With unbelievably fortuitous timing, LG has announced its much-anticipated premium smartwatch will soon be arriving on our shores, just as the first Apple Watches begin to land on Australian doorsteps.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The LG Watch Urbane – which will be available "this month" – is largely a more fashion-focused version of the South Korean company's G Watch R, which is already on the market. As Huawei's similar-looking smartwatch has yet to manifest a firm release date, many will consider the Watch Urbane the sleekest and handsomest Android Wear watch we're likely to have access to in the near future.
But how does the Urbane compare to the prospective popular king of smartwatches, the Apple Watch?
Obviously a purchase choice boils down to which phone you use (Apple Watch only works with iPhone, and Android Wear watches like the Urbane only work with Android phones, for now), but if ever there was a time to re-evaluate whether you want in or out of Apple's walled garden, it's right before you lock the door further with several hundred dollars worth of high tech bangle.
A lot has changed for Android Wear since the software was launched, and LG is looking to capitalise on the latest updates with its new watch. For example the Urbane boasts the ability to connect to Wi-Fi, which the Apple Watch also has but Android watches previously have lacked. Wi-Fi means that in a home or office setting you'll be able to use the watch even if you walk outside Bluetooth range of your phone (LG previously announced a version of the watch that could connect to 4G, but that isn't here just yet).
Another recent Android Wear change lets you set apps to be "always on", which is handy if you need to keep track of information without the screen turning off every time you lower your wrist. The screen will change to black and white while your wrist is lowered, which will allow the Urbane's P-OLED screen to save some battery juice while keeping your map or shopping list front and centre.
Furthering the comfort of one-handed use is Android Wear's ability to scroll through notifications by twisting your wrist. Apple Watch as it ships is almost entirely a two-hand affair, as anything other than checking the time and notifications requires a touch, but there's no reason Apple couldn't change that with future updates.
Of course the Apple Watch has tricks of its own not found on LG's device. In addition to a touch screen the Apple Watch features the digital crown and "force touch" (pressing firmly on the screen). This allows for more functionality on a single screen and will help deal with the problem of precise touching on a tiny watch face. There's also Apple's much-hyped "taptic feedback engine" that delivers unique sensations to your wrist depending on the type of notification, plus the ability to send little doodle messages to your friends and close integration with Apple's suite of health apps.
Android's counter to Apple's more streamlined design is the same in its watch software as in its phones: it's a much more open platform. This means you could have your watch look and perform completely different day by day.
If you wanted all the app icons or phone contacts on your Urbane arranged in colourful bubbles as on the Apple Watch, you would just need to find a launcher program that does that (and there already is one). There's also Android apps that seem built specifically to ape the doodling and vibrating abilities of the Apple Watch.
Similarly you're free to choose a preferred provider of health tracking (in this case likely LG or Google, which will both offer health app suites on the Urbane).
Out of the box Android Wear should be familiar to many Android users, that is to say plenty of lists and grids, but as with the phones some fiddling will be necessary to get it just how you like.
As for the design of the devices, the obvious point of difference is that the Urbane is round and dress-watch-like while the Apple Watch is square and gadgety. The Urbane comes in silver- or rose gold-coloured stainless steel, while the Apple Watch comes in actual gold, steel or aluminum.
While the Apple Watch comes with a wide choice of bands depending on the model you buy; the Urbane comes with a stitched leather strap. A key difference here though is that while Apple wants you to stick to its bands or "Apple authorised bands", you can slap any standard 22mm band you like on the Urbane.
Both watches of course contain a gyrometer and accelerometer to measure your steps and detect how you're holding your wrist. Both also have a barometer, although the Urbane goes a little bit further by also including a compass to help with mapping. Both watches also include a PPG underneath to measure your heartbeat (LG has been very keen to point out its watch can take a measurement once a second indefinitely, but it's unclear if this is different or preferable to the way Apple does things).
Both also have the same water resistance rating and should survive a a decent dip. Battery life is one of the few obvious points of difference, with the Urbane packing the same battery that allows the G Watch R to last a day and a half, while Apple claims its watch will last 18 hours.
Some reviews of the Apple Watch complained the performance of the custom-built S1 processor was a bit sluggish, although this could be down to the first-generation software. Either way it puts the device at a disadvantage compared to the Urbane's tried and tested Snapdragon 400 processor.
All in all the comparison tells a familiar story. The LG Watch Urbane (and Android Wear in general) gives you a lot of flexibility, both to use the device's functions and software as you see fit but also to switch to a different manufacturer down the line and not have to learn a whole new system. Meanwhile the Apple option absolves you from having to be so involved with every bit of nitty gritty – from updates to app solutions – and offers a unified, highly engineered ecosystem.
