The LG Watch Style is one of the fi rst watches
to boast Google’s new Android Wear 2.0,
which brings with it a new design, better
navigation, and Google Assistant, along with a
host of other tweaks.
Price
So far LG hasn’t yet confi rmed that the Watch Style
or its sibling the Watch Sport are coming to the
UK, but we are expecting them to announce a UK
release eventually. You’d expect that they’d want to
manage a release before too many other watches
get Wear 2.0 though, so we don’t think there will
be too long to wait, especially since the Style is
MWC: LG Watch Style
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ISSUE 36 • ANDROID ADVISOR 75
already out in the US. As for pricing, it costs $249 in
the US right now, so we’d expect a UK price in the
£220 to £250 range – we’ll update this review as
soon as we know more. That would put the Watch
Style up against the Moto 360 2 and Samsung Gear
S2, at which point $249 feels like a steep asking
price given the features on o er here.
Design
In case the name didn’t give it away, the Watch
Style has been designed with aesthetics fi rmly
in mind. The body is slim and understated, with
a matt fi nish on the front and a small crown on
the right-hand side. The 1.2in P-OLED display is
a comfortable size, though is surrounded by a
frustratingly thick bezel, which feels especially
ironic given that LG has made such a point
of reducing the bezels on its new G6 phone.
Meanwhile the back of the body is a simple
plastic cover, which feels slightly cheap.
The watch is available in three colours: silver,
titanium, and rose gold. You get even more
options with the straps, which by default come
in black, camel, or cream leather. There’s also a
range of other straps available to buy separately,
both in leather and rubber, and the good news is
that swapping the straps out is really quick and
easy using the built-in clasps.
Hardware
The Watch Style is powered by the same
Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor as the more
expensive Watch Sport, and backs it up with 4GB
storage and 512MB of DDR3 RAM. Paired with the
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76 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 36
new Android Wear 2.0 software, it’s more than
enough horsepower to make sure the Style is
snappy and responsive, and in our time with the
device we never noticed any lag or irritating delays.
Where the Style might come unstuck is its
240mAh battery. LG promises the device should
last all day, but we’re a bit sceptical, and some US
reviewers have already reported problems with
keeping the Style charged up. The watch also
features wireless charging, IP67 water and dust
resistance, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Most damning are the features it doesn’t include:
there’s no 4G, no GPS, no NFC, and no heart-rate
monitor. Sure, many smartwatch users won’t need
all of those, but it’s hard to imagine many people
won’t want at least some of those features. It’s
especially troublesome given the Style’s price –
$249 is a lot to pay for a device missing many of
the features people have come to expect from a
smartwatch, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that
the Style is very limited.
Software
If the hardware is a bit of a mixed bag, at least the
Watch Style gets to show o Android Wear 2.0. As
mentioned above, the OS is quick and responsive,
with none of the sluggishness found on some early
Wear devices.
There’s been a redesign and simplifi cation of
the visuals and interface, and one of the biggest
improvements is in navigation. Swiping is no
longer the only way to navigate around the OS:
you can now scroll using either the touchscreen or
the rotating crown on the side of the face, which
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ISSUE 36 • ANDROID ADVISOR 77
also doubles as a home button. This feels really
smooth and intuitive, though we imagine it could
be awkward at times if your other hand gets in the
way of the crown.
You also get Google Assistant built in, which
should mean more and better ways to control the
Watch Style using your voice and better integration
with other Google services. What you won’t get is
Android Pay, because the Style doesn’t have NFC,
so you won’t be using it to make any payments.
Wear 2.0 seems like a major update for the
operating system, and the Watch Style makes the
most of it, but it’s worth remembering that plenty of
current models will be getting updated to the new
software over the coming months anyway. They
may not have the crown scrolling functionality of
the Style, but otherwise they should still o er the
full Wear 2.0 experience.
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78 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 36
Verdict
The LG Watch Style looks and feels great, and we
love Wear 2.0 and the new crown scrolling, but
beyond that it’s just too limited given the price.
Without NFC, GPS, 4G, or a heart-rate monitor
the Style feels overpriced, and you can get more
for less from some of the other wearables on the
market. Dominic Preston
Specifi cations
• 1.2in (360x360, 299ppi) P-OLED display
• Android Wear 2.0
• 1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 CPU
• 512MB DDR3 RAM
• 4GB storage
• IP67 dust and water resistance
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 4.2 LE
• 240mAh non-removable battery
• 42.3x45.7x10.79mm
to boast Google’s new Android Wear 2.0,
which brings with it a new design, better
navigation, and Google Assistant, along with a
host of other tweaks.
