There have been rumors circulating for weeks about the new version of the popular Moto 360 smartwatch and that Lenovo/Motorola may have an official announcement at IFA, and sure enough Lenovo revealed not one, but three new variations of the Moto 360. There is the usual Moto 360 with a 46mm body, a smaller, 42mm for the ladies or those with smaller arms – a much neglected segment of the market, and a new Moto 360 Sport model, designed for the health and exercise market. Canadian availability will be at the end of September and so far Telus, Best Buy and Google’s online store will carry them. The prices will range from $379.99 to $499.99 CDN depending what model you select.
All of the Moto 360 models are made from aircraft grade 316L stainless steel and are IP67 certified for dust proofing and water resistance. The 42mm size is 360 x 325 pixels or 263 pixels-per-inch (PPI), the larger 46mm is 360 x 330 pixels, and 233 PPI with both covered with Gorilla Glass 3 for durability. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz provides the brains for the Moto 360 with an Adreno 305 GPU clocked at 450MHz. They have 512MB of RAM with 4GB of internal storage and either a 300 mAh battery in the 42mm and a 400 mAh battery in the 46mm. They have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 and the usual Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyroscope and Vibration/Haptics engine.
The new Moto 360 is power by the newest Android Wear 1.3, which means that it is compatible not only with Android smartphones running 4.3 or above, but also with the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, and the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with iOS 8.2 and above. This really broadens the Moto 360’s potential sales market and also give iPhone users a choice in their smartwatch selection.
The new Moto 360 can be customized a number of ways through the Moto Maker processor, however, Canadians will not be privy to the Moto Maker…at least not at first. The company said that the Moto Maker for the new Moto 360 is available in the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, France and Germany, but “other markets may be announced in the future.” Right now, the 42mm for men is offered in Black Stainless Steel with a Black Leather Band or a Silver Stainless Steel Case with a Cognac Leather Band for $379.99. The 46mm size is offered in the same styles at $429.99 for the Silver model and $499.99 for the Black Model. The women’s 42mm comes in a Rose Gold Stainless Steel Case with a Blush Leather Band for $399.99 and in a Stainless Steel Case and Band for $429.99. The Moto 360 Sport model comes in Black or White and “Pricing will be announced at a later date.”