LG has confirmed the launch date for its coveted G Watch R in Korea next week with reports of the watch arriving in other markets later this month.
LG, the renowned electronics company, is finally putting an end to the curiosity building around its first circular Android Wear smartwatch. The Korean tech giant officially confirmed that it is launching the coveted G Watch R in its home market next Tuesday, October 14, before making the device available to the rest of the world. The news of the G Watch R release was first dropped by ETNews and ZDNet Korea on Monday, which also revealed one particular Korean retailer will get a one-week exclusive head start with the product's release on Tuesday.
While LG has revealed the first launch market for its G Watch R, the company has still kept the details of the global roll out under wraps. However, ETNews and Wall Street Journal are reporting that the smartwatch will be released by the end of October in all other markets, including Europe and North America.
LG originally revealed the details of its G Watch R in August and showed off the first prototype during IFA 2014 in Berlin last month. The G Watch R specs were clear but the availability of the watch was imprecise. The tech giant said the smartwatch will be available in "key markets" in the Q4 2014. But Q4 could be anywhere between October to December, which is a wide window to cover. With reports of the G Watch R arriving as early as this month, it is surprising how LG is moving up the release of its smartwatch.
LG's decision to expedite the G Watch R release appears to be in response to the ever-increasing demand for Motorola's Moto 360 smartwatch, which also features a circular design. Motorola's watch received an impressive response for its simple design and great features. But the company has not been able to keep up with consumer demand and the watch runs out of stock quickly. It appears like the right time for LG to tap into the wearable market with its round smartwatch, especially when the demand for the design is prioritized over features of the watch.
LG's smartwatch is the revised edition of the original G Watch but built up from the ground. Besides the exquisite design, it sports a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, 410mAh battery and IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.