Price
So far LG hasn’t yet confi rmed that the Watch Style
or its sibling the Watch Sport are coming to the
UK, but we are expecting them to announce a UK
release eventually. You’d expect that they’d want to
manage a release before too many other watches
get Wear 2.0 though, so we don’t think there will
be too long to wait, especially since the Style is
MWC: LG Watch Style
AA36 PAGES.indd 74 09/03/2017 10:45
ISSUE 36 • ANDROID ADVISOR 75
already out in the US. As for pricing, it costs $249 in
the US right now, so we’d expect a UK price in the
£220 to £250 range – we’ll update this review as
soon as we know more. That would put the Watch
Style up against the Moto 360 2 and Samsung Gear
S2, at which point $249 feels like a steep asking
price given the features on o er here.
Design
In case the name didn’t give it away, the Watch
Style has been designed with aesthetics fi rmly
in mind. The body is slim and understated, with
a matt fi nish on the front and a small crown on
the right-hand side. The 1.2in P-OLED display is
a comfortable size, though is surrounded by a
frustratingly thick bezel, which feels especially
ironic given that LG has made such a point
of reducing the bezels on its new G6 phone.
Meanwhile the back of the body is a simple
plastic cover, which feels slightly cheap.
The watch is available in three colours: silver,
titanium, and rose gold. You get even more
options with the straps, which by default come
in black, camel, or cream leather. There’s also a
range of other straps available to buy separately,
both in leather and rubber, and the good news is
that swapping the straps out is really quick and
easy using the built-in clasps.
Hardware
The Watch Style is powered by the same
Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor as the more
expensive Watch Sport, and backs it up with 4GB
storage and 512MB of DDR3 RAM. Paired with the
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76 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 36
new Android Wear 2.0 software, it’s more than
enough horsepower to make sure the Style is
snappy and responsive, and in our time with the
device we never noticed any lag or irritating delays.
Where the Style might come unstuck is its
240mAh battery. LG promises the device should
last all day, but we’re a bit sceptical, and some US
reviewers have already reported problems with
keeping the Style charged up. The watch also
features wireless charging, IP67 water and dust
resistance, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Most damning are the features it doesn’t include:
there’s no 4G, no GPS, no NFC, and no heart-rate
monitor. Sure, many smartwatch users won’t need
all of those, but it’s hard to imagine many people
won’t want at least some of those features. It’s
especially troublesome given the Style’s price –
$249 is a lot to pay for a device missing many of
the features people have come to expect from a
smartwatch, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that
the Style is very limited.
Software
If the hardware is a bit of a mixed bag, at least the
Watch Style gets to show o Android Wear 2.0. As
mentioned above, the OS is quick and responsive,
with none of the sluggishness found on some early
Wear devices.
There’s been a redesign and simplifi cation of
the visuals and interface, and one of the biggest
improvements is in navigation. Swiping is no
longer the only way to navigate around the OS:
you can now scroll using either the touchscreen or
the rotating crown on the side of the face, which
AA36 PAGES.indd 76 09/03/2017 10:45
ISSUE 36 • ANDROID ADVISOR 77
also doubles as a home button. This feels really
smooth and intuitive, though we imagine it could
be awkward at times if your other hand gets in the
way of the crown.
You also get Google Assistant built in, which
should mean more and better ways to control the
Watch Style using your voice and better integration
with other Google services. What you won’t get is
Android Pay, because the Style doesn’t have NFC,
so you won’t be using it to make any payments.
Wear 2.0 seems like a major update for the
operating system, and the Watch Style makes the
most of it, but it’s worth remembering that plenty of
current models will be getting updated to the new
software over the coming months anyway. They
may not have the crown scrolling functionality of
the Style, but otherwise they should still o er the
full Wear 2.0 experience.
AA36 PAGES.indd 77 09/03/2017 10:45
78 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 36
Verdict
The LG Watch Style looks and feels great, and we
love Wear 2.0 and the new crown scrolling, but
beyond that it’s just too limited given the price.
Without NFC, GPS, 4G, or a heart-rate monitor
the Style feels overpriced, and you can get more
for less from some of the other wearables on the
market. Dominic Preston
Specifi cations
• 1.2in (360x360, 299ppi) P-OLED display
• Android Wear 2.0
• 1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 CPU
• 512MB DDR3 RAM
• 4GB storage
• IP67 dust and water resistance
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 4.2 LE
• 240mAh non-removable battery
• 42.3x45.7x10.79mm
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