New smartwatch is for the luxury consumer, says LG
LG has announced the arrival of its new, high-end smartwatch, the LG Watch Urbane, which will officially launch at Mobile World Congress in two weeks time.
The Urbane draws on much of the technology featured in the LG G Watch R, and has the same 1.3in plastic OLED (P-OLED) screen as its predecessor, heart rate sensor and always-on ambient mode. It also runs on Android Wear and is compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 (Jellybean) or higher, as is the G Watch R.
LG Watch Urbane – Gold version
However, it’s been given a sleeker design, with a narrower bezel and overall thinner profile than the G Watch R, shaving 1mm off every dimension, which LG claims makes it “perfect for either a man or a woman”.
LG is also pitching the LG Watch Urbane as “the perfect fashion accessory” – while the body is only available in polished silver (although the images we’ve received seem to show a gold-ish version as well), but it will, like the G Watch R, fit any 22mm wide strap, not just the one it comes with. This, LG claims, makes it more customisable, according to the wearer’s mood or the occasion.
Inside, the LG Watch Urbane sports a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, nine-axis gyrometer, accelerometer and compass, a barometer, 4GB storage, and 512MB RAM.
Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG, said: “The LG Watch Urbane … [is] the perfect smartwatch to complement our G Watch and G Watch R, which were designed as more casual and active devices.”
“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,” Cho added.
This is the latest manifestation of a growing trend among smartphone makers to try and capture the fashion market. Intel has already had a go with the Mica and the Edition version of the Apple Watch, which is available in rose and yellow gold, could cost in excess of £1,000.
The LG Watch Urbane will be officially launched at MWC, which runs form 2-5 March. Reviews editor Jon Bray will be at the event to bring you all the latest, so be sure to tune in then.
Source: pcpro
