The LG Watch Urbane brings luxury to Android Wear

Android Wear has come a long way in the short time since it was launched, being pioneered by LG and Motorola with their G Watch R and Moto 360 offerings. But while Motorola has yet to follow-up on their initial design, LG has moved on from the G Watch R’s’ bland but functional design to a more trendy and upscale look. Today, LG has announced the rather stylish looking Watch Urbane.

As you can see from the images, the Watch Urbane represents a huge shift in design language from the original G Watch R. With its polished stainless steel body, available in gold or silver, and its stitched leather straps, the Watch Urbane is certainly looking the part of a luxury smartwatch. The analog watch face is pretty difficult to distinguish from a regular analog watch which is an impressive feat. LG says that the Urbane has a thinner profile, which they are hoping will have appeal to both men and women. Unlike the G Watch R , the Urbane will look better with a suit or other formal wear. Think less steakhouse and more cocktails and canapés, and you get the picture.

Under the hood, the Watch Urbane is pretty much the same as the G Watch R, as seen from the specifications below.
Specifications

• Chipset: Snapdragon 400 clocked at 1.2 GHz
• Operating System: Android Wear
• Display: 1.3 P-OLED screen with 320 x 320 resolution
• Memory: 512MB
• Storage: 4GB
• Battery: 410 mAh
• Other: IP67 (Dust and Water Resistant)
• Colours: Gold, Silver

The LG Watch Urbane will be unveiled at the MWC (Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, March 2-5), and we should learn more details about pricing and availability then. Until then, what do you think? Would you be happy to wear the Watch Urbane in a more formal environment?
Full Press Release:

SEOUL, Feb. 16, 2015 — LG Electronics (LG) will unveil its first all-metal luxury Android Wear device, LG Watch Urbane, at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015. As its name suggests, the smartwatch is designed for a sophisticated and cosmopolitan wearer that delivers unparalleled technology and performance. LG Watch Urbane is the perfect device for wearers looking to add both style and high-tech flare to their everyday lives.

The LG Watch Urbane follows closely in the footsteps of the LG G Watch R, the first smartwatch with a full circular Plastic OLED (P-OLED) display, which LG launched in October 2014. While the LG G Watch R was designed with the active user in mind, the LG Watch Urbane is more formal with a thinner profile making it perfect for either men or women. Resembling a luxury timepiece, LG combined a classic design and innovative features to add style and convenience to everyday life while raising the already high standards set by its predecessor.

The LG Watch Urbane is crafted around the same 1.3-inch full circle P-OLED display as the LG G Watch R but features a narrower bezel that gives it sleeker lines. The LG Watch Urbane has all of the hallmarks of a fine watch, making it the perfect fashion accessory. Its stainless steel body is available in polished silver and gold finish and is complemented by a beautifully stitched natural leather strap for a more classic look. The strap can be replaced with any 22mm wide band to suit the occasion or the wearer’s mood. Powering all of this is an intuitive touch-based user interface that makes the LG Watch Urbane compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 and above.

Like the G Watch R, LG’s latest Android Wear device includes a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that can measure a wearer’s heart rate and average pulse during exercise. Always-On ambient mode shows the time on the display at all times in dimmed mode, saving battery life.

“The LG Watch Urbane’s classic design and smart features make it the perfect smartwatch to complement our G Watch and G Watch R, which were designed as more casual and active devices,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “LG Watch Urbane is an important part of our strategy to develop wearable devices that are worn and viewed as everyday accessories, not electronic gadgets.”

Additional details including price will be announced in local markets at the time of availability.

Key Specifications:

￭ Chipset: 1.2GHz Qualcomm^® Snapdragon™ 400

￭Ÿ  Operating System: Android Wear™

￭Ÿ  Display: 1.3-inch P-OLED Display (320 x 320, 245ppi)

￭Ÿ  Size: 45.5 x 52.2 x 10.9mm

￭Ÿ  Memory: 4GB eMMC/ 512MB LPDDR2

￭Ÿ  Battery: 410mAh

￭Ÿ  Sensors: 9-Axis (Gyro / Accelerometer / Compass) / Barometer /

    PPG (Heart Rate Sensor)

Ÿ￭ Colors: Gold / Silver

￭Ÿ  Other: Dust and Water Resistant (IP67)