LG G Watch: cheap and cheerful Android Wear

Content

Technical characteristics
Equipment

Design

Display

Android Wear

Autonomous operation

Bottom line

Ever since the release of the G Watch, I have been pleasantly surprised. Great design, good functionality and Android Wear on board. And the price couldn’t help but please me. I got my watch back in November and, I think, after three months of use, it’s worth summing up the results of use and talking about all aspects of this device.

Specifications

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
• Touch display 1.65″ IPS, 280×280, 240 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 512 MB, internal memory 4 GB
• Bluetooth 4.0LE
• Microphone
• Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass
• Vibration signal
• Camera, speakers, internet - none
• Lithium-ion battery 400 mAh
• Android Wear operating system
• Compatible with devices running Android 4.3 and later
• Compliant with IP67 protection standard
• Detachable strap (22mm wide)
• Dimensions 37.9x46.5x9.95 mm

LG G Watch R is the best AndroidWear hardware of its generation.

Hello.

Today we will talk about choosing and purchasing smart watches on Android Wear.

A little history, choice and purchase.

The first generation of watches, shown by Google in the summer of 2014 at the I/O event along with the Android Wear operating system itself, did not greatly please buyers in terms of design. Later, the moto 360 appeared (finally in the right shape for a wristwatch), which for some, including me, is still the standard of beauty among smart watches. In addition to design, they have many more pleasant advantages, but, alas, there are also some slightly annoying disadvantages, such as: - outdated hardware (even though in practice it doesn’t affect the speed, but still) - not a completely round display (even though this is noticeable only with light-colored watch faces, but let's be honest, few people like them) - refusal to use amoled (and therefore the screen does not work constantly to save charge) - small battery compared to competitors.

After some time, LG announced a seemingly panacea - the LG G Watch R. Smartly using the experience gained when creating the G Watch (the rectangular watch from the first wave), they managed to take a round case with a completely round display and put decent hardware into it.

The watch was ordered from a2z-solutions-uk, whose rating speaks for itself. Almost 100% positive reviews with such a quantity... the seller, to put it mildly, is worthy of trust. The watch arrived quickly, in several layers of packaging film. There were no damages or other signs of transportation on the box.

Specifications:

• fully round P-OLED display with a diagonal of 1.3″,
• resolution 320×320,
• processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (1.2 GHz),
• RAM 512 MB,
• internal memory 4 GB,
• Bluetooth version 4.0 supporting “Low Energy”,
• microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, barometer,
• heart rate sensor,
• standard of protection against moisture and dust IP67,
• lithium-ion battery 410 mAh,
• removable strap,
• dimensions 46.3? 54? 9.7 (11 with frame) mm,
• weight 62 g;

Standard features:

• pre-installed watchfaces,
• standard Android Wear functionality (alarm clock, timer, stopwatch, Google Now, Music, Fit, etc.),
• camera control,
• voice response to SMS,
• receiving/hanging up calls,
• display of all notifications coming to the smartphone (Some can be disabled);

Equipment, features and experience of use

The first thing we see when we open the box is the watch itself.

Inside there are also:

• adapter.
• microUSB - USB cable.
• charger - cradle.
• documentation.

Perhaps the best thing about the watch is the screen. Completely round, with a perfect black color and the ability to remain always active, which, after design and filling, is the next most important difference from its competitor, moto360. The screen is really good. Colors and viewing angles do not cause any complaints.

The fact that the screen is completely round allows you to use both dark and light watchfaces. Both will look equally good since the screen is completely round. Watchfaces with a black background look the most beautiful, thanks to the black frame around the display and OLED. In addition, they are more economical than all others.

At the same time, due to the frame, the watch is much more massive than its competitors, although it has a smaller diagonal display. Personally, I am not satisfied with this thickness of the frame and would rather try with a small cut-off at the bottom of the screen. But, as they say, it depends on the taste and color. Of course, everyone is waiting for the next generation of watches, in which we would like to see frames like the moto360 and a display with filling like the LG G Watch R.

The interface, of course, works without any lags or slowdowns. While writing this review, a new version of the Android Wear 5.1 operating system arrived on the watch, which added many new features, including gesture control, connecting to the cloud via Wi-Fi, a call log and many other interesting innovations.

Battery.

The watch has to be recharged every 1.5-2 days, depending on the frequency of use and the number of notifications it receives.

Recharging takes place on such a cradle. The watch charges from 0 to 100% in less than 2 hours.

