dial

around the edge of the 1.3-inch screen, as well as

the charging port around the back. It’s also circular,

a big contrast from the ugly square exterior on the

original G Watch, and noticeably more comfortable

to wear for prolonged periods of time. Although the

leather strap that shipped with the G Watch R is

comfortable to wear, you’ll almost certainly want to

invest in the metal strap to add to the premium feel

of this smartwatch.

Connecting to Android Wear is easy enough and,

similarly to the Moto 360, it’ll take just a few

minutes to get up and running. Users can enjoy the

G Watch R’s entire 1.3-inch display without any area

of it being cut off and the 320 x 320 resolution

leaves everything crystal clear. Notifi cations

appear from the top and bottom of the app and it’s

a simple case of dragging them to open them up on

the watch. Android Wear isn’t perfectly optimised

for circular devices as of yet, with several

notifi cations being cut off in the corners of each

screen, but it’s more of a problem on the Moto 360

than on the G Watch R. Thanks to being able to use

every pixel of the screen, responding to

notifi cations and generally getting around the

watch is a pleasant experience.

Although we still think smartwatches do require

at least 1GB of RAM to keep everything running

completely smoothly, a decent Snapdragon 400

processor backs up the 512MB of RAM here. The

added processing power does affect the battery

life to some degree and although the 410mAh

offering here can make it through a day without

charging, it depends entirely on just how much you

use it on a daily basis.

Smartwatches are fast becoming the must-have

device for Android users to invest in. There’s still a

lot of work to be done and while the LG G Watch R

isn’t perfect – it needs a slightly beefi er battery –

it’s by far the best smartwatch that we’ve tested.

We’d say the biggest area of improvement that

needs to be looked at is ultimately with how these

devices integrate with Android Wear, but that’s

more of an emphasis on Google to get it right,

rather than the manufacturers.

LG G Watch R

Robustbynature

There’s little we can fault in terms of

the design here. Everything from the

metallic dial to the buckle feels well

constructed, but we do think you’ll

want to pay out a little more for the

metal strap

Full display

Users can experience the entire

screen of the G Watch R – without

having a portion of it cut off, a

problem found in the Moto 360. This

makes moving around the watch’s

interface a terrific experience

While more expensive than most smartwatches, the

G Watch R is a surprisingly good device

If you want to be an early

adopter of an Android Wear

smartwatch, this is the device

you need

»Verdict

Value for money

Noticeably more expensive than the

competition currently on the market

Features

Lots of customisable extras to explore, but

Wear can still be improved

Design

Without doubt this is a stunning smartwatch

that ticks all the right boxes

Performance

Extra processing power keeps things nippy,

but battery life could be better

»Operating system...............Android Wear

»Processor...................................Qualcomm Snapdragon 400

»Memory.....................................512MB RAM, 4GB storage

»Dimensions..............................46.4 x 53.6 x 9.7mm

»Weight..........................................62g

»Display size...............................1.3-inch

»Display resolution...............320 x 320 pixels

»Connectivity.............................Bluetooth

»Expansion slot.......................N/A

technical specs

Price £224.99

»^ More information http://www.l

»^ Supplied by http://www.clove.

information

LG G Watch R

better t ethan

LG G Watch R

LGG N/A

Watch

issue 042

Battery life

Good for the mos

part, but the

processor drains

the 410mAh

battery quickly

Customised for you

What makes Wear such an exciting OS

is that you can customise large parts of

how your smartwatch functions.

Choose from various watch faces,

display options and how the watch

deals with notifi cations

Extra power

The bonus of having a

Snapdragon 400 processor means

that moving around the watch is

very quick. The downside to this

added power is that the battery will

undoubtedly drain faster