In a third approach into the Smartwatch market and a first for the Korean company, LG has announced what is its latest entry – an all metal Smartwatch donned with leather straps and aimed at appealing both sexes.
The new addition is dubbed LG Watch Urbane and will be joining the other two Smartwatch introductions, the G Watch and the G Watch R that put LG among the first companies to enter the wearable tech space.
Expected to officially launch at the Mobile World Congress scheduled to take place this month, LG believes that the Smartwatch will do well in the current market as it takes the approach of a normal wrist watch that even the female gender will not shy away from like they have done its predecessors.
The announcement by LG comes just after Apple said that its Smartwatch will be available for shipping in April, promising to deliver on class and all mobility functions that come with wearables as well as a function that keeps the user on their toes at all times, by tapping their wrists every one hour.
LG Watch Urbane comes in two colour variants, gold and silver and an option for users to change their leather straps with any wrist watch band of their choosing if they are not comfortable with the leather bands.
Powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chip, the device runs on Google’s Android platform and just like the company’s G Watch R, the all-metal Smartwatch is designed to feature the circular plastic OLED display at 1.3 inches.
With a recent report indicating that 720,000 smartwatches running on Android got shipped in the just ended year 2014, and that Moto 360 from Motorola was the leader in the year under review, this year is expected to see more growth in the Smartwatch space especially with the upcoming Apple release.
The long-awaited Apple Watch (announced for the first time last year) is already receiving positive reviews from analysts who believe the device will increase consumer interest for the smart watches, and the LG Watch Urbane could also shake up the Smartwatch market this year.
“The LG Watch Urbane’s classic design and smart features make it the perfect smartwatch to complement our G Watch and G Watch R, which were designed as more casual and active devices,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.
LG says the device will also be resistant to water and dust, in addition to the normal functioning that include checking the wearer’s heart rate and pulse during exercise.
