Review: LG G Watch R with Android Wear

With its G Watch R, LG Electronics has already launched the second generation of smartwatches with Android Wear – and seems to have some advantages over the competition. At least the data sheet reads great: metal case, round P-OLED display and leather strap. Can the smart health watch also convince in practice? We tested exactly that.

design

Without a doubt, the G Watch R is the first “real” smartwatch that can be mistaken for a normal watch at first glance. Although it is still comparatively large, it looks quite suitable with a leather strap and its round case on a strong men's wrist. But, sorry girls: On slim women's arms, the thing unfortunately looks like a tractor tire on a Fiat 500.

But we do not only like the round LG watch at first glance. Even on closer inspection, it has some advantages over the competition. This is mainly due to the solid, black metal housing, which feels extremely valuable. We know a similar body from the Moto 360 from Motorola Mobility – but the surrounding frame is a bit narrower. In addition, there is the protruding edge, which is somewhat reminiscent of diving watches – and which protects the display located inside from scratches. The perfect addition is the "crown" on the right side, which is not necessary for the operation of Android Wear, but looks good. Too bad: The crown can be pressed and turned in the style of the Apple Watch – but turning it has no effect on the operation.

The step to a leather bracelet with standard attachment is also in the right direction. The included leather bracelet looks a bit plastic, although the embossing clearly shows real leather. But it can be exchanged easily – for any bracelet that your favorite watchmaker has just at hand. And so you can also adapt the look to your personal taste.

The watch is protected against ingress of water and dust according to IP67. With dimensions of 4.6 × 5.4 centimeters and a height of 9.7 millimeters, it is comparatively large, but due to the round design, it at least fits perfectly on my admittedly not exactly delicate wrist.

Display

We would like to thank every single LG decision-maker for this. A round P-OLED display should currently represent the technical optimum for a smartwatch! With a resolution of 320 × 320 pixels and a diameter of 1.3 inches, the display achieves a pixel density of an outstanding 348 ppi. This makes the analog dials look razor-sharp – that's exactly how it should be. Only those who look closely will be bothered by the slight blurring and the formation of stairs on smaller elements on the display – but the competition cannot do that better. And: The perfect viewing angles and the perfect contrasts of the display panel easily make up for that.

In addition, a smartwatch in particular benefits from the technical advantage of OLED screens. This is because only the pixels that are currently actively lit need electricity. The G Watch R can display the light version of the time continuously – white hands on a black background – and still lasts more than a day with one battery charge without any problems. Anyone who taps the watch, presses the crown or performs the typical I-look-at-the-watch rotating movement of the wrist switches the display to normal operation and sees the visually prettier display with a second hand.

However, it is also a little unusual to permanently wear a glowing spot on your arm. In the dark apartment, the clock shines astonishingly powerful even at the lowest display brightness and illuminates the bedroom at night. It's a shame that you can't dim the light any further. In practice, it takes some getting used to, but that's the way they are, the smartwatches – if you don't want that, just go for the Swatch. You could also switch off the permanent lighting, but then you would probably do without one of the coolest functions of the G Watch R. And: as long as the watch is embedded in its charging adapter, it switches off the display lighting.

The display shape has one disadvantage: Round cuts off. Notifications often appear at the bottom of the screen, which have at least partially become victims of the display and simply look choppy.

Video

Furnishing

It's interesting what is hidden in such a watch. Instead of gears and springs, there is technology according to which a few years ago we would have licked all ten fingers to find them in a smartphone. A 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 provides propulsion, plus there is 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory. That is enough for brisk reactions and smooth operation. And we are not playing Angry Birds – at least currently – anyway on the wrist.

Communication with the smartphone takes place via Bluetooth 4.0 – and is absolutely necessary. Nothing works without a cell phone. Before the first pairing with the Android Wear app on the cell phone, the G Watch R does not even show the time. All data from the Internet and the calendar come from the mobile phone, as do the GPS coordinates for navigation. However, there is a compass in the watch that adjusts the orientation and movement when displaying the map.

