Android Wear 2.0 is the next iteration of upgrades planned for connected smartwatches. While Developer Previews have been around for a while, the last one was rolled out in mid December as Developer Preview 4. So it’s only expected that we start getting impatient for the final release once new information starts rolling in.
While it was widely known that the Android Wear 2.0 update will be rolling out in early 2017, we now have a specific date to set our eyes on. Notable leaker Evan ‘evleaks’ Blass has leaked the date on which we can expect Android Wear 2.0 to launch.
In his blog post on VentureBeat, Evan has also leaked the upcoming new Android Wear smartwatches. Meet the new Watch Sport and Watch Play:
Evan reports that Google has teamed up with LG in a ‘Nexus-style’ partnership to produce the first devices powered by Android Wear 2.0. The watches will be launched along with Android Wear 2.0 on February 9th, and will begin selling in the US from the next day. The watches will also be given prominent placement at LG’s booth at MWC 2017.
Evan notes that the mockups from Android Police closely resemble the shipping products. The Watch Sport will be 14.2 mm thick and will sport a 1.38″ OLED display with 480 x 480 resolution. The Watch Sport is the flagship product, with 768MB RAM, 4GB internal storage and 430 mAh battery.
The smaller Watch Style will be 10.8mm thick and will sport a 1.2″ 360 x 360 OLED display. Evan specifically mentions swappable straps, although something like that should be a standard feature, so we will have to see what that means. There is 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 240 mAh battery on this device.
Both the watches will come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and the Sport will throw in 3G and LTE connectivity along with GPS and NFC as well. This will allow the watch to take advantage of Android Wear 2.0’s Android Pay capability. There’s a heart rate sensor on the Sport, too.
One more point of differentiation on the Sport and Style is the water and dust resistance certification. The Watch Sport will bear IP68 certification, while the Watch Play will have it limited to IP67.
On the other hand, both the watches will have iOS compatibility, will include Google Assistant integration and boast of handwriting recognition. There is also a digital crown button to facilitate UI navigation.
The Watch Sport will come in titanium and dark blue colors, while the Watch Style will come in titanium, silver and rose gold colors.
Pricing for the devices is not known yet. Assuming this is a ‘Nexus style’ partnership and not a ‘Pixel style’ partnership, we hope the watches are priced competitively and not at a hefty premium. We will have to wait until the launch announcement to know more.
What are your thoughts on the LG Watch Sport and the LG Watch Style? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: VentureBeat Image Credit: Android Police
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