When comparing LG G Watch R vs LG Watch Urbane LTE , the Slant community recommends LG Watch Urbane LTE for most people. In the question“What is the best round smartwatch?” LG Watch Urbane LTE is ranked 2nd while LG G Watch R is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose LG Watch Urbane LTE is:
Built-in NFC connectivity allows making contactless payments via the watch.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Can be customized with any 22mm watch strap
Pro Appears to be a traditional watch
The LG G Watch R is not nearly as attention seeking as other smartwatches.
Pro Great specs for fast speeds
The G Watch R has 4GB of internal storage, a 1.2GHz processor, and 512MB of RAM.
Pro Glare resistant high quality 320x320 resolution
The G Watch R has a sharper resolution than the previous version, and is meant to promote visibility in direct sunlight.
Pro Water and dust resistant
It's IP67 certified.
Pro Completely round display
Many users seem to hate square watches because they look antiquated and clunky. The G Watch R is refreshing to many folks because of its attractive round face.
Pro PPG heart-rate sensor
Pro Waterproof to one meter for 30 minutes
This watch will do fine in the rain, shower, or while washing hands - but it shouldn't be submerged in water frequently.
Pro Allows making contactless payments
Built-in NFC connectivity allows making contactless payments via the watch.
Pro Good build quality
The watch has a solid metal body with a clasp-based band.
Pro Water and dust resistant
The product is IP67 certified. The certification guarantees that the product can be submerged up to a meteer in water at room temperature for up to 30 minutes.
Cons
Con Discontinued
The LG G Watch R has been discontinued in favor of the new LG Watch Urbane. It is no longer available from the Google Play Store, and the only Amazon listings are over $600.
Con Expensive
The watch is expected to cost around $290 - it could be argued that the watch is overpriced for the amount of benefit it produces.
Con Low app compatibility because of the circular screen
Many apps are made to accommodate square screens, so the G Watch R's circular screen may result in frequent compatibility issues.
Con Inconsistent voice command accuracy
This watch is highly accurate for short commands like setting a timer or asking for directions, but longer commands are often misinterpreted.
Con Two day battery life
While the battery in this watch is much better than some of the alternatives, it still has a long way to go in order to become a competitor with the top smart-watches in terms of battery life.
Con No ambient light sensor
Con Lacks a GPS sensor
Con Non-removable leather strap
The strap includes antennas that are required for LTE capabilities and LG's proprietary NFC payment solution and as such are non-removable.
Con Confusing interface
The interface takes some getting used to as apart from dedicated home and settings buttons, the navigation feels random - sometimes swipes don't work where you'd expect them to work, sometimes cycling doesn't work where you'd expect it to work.
Con Designed to be paired with a smartphone
While the watch can work fine on its own, certain apps and functionality work better when the watch is paired with a phone.
Con Somewhat slow
Opening and closing apps takes enough time to where the watch feels unresponsive.
Con Bulky
The watch is among the thickest smartwatches around and has a considerable weight to it.