LG and Huawei have introduced new circular smartwatches that combine style and design with the latest technology at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
LG’s Watch Urbane is the company’s first all-metal smartwatch and is available in two versions.
One runs the Android Wear operating system while the other will have new software onboard and will also work as a standalone phone.
Huawei also unveiled its first smartwatch offering – a device that combines the features of a smartwatch with those found on an activity band.
LG WATCH URBANE
LG has upped the ante in the style stakes with the Watch Urbane which is crafted from stainless steel and offering the familiar look and feel of a regular time piece.
It has a 1.3-inch circular plastic-OLED display and a 410mAh battery that can run for up to 30 hours.
But there’s not just one version of the Watch Urbane. There’s actually two.
The first is running the Android Wear software and can easily link up with the latest Android smartphone and deliver your notifications, message and incoming call alerts to your wrist.
The other – the Watch Urbane LTE – is a standalone device with 4G connectivity which means it can work and connect without being linked to a smartphone.
So you can make and receive calls, receive emails and messages which means it will have its own SIM card, phone number and data plan.
The software running on the device is based on its webOS software which offers more flexibility and connectivity than the Android Wear operating system.
Also onboard the Watch Urbane LTE is NFC (near field communication) so it can be used to make mobile payments as well.
HUAWEI WATCH
Huawei has entered the smartwatch market for the first time with the Huawei Watch with an impressive design that includes a circular 1.4-inch touchscreen AMOLED display covered with scratch-proof sapphire glass.
The screen has a resolution of 400 x 400 with 286ppi (pixels per inch) and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio.
Powered by Android Wear, Huawei Watch also has a built-in heart rate monitor and 6-axis motion sensors so it can also be used to track your fitness goals as well as receive notifications and other messages from your smartphone.
The device is built from cold forged stainless steel and comes in three colours – gold, silver and black.
There are also more than 40 unique watch faces to choose from along with a range of watch straps so you truly personalise Huawei Watch to your taste and style.
Huawei also announced two other products in Barcelona – the MediaPad X2 tablet and the TalkBand B2.
The MediaPad X2 has a 7-inch screen and is just 7.28mm thick. It has a 64-bit octa-core processor and 4G dual sim card slots.
The TalkBand B2 is both an activity band and a Bluetooth headset.
Nestled on the band, the Huawei TalkBand 2 can track your activities and wirelessly connect to your smartphone.
But if you receive a call – you can not only see who’s calling you on the display you can use the device to answer the call.
Simply pop the module out from the band and you’ll see the TalkBand B2 is not a Bluetooth headset.
