Introduction

Boy do we have a good one for you today – the only two round smartwatches to hit the market – the Motorola Moto 360 and LG G Watch R.  Both watches are absolutely stunning with their stainless bodies and real leather bands.  The Moto 360 was the first one to hit the market and now we have the LG G Watch R (who names these things?).  Which one of these beauties will stand out and win this comparison or will it be too close to call…but I hate ties, so let’s see what we can come up with.

Besides being round, these two devices do have a few things in common – they both come with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.  They both have Bluetooth 4.0 LE, a Gyro, Accelerometer, Compass, Heart Rate Monitors, both are IP67 certified Dust and Water resistant, both have stainless steel bodies, both run Android Wear and both need an Android smartphone that is running Android 4.3 or higher.

Please take a look at the detailed specifications in the chart below and there you will be able to compare the specs and features of each smartwatch.  Next, we will look at each individual device up close and personal to try to determine which smartwatch deserves to win in this comparison.

Specifications

Motorola Moto 360

The Motorola Moto 360 takes a minimalistic approach to its design with simply a smooth round circle with only one button on the right side and the display is almost perfectly round except the small black ‘patch’ at the bottom.

The Moto 360 has a 1.56-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 320 x 290 pixels and 205 pixels-per-inch (PPI).  Being an LCD display, it drains the battery much faster when it is left on versus the P-OLED design of the LG G Watch R.  Motorola chose to use an older TI OMAP 3 processor, which is not near as powerful as the Snapdragon 400 used in the LG G Watch R.  They both have the same 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.  The Moto 360 also has a smaller 320mAh battery to feed that LCD display versus the 410mAh found in the G Watch R, although when it comes to charging the battery, the Moto 360 has an easy to use wireless charging cradle that you just set the Moto 360 in.

The Moto 360 does include a Pedometer, Ambient Light Sensor, two microphones, wireless charging and choice of leather or a metal band (for an additional $50) and is available in the Google Play Store for $249.99.

LG G Watch R

The LG G Watch R is somewhat busier and looks more like an aviator’s or Navy Seal’s type watch.  It has bigger, more rugged looking brackets where the strap attaches with a big bezel with edges that are complete with minute markers.  The display is perfectly rounded, if not slightly smaller.

The LG G Watch R has an actual display of 1.3-inches with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels and 245 PPI.  It uses the P-OLED technology that uses less power because only the pixels that need to be on are receiving power.  The display of the G Watch R is a little crisper and brighter than the Moto 360.  LG uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz and it is more powerful than the older OMAP 3 used in the sometimes laggy Moto 360 (not often, but it is there).  They both come with the 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory.  The G Watch R has a larger 410mAh battery, although they both last about the same with a slight edge to the G Watch R – 1.5 to 2 days.

Additional features include a Barometer and it comes with a charging cradle that attaches to the contacts on the back of the watch.  The LG G Watch R can be purchased at the Google Play Store or at AT&T for $299, so the base price with a leather band is about $50 more expensive than the Moto 360.

…And The Winner Is…

Summary

I have to go with the LG G Watch R as the winner in this comparison.  The G Watch R just does it for me – better, more rugged looking IMHO, better battery life, faster processor and snappier UI.  I wish the LG G Watch R had wireless charging and its own GPS, but I cannot pass up the newer, faster processor and the P-OLED display.

If you like the looks of the Moto 360, you will be very happy with it as well.  Looks is such a subjective thing – if you have always purchased a conservative dress watch, then the Moto 360 will look better to you, but if, like me, you have always owned a chronometer or diving style watch, then the LG G Watch R would be your poison.

Please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know which one of these beauties you would pick as the winner and WHY…as always, we would love to hear from you.