Beau HD compares the Motorola Moto 360 against the LG G Watch R. The G Watch R and Moto 360 are two of the most popular Android Wear smartwatches currently on the market as they both feature circular OLED displays that resemble traditional watches. Since the G Watch R and Moto 360 both run Android Wear, the hardware and design will be the most differentiating factor between the two.
We’ll be comparing the LG G Watch R and the Moto 360 to see which one is right for you.
Design
First of all, the design of these two watches are actually very similar—they both have rounded displays although the LG G Watch R has a completely round display. There’s a little bit of a lip on the Moto 360 to include room for the display drivers since the bezels are so minimal. This is compared to the monstrous bezels on the G Watch R, which are definitely much larger. However, they do create a more traditional watch-like design with the time interfolds edged in around the display. I’ll give the G Watch R that.
Straps
The straps are also different. The Moto 360 has a 23mm black steel band while the LG G Watch R has a leather band that can be swapped out for a metal band. In terms of quality, the metal band is much more premium however the G Watch R and its leather band is much more customizable. I had to take the Moto 360 to the watch shop tech to get it custom fit to my wrist whereas the G Watch R I can just adjust notch by notch with no problems at all.
Considering you can swap out the bands on the G Watch R and the regular Moto 360 comes with a leather band, I’ll give it a tie in relation to the bands. One thing that I noted in my LG G Watch R review was that the bottom of the watch contains a matted metallic finish as opposed to the plastic finish found on the Moto 360. The metallic finish feels a lot better and doesn’t stick to my skin as much as the Moto 360. But overall, in terms of design, if you’re looking for a classic looking watch that is also smart, the G Watch R is the better option. The Moto 360, on the other hand, has a futuristic modern look.
Display
Both displays are rocking OLED displays, however the G Watch R display is more densely packed with pixels and it creates a more vibrant, brighter, and more eye-pleasing display. The Moto 360’s display isn’t bad but it’s not as sharp as the LG panel. It is larger though, which I actually like since it makes for a better software experience.
Software
Both watches run Android Wear, the card-based OS that delivers various notifications from your phone to your watch in a card-like layout that you can swipe through from left to right and up to down. It’s a very neat little OS that Google came out with and it works with both square and circular displays. However, content will get cut off a little bit with circular displays. Since cards are square or rectangular, circles aren’t. This is more of a problem on the G Watch R since the display is smaller. It sort of makes swiping through the OS via your finger less enjoyable when the display is not much bigger than your finger.
Also the bezels on the G Watch R tower up the display. It’s almost like you’re swiping through content in a bull. It’s not really the best experience. I really like the experience found on the Moto 360 better since the bezels are minimal and the display is larger and flat.
As for how fluid and fast each watch is, they’re just about the same. If I had to pick a winner, in terms of performance, I would probably give it to the G Watch R since the Snapdragon 400 processor is slightly better than the TI OMAP 3 processor.
Battery Life
The battery life on the G Watch R is also significantly better than the Moto 360. I was able to get 2-3 days of use with the G Watch R as opposed to the 1-2 days of the Moto 360. That might not seem like a lot but trust me, it is. It’s definitely a noticeable difference. I really love having the extra battery life thanks to the larger 410 mAh battery found on the LG G Watch R.
Conclusion
Overall, the Moto 360 is priced at $250 for the leather strap version or $300 for the metal strap version. The LG G Watch R is priced at $300 for the leather strap version, which you can find at AT&T retail stores if you want to take a closer look. And even though the G Watch R is the newer smartwatch, I still prefer the Moto 360.
With Android Wear devices, it’s going to come down to primarily, design. And I think the Moto 360 finds a nicer balance between traditional watch and futuristic smartwatch as it has a round and big display with very little bezel. The G Watch R is certainly leaning towards the more traditional watch as it features a completely round display, which is smaller and has a larger bezel that makes it look like a traditional watch with the time intervals stretched around it.
Also, the battery life is significantly better than the Moto 360 but to me, it’s really not quite enough to convince me that the G Watch R is worth wearing more so than the Moto 360.
