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Ever since Google announced Android Wear, it’s very own custom version of Android made just for wearable devices like smartwatches, people have been clamoring to know when the first product is going to be released. So far a number of hardware partners have announced that they are working on Android Wear powered devices, but only LG and Motorola have announced and shown off any kind of real product. Motorola’s smartwatch is of course the incredible looking Moto 360, and LG is delivering the LG G Watch. When will these products actually make it to market? We all figured it’d probably be this summer, but it looks like we’ve finally got official word from LG about the G Watch’s availability in Europe. LG will start selling the G Watch in June for €199 in Europe, and it’s assumed this means it’ll probably come to other markets at the same time too. Expect somewhere in the region of $199 in the US as well. We’ve also seen it priced at £180, which is more like $300, but exchange rates don’t always pan out to be the same as the actual retail price of a device. This new price is much better news and will likely give LG the leg up on Motorola when it comes to sheer price point judging on the Moto 360’s design alone.
Considering the price of the original Galaxy Gear and the subsequent Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches, this falls right in step with them. Unlike the Gear 2, however, the LG G Watch provides what seems to be considerable more value in more ways than one. First off it’s not restricted to any particular model or manufacturer of phones, rather any phone running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and up can use an Android Wear powered device. It shares the same water resistance qualities as the Gear 2, and LG promises that you won’t have to worry about messing it up if you need to get a little wet this summer. Then there’s the incredible always-on screen, which as far as we know is a first in the world of smartwatches with color and lit screens. This means that unlike many other smartwatches out there you won’t have to press a button or flick your wrist to turn the screen on. How this affects battery life is unsure, but LG likely has that covered if it’s going to offer such a unique feature for its first flagship smartwatch. The LG G Watch will be available in Champagne Gold with a white band and Stealth Black with a black band when it debuts in June.
