Apple’s Watch may be the best-sold wearable out there, but Google hasn’t given up on its smartwatch platform. The company finally released the Android Wear 2.0 update on Wednesday, after announcing it all the way back in May 2016, at its Google I/O event. Various existing smartwatches can be upgraded Android Wear 2.0. But Google partnered with LG to launch a couple of brand new watches that run the new operating system right out of the box — meet the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport.
Google says that both devices were “designed in collaboration with Google.” But they don’t have the Nexus branding that you’d expect for such devices.
The “LG Watch Style is thin, light, beautiful to look at, and comfortable to wear,” Google says, implying that the Watch Sport is none of those things. Instead, the Sport model is “Android Wear’s most powerful watch yet.”
Both devices are powered by the Snapdragon 2100 processor, and pack 4GB of local storage.
The Sport model has a 1.38-inch Circle POLED screen with 480 x 480 resolution, 768MB of RAM, LTE support, NFC support, GPS, 430 mAh battery, wireless charging, a rotating power button, and IP68 dust and water resistance. The Sport will cost $379.99.
The LG Watch Style, meanwhile, will be a lot more affordable at $249, but it’s not going to be the best Android Wear 2.0 watch out there. The Watch has a smaller 1.20-inch Circle POLED screen with 360 x 360 resolution, 512GB of RAM, no LTE support, 240 mAh battery, wireless charging, and an IP67 rating.
The LG Watch Style is sold at Best Buy and the Google Store in the US, while the LG Watch Sport will be available at AT&T, Verizon, and the Google Store, starting February 10th.
