When comparing LG G Watch R vs LG Watch Urbane, the Slant community recommends LG Watch Urbane for most people. In the question“What are the best smartwatches?” LG Watch Urbane is ranked 5th while LG G Watch R is ranked 11th. The most important reason people chose LG Watch Urbane is:
If your watch is out of bluetooth range of your phone, it will connect to available Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi takes more power than bluetooth, but it allows you to not have to carry your phone all the time and still receive notifications.
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 Built-in Wi-Fi
If your watch is out of bluetooth range of your phone, it will connect to available Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi takes more power than bluetooth, but it allows you to not have to carry your phone all the time and still receive notifications.
Pro Classical style
The bezel isn't too large, and especially from a distance it could be mistaken for a regular watch. It's the type of watch that you can wear everyday, even to work without looking like a computer on your wrist.
Pro Fitness tracking
There is a PPG Heart rate monitor on-board, and it will track your heart rate.
Pro Two color options
The watch is available in classy silver and shiny gold colors.
Pro Water and dust resistant
The product is IP67 certified. The certification guarantees that the product can be submerged up to a meter in water at room temperature for up to 30 minutes.
Pro Measures elevation
Built-in barometer is capable of measuring elevation.
Pro Replaceable watch bands
Urbane has standard 22mm watch bands.
Pro Compatible with most Android Wear apps
Because it is round there will be a few apps that don't work properly, but the vast majority of apps will work.
Pro Decent battery life
The watch will always allow for at least a full day (unless you are constantly playing games on it), but usually will last for 2 full days even with ambient mode on (always on). The OLED display helps with this - with a black background for watch faces the display isn't lighting up the black pixels, greatly reducing the power draw in ambient mode.
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 Lacks built-in GPS
Some smartwatches have built-in GPS which allows them to track runs without needing to carry your phone with you, allowing you to use your watch as a fitness tracker. The Urbane doesn't have this ability.
Con Bulky
The G Watch R is 10.9mm thick and weighs 66g. It will take some time to get used to wearing it, especially if you previously haven't worn a watch.