The charging method frankly upset me. Some competitors have a USB connector built into the strap, while others support wireless charging using Qi technology.

Here, if you don’t have the cradle with you, you won’t be able to charge the watch. Because of this, you will not be able to afford to forget him. But, if such a situation happens, it is very likely that in flight mode and with the screen not always on, the watch will be able to live several times longer on a single charge.

Straps are standard width 22 mm. On eBay you can find many interesting ones, including metal versions. Most sellers also include tools with them, so if you order one you can install it yourself immediately upon arrival.

People often ask about the possibility of working with iOS. Unofficially, Android Wear watches can already be connected to an iPhone or iPad using a special application. But for the initial setup, you will need an Android device in any case. Most likely, Android Wear will soon be able to officially work with iOS devices.

I would like to note the high-quality materials of the watch.

A very pleasant, non-irritating strap with many holes, allowing you to adjust the size even to a woman’s hand (on them, due to the size, the watch looks very funny).

The case material and glass are of excellent quality. There are no scratches from everyday use.

The watch is definitely worth it. Simply amazing hardware for a wearable device, great screen. The only controversial points about them are the design, the size of the frame and the watch itself. Those who are satisfied with these parameters will have no complaints at all about the watch. I recommend!

I will be happy to answer any questions in the comments.
Thank you for your attention.

Equipment

The box of the device is not anything new. This is an ordinary thick cardboard cube on which the clock itself is depicted. The design is in LG style and there is nothing superfluous on the packaging.

The watch itself comes with a small reference book that tells you how to start the device.

The charger concept is somewhat similar to that of the Moto 360 - a docking station and power supply along with a micro-USB cable that can be replaced with whatever the user wants.

Charging is very simple. The watch must be placed on the charger, which, by the way, holds the watch with a magnet.

About design

The circular display really looks great, especially if you choose a good theme. But the watch itself looked much better in official photographs than in reality. For starters, they are quite massive - their thickness is 11.2 mm, more than a centimeter! The body, not counting the bottom panel on which the charging contacts and the heart rate monitor window are located, is made of metal, but due to the fact that it is painted, it is visually perceived as plastic. Actually, the LG G Watch R, like that Ford, can be of any color, provided that the color is black. Well, or black with a gray insert. But the paint chips very easily: if you touch an object for hours, shiny metal comes out in place of the chips. As a result, the device quickly loses its presentation.

A strap made of thick genuine leather without any decorative embossing looks more impressive than the watch itself, but is unlikely to attract the attention of lovers of status or even beautiful things (and watches, let us remind you, are almost the only men’s jewelry). However, it has a standard width of 22 mm and is attached in exactly the same way as on a regular watch, so if desired, it will not be difficult to replace it with another

True, a black watch goes with either a black metal bracelet or black leather - plastic and colored straps don’t look good, so the choice for the owner of the G Watch R is somewhat limited.

In addition, no matter what dial you install, the LG G Watch R will never look like a classic watch - at most like a sports watch. But, as befits a real watch, they are protected from water and dust - in this case according to the IP67 standard, that is, you can swim in them for a short time and shallowly. LG does not mention showering and washing dishes (IPx5 - protection against jets of water), but, most likely, the G Watch R is not afraid of water under pressure either.

The design of the LG G Watch R is distinguished by a small number of small decorative elements. On the front you can see only white marks, on the side there is a button that you want to turn every time, like a regular winding handle on a mechanical watch, although it does not rotate. On the back there are five contacts for connecting to the docking station and a heart rate monitor eye.

On the whole, the LG G Watch R fits normally on the hand, but the author of this review during the entire testing period was unable to “grow together” with it—to forget that it was on the wrist. Any movement with your left hand and you can immediately feel the watch. They are not heavy, the strap is quite pleasant to the touch - there seems to be no prerequisites for discomfort. Apparently, the size has an effect: the gadget is still quite big.

The LG G Watch R is charged using a docking station, which is quite similar in size and thickness to the watch itself. The device is simply placed on the stand and held there using a magnet. Proprietary charging is not the best solution: you should not forget to take it with you on trips lasting more than two days and in no case should you lose it - without it, the smartwatch “turns into a pumpkin.” But LG is not alone in using this approach - most smartwatches require additional devices for charging, be it a wireless charging station for the Moto 360 or the same unit with five contacts for the LG G Watch without the letter R in the name - except that it is rectangular, to match the hours. Apparently, it is almost impossible to place a Micro USB port on the watch body without compromising the dimensions, reliability and design.

