LG just recently released their LG Watch Urbane, and as of earlier this afternoon Google made it possible to buy one of those watches in the two available colors via their Google Store for just $349, with devices shipping from the warehouse beginning May 8th. Following this launch of LG’s new Android Wear smartwatch, Google and LG have dropped the price of LG’s previous Android Wear device, the LG G Watch R, to just $249 from the prior cost of $299, which now makes it $100 less than the brand new offering that hit digital store shelves just today. If you haven’t already picked up a smartwatch yet and were considering the LG Watch Urbane, you may want to think about whether or not spending $100 more will be worth it to you.
The LG G Watch R was LG’s second smartwatch device to hit the market, following up the LG G Watch which was initially unveiled and launched at Google I/O last summer. The G Watch R was also LG’s first round offering as a response to Motorola’s much sought after Moto 360, which was also shown off at Google I/O but wouldn’t be launched until later on in the Fall of 2014. The G Watch R features the same 1.3-inch P-OLED display as the Watch Urbane, if only a bit older, but instead of coming in a choice of either silver or gold steel cases, it comes in only black.
It also comes with a matching black leather band but is interchangeable ( like most smartwatches out there) so users who aren’t keen on the black that comes with it have the ability to swap it out for something a little more to their liking. It also holds the same IP67 water resistance rating as the Watch Urbane so there should be no worry about wearing it in the rain. The LG G Watch R comes equipped with a barometer, heart rate sensor, 4GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, Bluetooth 4.1 support, and a 410mAh battery. All things considered, $249 isn’t a bad price for LG’s second generation smartwatch, and if you don’t need the latest, this is a great option.