When is the LG Watch Sport/Style release date?
10 February 2017 (US)
The new smartwatches will go on sale in the US on 10 February. They will then be available to buy in “key markets in Europe and Asia via the Google Store and select retail stores later this month”. That will include the UK. LG isn’t the only watch maker tipped to be showing off Android Wear 2.0 devices at MWC 2017 either: there’s also the Huawei Watch 2.
How much will the LG Watch Sport/Style cost in the UK?
With the launch focussing on the US for now, we’ll have to wait on UK prices for the new smartwatches. However, we can confirm that the LG Watch Sport price is $250 (£199 converted). A rose gold model costs $279 (£220 converted) The LG Watch Sport price is a little higher and you’ll have to pay $350 (£280 converted).
LG Watch Sport: Design and features
Let’s start with the more premium of the two smartwatches, codenamed Angelfish, which we now know as the LG Watch Sport. The Sport is the larger of the two smartwatches, with a higher-capacity 430mAh battery and larger, higher-resolution screen at 1.38in and 480×480. The Sport also features more RAM, with 768MB onboard, while both watches have 4GB of storage, which is standard for a smartwatch. The LG Watch Sport smartwatch will feature all the bells and whistles of a 2017 smartwatch including GPS, a basic heart rate montior, NFC and most impressively, LTE connectivity. The ability to connect to the internet without the need for a phone makes the Sport one of the first completely standalone Android Wear watch, following the announcement that standalone apps are to be supported in the forthcoming Android Wear 2.0 software update. The LG Watch Sport bears some resemblance to the Moto 360 – without the flat tyre, of course. The smartwatch apparently features visible lugs with a smooth housing that curves where the watch strap meets the body of the device, giving it a smoother (and more premium, we imagine) look and feel when compared to the angular lugs and multi-piece design of watches like the LG Urbane LTE. Interestingly, the LG Watch Sport has not one but three buttons. Why is this interesting? Most Android Wear smartwatches feature a single button, with Casio’s Android Wear smartwatch being one of the only exceptions to the rule. The Sport has a large crown button on the right hand side of the body with two circular buttons accompanying it, one above and one below. It’s the thicker of the two Google smartwatches, though. Measuring in at 14.2mm thick, the LG Watch Sport smartwatch is similar to the LG Urbane LTE in terms of bulk, but we imagine this is to accommodate for its larger battery due to the LTE connectivity featured on the smartwatch (more on that below!). In terms of colour options, the LG Watch Sport will be available in dark blue or titanium.
LG Watch Sport: Specifications
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 featuring 4G LTEOperating System: Android Wear 2.0Display: 1.38-inch P-OLED Display (480 x 480 / 348ppi)Size: 45.4 x 51.21 x 14.2mm Memory: 4GB eMMC / 768MB LPDDR3Battery: 430mAhNetwork: LTE / 3G /Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.2 LE / NFCSensors: 6-Axis (Accelerometer / Gyro) / Barometer / PPG / GPS / Ambient Light SensorColour: Titanium / Dark BlueOther: Dust and Water Resistance (IP68) / Speaker / Microphone / Wireless Charging
LG Watch Style: Design and features
While the Sport looks to have all the bells and whistles of a modern smartwatch, the Swordfish – the LG Watch Style – looks a bit simpler. Described as being similar to the Pebble Time Round without the huge screen bezel in terms of design, the Style also sports a different button arrangement when compared to the Sport. While the Sport features three buttons, the Style features only one – a crown on the right-hand side of the smartwatch. It’s said to have a polished metal cap with a rigid crown-like bezel similar to that featured on the Apple Watch, which should again help convey the premium look and feel of the smartwatch. Without the extended functionality of the Sport, the LG Watch Style can afford to be thinner than its counterpart measuring in at 10.8mm thin. It features a 240mAh battery, a 1.2in 360×360 screen, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. The LG Watch Style is a bit more pared down with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but no LTE. It’s available in more colours than the Sport, with three choices available – Silver, Titanium and Rose Gold. Both the Sport and the Style feature Google Assistant integration, Google’s personal assistant that was first showcased at Google I/O last year. At the event Sundar Pichai mentioned that Nexus devices will get more exclusive software features, leading us to believe that the Google smartwatches will include functionality inaccessible by any other Android Wear smartwatch manufacturer. Along with Google Assistant, Google has worked on a completely new style of watch faces that allow for quicker access to the things you need, such as notifications, information (like unread email count), media controls and app functions. Water-resistance is rated at IP68 for the Sport and IP67 for the Style.
LG Watch Style: Specifications
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100Operating System: Android Wear 2.0Display: 1.2-inch P-OLED Display (360 x 360 / 299ppi)Size: 42.3 x 45.7 x 10.79mmMemory: 4GB eMMC / 512MB LPDDR3Battery: 240mAhNetwork: Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.2 LESensors: 6-Axis (Accelerometer / Gyro) / Ambient Light SensorColour: Silver / Titanium / Rose GoldOther: Dust and Water Resistance (IP67) / Microphone / Wireless Charging
Read next: Best new smartwatches and fitness trackers coming in 2017 Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You’ll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