Design

Indeed, LG designers tried their best. No smooth transitions from case to strap, no too soft lines. Everything is extremely simple, which is why it attracts attention.

The body of the device consists of three main parts: a lower plastic base, a black metal frame and glass on the entire front surface.

Attaches for the strap protrude neatly from both sides, which, by the way, can be easily replaced with the kind you can find in any watch store (size 22). The advantage of a silicone strap is that it is universal and fits absolutely any man’s hand and fits perfectly on it too.

I don’t think that the LG G Watch will look very neat on a woman’s hand, but the white color variation with a thin leather strap will suit a girl.

New models of smart watches of the LG G Watch series

Currently, the LG smartwatch market also includes the LG G Watch R and LG G Watch W100, which are later developments based on the basic LG G Watch model.

The distinctive features of these models are their technical characteristics, materials and body shape.

The LG G Watch R smart watch has a round case and has the following technical characteristics that differ from the base model:

• display – touch, P-OLED, 1.3″, 320×320, capacitive, 348 ppi;
• additional functions - compass, gyroscope, accelerometer and heart rate sensor;
• battery - lithium-ion, capacity 410 mAh;
• geometric dimensions – 45.0 × 55.0 × 11.1 mm:
• weight – 61.0 grams;
• The case is round in shape, made of metal and a plastic cover on the back of the case.

The LG G Watch W100 smart watch is made, like the base model, rectangular in shape, the distinctive technical characteristics of the LG G Watch are the following parameters:

• geometric dimensions – 47.0 x 38.0 x 10.0 mm;
• The body is rectangular in shape and made of plastic.

Display

G Watch is equipped with a 1.65-inch screen with a rather low resolution today (280x280), but this resolution does not cause discomfort when using it.

The glass is protected from external influences and covered with an oleophobic coating, so scrolling through notifications and controlling the watch is very convenient.

Under bright sunlight, the display displays all the information in a decent manner. The minimum brightness value in the dark allows you to calmly look at the display without the desire to increase or decrease the brightness a little.

It is worth noting that at different viewing angles the image does not lose any brightness, contrast, or color. This is very good, because we often look at the watch dial not at a right angle.

About the display

But you can really forgive a lot for a round-the-clock display. LG G Watch R is equipped with a display with a resolution of 320 × 320 pixels, although it would be more accurate to say 320 pixels in diameter. In fact, from a software point of view, the first option is more correct, since the picture in the “brains” of the watch is created, of course, square - absolutely the same as for all other watches with square screens. But in the case of the LG G Watch, it is cut off along the circle inscribed in this square - in the screenshots (which, of course, also turn out to be square), you can see the border of the image displayed on the screen. The rest is rendered, but only in the device's video memory.

The diameter of the display, based on a matrix of polymer organic light-emitting diodes, is 1.3 inches. Since the virtual display of the G Watch R is square and its resolution is 320 × 320 pixels, we can calculate the pixel density - it turns out that the diagonal of the virtual display is approximately 1.84 inches, and the pixel density is, accordingly, about 246 PPI. And this is clearly not enough for smoothness, and Android Wear has not yet been taught anti-aliasing: the arrows turn out to be a ladder, small fonts look angular.

But the P-OLED display, even if it is inferior to conventional SM-OLED in energy efficiency, provides a bright, rich and contrasting picture. Black, of course, does not glow at all, which in the case of a watch allows you to achieve a certain three-dimensional effect of the picture: it seems that the hands are slightly raised above the surface of the screen. The LG G Watch R has six brightness levels: the watch is comfortable to use even at minimum, and at maximum it does not fade even under the bright sun. The colors, of course, are a little cold (our colorimeter did not fit on the tiny watch screen, so we are only giving a subjective assessment), but this can be forgiven for the watch - after all, they are not watching a movie. The main thing is that the image is juicy, and the black background remains black - an IPS matrix with glare from the backlight diodes at the edges would look terrible, OLED looks much nicer. There is an oleophobic coating on the screen, but it seems there is no anti-reflective layer, although even without it the image remains legible.

Since the programs for round and square clocks are offered in the same way, there is a risk that some of the interface elements simply will not fit on the physical display - everything will be visible in the screenshots, but the user, as in the example below, will only get a stub of the inscription.

Therefore, Google suggests using only part of the display to display important information and interface elements. To avoid having to work in polar coordinates, it is proposed to limit yourself to a square inscribed in the display circle

However, this is only a recommendation and applies only to interactive interface elements.