The battery has a capacity of 410 mAh. That is little compared to smartphones, but to fire up the small display of the LG watch, it is surprisingly much: With permanent time display, the battery lasts for one day, sometimes two, without any problems. If we turn off the clock at night, the second day is not a problem. Unfortunately, a proprietary charging adapter is required to charge the watch. It is held magnetically in position, but the energy is traditionally transferred via contact points on the underside – which, by the way, is extremely cheap-looking plastic compared to the rest. A wireless charging standard like Qi would have been cool. Fortunately, the watch recharges quickly: in around 40 minutes, the battery level has skyrocketed from 25 to just under 80 percent.

The optical heart rate monitoring is also on the underside. He does a good job in practice, there were no faulty measurements in our Review at any time. And as with the first Samsung smartwatch, we don't have to hold the wrist during the measurement either. Nice thing. For fitness geeks there is also support from Google Fit, a pedometer and a barometric altimeter.

software

The purpose of a smartwatch depends on its software. The Android Watch OS, which is already well known to us, runs on the G Watch R, which we know from Samsung Electronics, the first G Watch from LG and the Moto 360. The biggest disadvantage: Android Wear currently only works with Android smartphones. Users of iPhones or Windows Phones look into the tube.

The most important function of a clock is of course the representation of the time. The G Watch R can do that (it would be bad if not). And it also looks good: Various watch skins are available, including some that we already know from other Android watches. However, those that LG exclusively brings with them are particularly cool: they are perfectly adapted to the round display and ensure that one or the other may confuse the G-Watch with an analog chronometer. Only the artificial reflections of light appear somewhat strange, which would occur in reality but would have to change when the clock moves. It looks a bit artificial.

We already know the other functions of Android Wear from other watches. The software reproduces notifications and reminders, new emails or SMS, incoming calls and appointments directly on the wrist. The display is appropriate to the size of the display, the operation with swiping gestures works like in an eff-eff after a few days.

Voice recognition is available for entering commands. Dictation works relatively reliably – just like on a smartphone. Nevertheless, the developers urgently need to do their bit here. When I tap the watch, activate the speech recognition with "Ok Google" and say: "Measure my heart rate", she looks stupidly into the tube. Respective: Shows a Google search, the results of which explain to me how I can measure my pulse with my finger. So I have to say "Show my heart rate" so that the G Watch R first measures my pulse and then displays it. Pretty small checked.

Various apps or other skins for displaying the time can be installed on the smartphone using the Android Wear application. With the required Android Wear app, there is already seamless integration with Google Fit. If you want more, you can add more functions under the suggested apps. In the Health & Fitness category there are extensions for Endomondo, RunKeeper, Runtastic and much more. Entry is free, professional functions can be activated for a small fee or purchased separately.

Summary

The G Watch R is currently one of our top favorites. The display is unbeatable, the metal housing looks high-quality, the functionality is great, the battery lasts a pleasantly long time. We had no problems with the watch in the Review. That's exactly how it has to be. A better wristband included would have been as nice as supporting a wireless charging standard like Qi, but that's really complaining at a high level.

It is another matter whether you need a smartwatch at all. Currently, the watch serves more like a display extension. If you like to take a look at your cell phone inconspicuously or need reminders every 5 minutes, you have certainly found a great friend here. In addition, the fitness functions are a fine thing.

Otherwise, Android Wear devices are currently a toy for geeks. They exude coolness and modernity, and that's why I will wear the G Watch R for some time. On principle alone. But I really don't need them. For just under 300 euros, this is an expensive toy. But as I said: Among the Android Wear smartwatches probably the best that you can currently get. If you are using an iPhone, you will have to wait a little longer until Google publishes its app for iOS. There are not many alternatives: the most prominent example is the Pebble Smartwatch or Pebble Steel. Apple's own product, the Apple Watch, comes in 2015.

Permalink: https://bwellmart.com/-2443510

Tags