LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style: Release date, rumours and specs

LG was one of the first companies to supply an Android Wear watch, the LG G Watch, followed by one of the first round versions, the LG G Watch R.

What followed was the LG Watch Urbane in 2015 and the Watch Urbane 2 that was launched, withdrawn then reintroduced in early 2016 – and never made it to Europe.

Android Wear went through a very quiet time in 2016 as the Android Wear 2.0 update failed to materialise, but now there’s rumour of a pair of LG smartwatches to be launching in cahoots with Google. Here’s everything we know so far.

LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style: Design

• Two designs
• IP ratings for water protection
• Digital crown for navigation

As the names suggest, LG is preparing two watches, a sporty model and a stylish model. Originally appearing with the names Angelfish and Swordfish in July 2016, rumour has it that these LG watches have been built with Google, initially being referred to as Nexus watches, so these are likely the same as the early rumours.

Techno Buffalo

A low-quality image of the watch has been shared by Techno Buffalo that reveals more about the design that fits the basic outline of that initial 2016 leak, with the Watch Sport being a larger model with three buttons and a chunky design, the Watch Style offering a slimmer, smaller model with a single button.

The central button is said to be a digital crown, rather like the Apple Watch, but so far there’s no indication of how this might be used. 

However, Evan Blass writing on VentureBeat confirmed a thickness of 14.2mm for the Watch Sport, IP68 environmental protection and titanium and blue colours – although we’re not sure what the materials are. The display is 1.38-inches.

The LG Watch Style is said to be 10.8mm thick, but is smaller at 1.2-inches across the display, and offering an IP67 protection rating.

It appears that, befitting the positioning of these two watches, the Sport has a rubber strap and the Style has a leather strap.

LG Watch Sport and Watch Style: Hardware specs

• Sport: 1.38in, 480 x 480 pixel display, LTE, GPS, HRM
• Style: 1.2in, 360 x 360 pixel display

The LG Watch Sport is said to have a 1.38-inch display with a 480 x 480 pixel resolution, making it one of the highest resolution watches so far. 

The Watch Sport is said to have 768MB of RAM, 4GB of storage and a battery capacity of 430mAh. It also features a heart rate sensor, and offers LTE connectivity, NFC and GPS, for a completely independent experience, although we suspect there will be different versions of it, both cellular and Wi-Fi only, hinted at in an FCC filing.

The LG Watch Style is rumoured to have a 1.2-inch display with a 360 x 360 pixel resolution. There’s 512MB RAM and 4GB of storage, with a 240mAh battery. 

There’s no mention of the chipset running the watches, it could be Snapdragon Wear, but it hasn’t so far been specified. 

LG Watch Sport and Watch Style: Software

• Android Wear 2.0

The first time we heard the names Watch Sport and Watch Style it was paired up with the details that these would be launched in partnership with Google at the launch of the Android Wear 2.0. 

Android Wear 2.0 was shown off at Google I/O in May 2016, but then seemed to vanish. We were then told by Google that it was soon to launch, following the announcement of a couple of a new Casio Android Wear 2.0 device, the first to be confirmed with the new software.

• Android Wear 2.0: What’s new in the major software update for watches?

Customisation is fairly rare on Android Wear, basically extending to a watch face or two and not a lot more, but we can expect a full run of refreshes to come with Android Wear 2.0 come launch date.

Mark your calendar: Android Wear 2.0 launches on February 9th.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 17, 2017

LG Watch Sport and Watch Style: Release date and price

• 9 February announcement

The announcement of these two watches is thought to be 9 February, according to @evleaks, as they should appear alongside the wider availability of Android Wear 2.0. Rumour suggests they will go on sale on the Google Store the following day. 

We don’t know if they will be available internationally, nor do we have any indication of the price, although with the Watch Sport looking to carry premium specs and features, we’d expect it to be pretty expensive. The LG Watch Style might be the more affordable. 

We will keep you updated as we learn more.