Android Wear

The watch can only be connected to smartphones running Android operating system version 4.3 and higher. Pairing is carried out thanks to the companion application of the same name. There shouldn’t be any problems connecting, as all the steps are outlined and very easy to follow.

Using the same application, you can make the necessary settings for the watch, select applications for the watch to perform certain functions. The interface is simple and understandable to everyone.

Connection to the computer is carried out via the adb interface, so before connecting you need to enable debugging in the developer settings on the watch itself, and also install the necessary driver on your PC. It is through adb that screenshots are taken in Android Wear. Command adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screenshot.png

will create a screenshot, and the
adb pull /sdcard/screenshot.png
will send it to the computer.

In theory, Android Wear is fully adapted for the most convenient and intuitive control. This is partly true, but sometimes such “intuitive” controls fail and force you to tinker a little with applications, for example. If you need to activate an application on the watch itself, you will have to go a long way before it is detected. Fortunately, with the latest updates to the operating system, this has become easier and now recently used applications rise to the top.

But with notifications things are different. Swipe up - there is a card in front of you. The text on them is displayed in such a way that you don’t have to strain your eyes to read it. Both the font and its size are pleasant. Swiping it left will give you more information about the notification. If this is a weather card, then you will see the weather forecast for your location.

Google apps are constantly synchronized with your phone, so all your notes, alarms, and reminders in Google Now appear on the watch. Since the system does not require buttons on the device, all control is carried out via voice and swipes. At first it is a little strange and inconvenient, but after a few days the procedure for controlling the smartphone becomes very convenient.

By saying “Okay, Google,” you activate voice control, which you can use to set reminders, set alarm times, play music on your smartphone, and write emails.

Notifications are also received from all messengers. On such cards you can read previous messages and respond to them either by voice or with template phrases, you can even write “lol”.

As for customizing watch faces, there are already applications that allow you to do this from your smartphone. If you press and hold on the display while on the main screen, you can change the standard dial to one of the stock ones.

Working with the device

The clock turns on... turns on... damn, where is that button?! Okay, there is no button, so let's open the instructions. It turns out that to get started, you need to place the watch on the charging dock. It itself is magnetic; after power is applied, the watch will instantly come to life and offer to start working by selecting a language.

Next, they will require installing Android Wear on your smartphone. After a simple pairing procedure and short training (both on the watch itself and on the phone), the gadget is ready to use.

All control comes down to tapping (rarely) and swiping (very often) on the touch screen. The first step is to update your device to the latest version of Android Wear 5.0, if the watch does not offer this itself - you can find information about the update in the “settings” of the device itself.

The update brings some improvements both in the area of ​​navigation on the watch and in its management itself, plus adds support for new watch faces, applications, and addons. True, there is one minus. Android Wear 5.0 does not allow you to set an interface language on your watch that is different from the smartphone itself. The previous version allowed it. That is, even if you have the Russian language for Google Now, and the main language of the smartphone is English, then the watch will be in English, despite the fact that it is rather an interface for Google Now, and not the smartphone itself.

So, what do smartwatches offer, besides telling the time using them, of course. Paired with a smartphone, the watch can access notifications sent to the phone. Not calls and SMS, but notifications from applications that can be useful on the watch: letters from an email client, notifications from Twitter and instant messengers. To do this, you need to enable “mirroring” notifications in the Android Wear application. This is done in the settings of the smartphone itself.

, in the notifications section. All interactive notifications (for example, from a player, with music playback control) also work on the watch.

The second (and, in my opinion) decisive feature is the Google Now system, which actively displays various information on the device screen. Your calendar, navigator and personal assistant no longer need to be taken out of your pocket - it is always on your wrist. The interface consists of the same cards, and the assistant is controlled by voice and swipes.

Whether you allow them to do this or not is your choice. The watch will count the distance traveled and share it with the Google Fit “fitness hub,” which will aggregate your daily physical activity. In principle, the phone itself can cope with this, without a clock, but with reduced accuracy.

Autonomous operation

You shouldn’t expect excellent battery life from the G Watch, because the IPS display and Snapdragon 400 consume battery power with a total capacity of 400 mAh quite quickly. Especially if the device screen is always active. Perhaps the strong energy consumption is due to the operating system. One battery charge lasts for three days with moderate use. I don’t think this is a big problem, because you can charge the watch at night, or during short rest breaks, because it charges very quickly.